This day in history

[July 27, 2009]  (AP)  Today is Monday, July 27, the 208th day of 2009. There are 157 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On July 27, 1909, during the first official test of the U.S. Army's first airplane, Orville Wright flew himself and a passenger, Lt. Frank Lahm, above Fort Myer, Va., for one hour and 12 minutes.

On this date:

In 1789, President George Washington signed a measure establishing the Department of Foreign Affairs, forerunner of the Department of State.

In 1794, French revolutionary leader Maximilien Robespierre was overthrown and placed under arrest; he was executed the following day.

In 1866, Cyrus W. Field finished laying out the first successful underwater telegraph cable between North America and Europe (a previous cable in 1858 burned out after only a few weeks of use).

In 1919, race-related rioting erupted in Chicago; the violence, which claimed the lives of 23 blacks and 15 whites, lasted until Aug. 3.

In 1953, the Korean War armistice was signed at Panmunjom, ending three years of fighting.

In 1960, Vice President Richard M. Nixon was nominated for president at the Republican national convention in Chicago.

In 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed the Kerner Commission to assess the causes of urban rioting, the same day black militant H. Rap Brown said in Washington that violence was "as American as cherry pie."

In 1974, the House Judiciary Committee voted 27-11 to adopt the first of three articles of impeachment against President Richard Nixon, charging he had personally engaged in a course of conduct designed to obstruct justice in the Watergate case.

In 1984, actor James Mason died in Lausanne, Switzerland, at age 75.

In 1996, terror struck the Atlanta Olympics as a pipe bomb exploded at Centennial Olympic Park, directly killing one person and injuring 111. (Anti-government extremist Eric Rudolph later pleaded guilty to the bombing.)

Ten years ago: The House approved President Bill Clinton's one-year extension of normal trade with China. In an overwhelming defeat for major league umpires, their threatened walkout collapsed when all of the umpires withdrew their resignations; however, about one-third of them ended up losing their jobs anyway. A flash flood in Switzerland claimed the lives of 21 people, 18 of them tourists. With Air Force Col. Eileen Collins at the controls, space shuttle Columbia returned to Earth, ending a five-day mission.

Five years ago: Democrats assailed President George W. Bush's handling of the Iraq war at their convention in Boston and painted a vivid portrait of John Kerry as a decorated Vietnam War hero. In a keynote address, Illinois State Sen. Barack Obama said Kerry had long made "tough choices when easier ones were available."

One year ago: A gunman went on a rampage at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville, killing two people and wounding six others. (Jim D. Adkisson later pleaded guilty to murder and attempted murder and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.) Two bombs targeting civilians at a packed square in Istanbul, Turkey, killed 17 people. Iran hanged 29 people convicted of murder, drug trafficking and other crimes. Carlos Sastre of Spain won the Tour de France in one of the closest finishes in the 105-year-old race.

Today's birthdays: TV producer Norman Lear is 87. R&B singer Harvey Fuqua is 80. Actor Jerry Van Dyke is 78. Sportscaster Irv Cross is 70. Actor John Pleshette is 67. Singer Bobbie Gentry is 65. Actress-director Betty Thomas is 61. Olympic gold medal figure skater Peggy Fleming is 61. Actor Maury Chaykin is 60. Singer Maureen McGovern is 60. Actress Janet Eilber is 58. Actress Roxanne Hart is 57. Country musician Duncan Cameron is 53. Comedian-actress-writer Carol Leifer is 53. Comedian Bill Engvall is 52. Jazz singer Karrin Allyson is 47. Country singer Stacy Dean Campbell is 42. Rock singer Juliana Hatfield is 42. Actor Julian McMahon is 41. Comedian Maya Rudolph is 37. Rock musician Abe Cunningham is 36. Singer-songwriter Pete Yorn is 35. New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez is 34. Actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers is 32. Singer Cheyenne Kimball is 19.

Thought for today: "Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock." -- Will Rogers, American humorist (1879-1935)

[Associated Press]

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