This day in history

[August 05, 2010]  (AP)  Today is Thursday, Aug. 5, the 217th day of 2010. There are 148 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On Aug. 5, 1962, actress Marilyn Monroe, 36, was found dead in her Los Angeles home; her death was ruled a probable suicide from an overdose of sleeping pills.

On this date:

In 1864, during the Civil War, Union Admiral David G. Farragut led his fleet to victory in the Battle of Mobile Bay, Ala.

In 1884, the cornerstone for the Statue of Liberty's pedestal was laid on Bedloe's Island in New York Harbor.

In 1924, the comic strip "Little Orphan Annie," by Harold Gray, made its debut.

In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the National Labor Board, which was later replaced with the National Labor Relations Board.

In 1953, Operation Big Switch began as prisoners taken during the Korean conflict were exchanged at Panmunjom.

In 1960, the West African nation of Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) became fully independent of French rule.

In 1963, the United States, Britain and the Soviet Union signed a treaty in Moscow banning nuclear tests in the atmosphere, in space and underwater.

In 1968, the Republican national convention convened in Miami Beach.

In 1969, the U.S. space probe Mariner 7 flew by Mars, sending back photographs and scientific data.

In 1984, actor Richard Burton died in Geneva, Switzerland, at age 58.

Ten years ago: President Bill Clinton vetoed a Republican-sponsored tax cut for married couples, describing it as "the first installment of a fiscally reckless tax strategy." Actor Sir Alec Guinness died at a southern England hospital at age 86.

Five years ago: British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced new deportation measures against people who fostered hatred and advocate violence. The NCAA announced it would shut American Indian nicknames and images out of postseason tournaments. Hunter Kelly, whose battle with a nervous system disease inspired fundraising crusade by his father, Football Hall of Famer Jim Kelly, died in Orchard Park, N.Y. at age 8.

One year ago: Journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee arrived in Burbank, Calif., for a tearful reunion with their families after a flight from North Korea, where they'd been held for 4 1/2 months until former President Bill Clinton helped secure their release. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (ah-muh-DEE'-neh-zhahd) was sworn in for a second term as Iran's president. Budd Schulberg, 95, who'd written the Oscar-winning screenplay for the Marlon Brando classic "On the Waterfront," died in Westhampton Beach, Long Island, N.Y.

Today's birthdays: Former astronaut Neil A. Armstrong is 80. Actress Cammie King ("Gone with the Wind") is 76. Actor John Saxon is 75. College Football Hall of Famer Roman Gabriel is 70. Country songwriter Bobby Braddock is 70. Rock musician Rick Huxley (The Dave Clark Five) is 70. Actress Loni Anderson is 65. Actress Erika Slezak is 64. Rock singer Rick Derringer is 63. Actress Holly Palance is 60. Singer Samantha Sang is 57. Actress-singer Maureen McCormick is 54. Rock musician Pat Smear is 51. Actress Tawney Kitaen is 49. Country musician Mark O'Connor is 49. Basketball Hall-of-Famer Patrick Ewing is 48. Rapper MCA (The Beastie Boys) is 46. Actor Jonathan Silverman is 44. Country singer Terri Clark is 42. Former MLB player John Olerud is 42. Rock musician Eicca Toppinen (EYE'-kah TAH'-pihn-nehn) (Apocalyptica) is 35. Actor Brendon Ryan Barrett is 24.

Thought for today: "We are all snobs of the Infinite, parvenus of the Eternal." -- James Gibbons Huneker, American author and critic (1860-1921)

[Associated Press]

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