This day in history

[August 09, 2010]  (AP)  Today is Monday, Aug. 9, the 221st day of 2010. There are 144 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On Aug. 9, 1945, three days after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, the United States exploded a nuclear device over Nagasaki, killing an estimated 74,000 people.

On this date:

In 1842, the United States and Canada resolved a border dispute by signing the Webster-Ashburton Treaty.

In 1854, Henry David Thoreau's "Walden," which described Thoreau's experiences while living near Walden Pond in Massachusetts, was first published.

In 1902, Edward VII was crowned king of Britain following the death of his mother, Queen Victoria.

In 1910, the U.S. Patent Office granted Alva J. Fisher of the Hurley Machine Co. a patent for an electrically powered washing machine.

In 1930, cartoon character Betty Boop made her debut (as a dog-eared singer) in Max Fleischer's animated short "Dizzy Dishes."

In 1936, Jesse Owens won his fourth gold medal at the Berlin Olympics as the United States took first place in the 400-meter relay.

In 1944, 258 African-American sailors based at Port Chicago, Calif. refused to load a munitions ship following an explosion on another ship that killed 320 men, two-thirds of them black. (Fifty of the sailors were convicted of mutiny, fined and imprisoned.)

In 1969, actress Sharon Tate and four other people were found brutally slain at Tate's Los Angeles home; cult leader Charles Manson and a group of his followers were later convicted of the crime.

In 1974, President Richard Nixon's resignation took effect. Vice President Gerald R. Ford became the nation's 38th chief executive.

In 1995, Jerry Garcia, lead singer of the Grateful Dead, died in Forest Knolls, Calif.,of a heart attack at age 53.

Ten years ago: Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. announced it was recalling 6.5 million tires that had been implicated in hundreds of accidents and at least 46 deaths.

Five years ago: The space shuttle Discovery and its crew of seven safely returned to Earth, ending a 14-day safety test that was shadowed by the Columbia tragedy. Charles McCoy Jr. pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and 10 other charges in a series of Ohio highway shootings and was sentenced to 27 years in prison. Author Judith Rossner, who wrote "Looking for Mr. Goodbar," died in New York City at age 70.

One year ago: President Barack Obama flew to Guadalajara, Mexico, for a two-day speed summit with Mexican President Felipe Calderon (fay-LEE'-pay kahl-duh-ROHN') and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Iraqi authorities arrested British contractor Danny Fitzsimons in the shooting deaths of two co-workers in Baghdad's protected Green Zone. Jennifer Song became the second woman to win two U.S. Golf Association championships in the same year, beating Jennifer Johnson 3 and 1 in the U.S. Women's Amateur final. (The 19-year-old Song had won the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links in June 2009.)

Today's birthdays: Basketball Hall of Famer Bob Cousy is 82. Tennis Hall of Famer Rod Laver is 72. Jazz musician Jack DeJohnette is 68. Comedian-director David Steinberg is 68. Boxing Hall-of-Famer Ken Norton is 67. Actor Sam Elliott is 66. Singer Barbara Mason is 63. Former baseball player Bill Campbell is 62. College Football Hall of Famer John Cappelletti is 58. College Football Hall of Famer Doug Williams is 55. Actress Melanie Griffith is 53. Actress Amanda Bearse is 52. Rapper Kurtis Blow is 51. Singer Whitney Houston is 47. Hockey Hall of Famer Brett Hull is 46. TV host Hoda Kotb (HO'-duh KAHT'-bee) is 46. Actor Pat Petersen is 44. Former football player-turned-broadcaster Deion Sanders is 43. Actress Gillian Anderson is 42. Actor Eric Bana is 42. Producer-director McG (aka Joseph McGinty Nichol) is 42. Hockey player Rod Brind'Amour is 40. TV anchor Chris Cuomo is 40. Actor Thomas Lennon is 40. Rock musician Arion Salazar is 40. Rapper Mack 10 is 39. Actress Nikki Schieler Ziering is 39. Latin rock singer Juanes is 38. Actress Liz Vassey is 38. Actress Rhona Mitra (ROH'-nuh MEE'-truh) is 35. Actress Jessica Capshaw is 34. Actress Anna Kendrick is 25.

Thought for today: "Hope is a waking dream." -- Aristotle, Greek philosopher (384 B.C.-322 B.C.)

[Associated Press]

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