This day in history

[August 23, 2010]  (AP)  Today is Monday, Aug. 23, the 235th day of 2010. There are 130 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On Aug. 23, 1960, Broadway librettist Oscar Hammerstein (HAM'-ur-STYN') II, 65, died in Doylestown, Pa. nine months after the opening of his final collaboration with composer Richard Rodgers, "The Sound of Music."

On this date:

In 1305, Scottish rebel leader Sir William Wallace was executed by the English for treason.

In 1754, France's King Louis XVI was born at Versailles (vehr-SY').

In 1775, Britain's King George III proclaimed the American colonies in a state of "open and avowed rebellion."

In 1785, U.S. naval hero Oliver Hazard Perry was born in South Kingstown, R.I.

In 1914, Japan declared war against Germany in World War I.

In 1926, silent film star Rudolph Valentino died in New York at age 31.

In 1927, amid protests, Italian-born anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were executed in Boston for the murders of two men during a 1920 robbery.

In 1939, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union agreed to a non-aggression treaty, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, in Moscow.

In 1944, Romanian prime minister Ion Antonescu was dismissed by King Michael, paving the way for Romania to abandon the Axis in favor of the Allies.

In 1973, a bank robbery-turned-hostage-taking began in Stockholm, Sweden; the four hostages ended up empathizing with their captors, a psychological condition now referred to as "Stockholm Syndrome."

Ten years ago: A Gulf Air Airbus crashed into the Persian Gulf near Bahrain, killing all 143 people aboard. Negotiators for Verizon (vuh-RY'-zuhn) and more than 35,000 telephone workers reached tentative agreement on a new contract, ending an 18-day strike. An estimated 51 million viewers tuned in for the finale of the first season of the CBS reality show "Survivor," in which contestant Richard Hatch won the $1 million prize.

Five years ago: President George W. Bush said he understood the anguish of war protester Cindy Sheehan, but said fulfilling demands like hers for withdrawal from Iraq would weaken the United States. Israeli forces evicted militant holdouts from two Jewish settlements, completing a historic withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and part of the West Bank. A Peruvian airliner crash-landed in the Amazon jungle, killing 40 of the 98 people aboard. Actor Brock Peters died in Los Angeles at age 78.

One year ago: Reality TV contestant Ryan Jenkins, suspected in the killing of his ex-wife and former model Jasmine Fiore, was found hanging in a motel in Hope, British Columbia, Canada, an apparent suicide. Eric Bruntlett turned an unassisted triple play to finish Philadelphia's wild 9-7 victory over the New York Mets. Stefania Fernandez, Miss Venezuela, won the 2009 Miss Universe pageant in the Bahamas; she succeeded fellow Venezuelan Dayana Mendoza, the previous year's winner.

Today's birthdays: Actress Vera Miles is 80. Political satirist Mark Russell is 78. Actress Barbara Eden is 76. Pro Football Hall of Famer Sonny Jurgensen is 76. Actor Richard Sanders is 70. Ballet dancer Patricia McBride is 68. Former Surgeon General Antonia Novello is 66. Pro Football Hall of Famer Rayfield Wright is 65. Country singer Rex Allen Jr. is 63. Singer Linda Thompson is 63. Actress Shelley Long is 61. Actor-singer Rick Springfield is 61. Country singer-musician Woody Paul (Riders in the Sky) is 61. Queen Noor of Jordan is 59. Actor-producer Mark Hudson is 59. Retired All-Star baseball pitcher Mike Boddicker is 53. Rock musician Dean DeLeo (Army of Anyone; Stone Temple Pilots) is 49. Tejano singer Emilio Navaira (nah-VY'-rah) is 48. Country musician Ira Dean (Trick Pony) is 41. Actor Jay Mohr is 40. Actor Ray Park is 36. Actor Scott Caan is 34. Country singer Shelly Fairchild is 33. Figure skater Nicole Bobek is 33. Rock singer Julian Casablancas (The Strokes) is 32. NBA player Kobe Bryant is 32.

Thought for today: "I know the world is filled with troubles and many injustices. But reality is as beautiful as it is ugly. I think it is just as important to sing about beautiful mornings as it is to talk about slums. I just couldn't write anything without hope in it." -- Oscar Hammerstein II (1895-1960)

[Associated Press]

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