This day in history

[July 03, 2010]  (AP)  Today is Saturday, July 3, the 184th day of 2010. There are 181 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On July 3, 1863, the three-day Civil War Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania ended in a major victory for the North as Confederate troops retreated.

On this date:

In 1608, the city of Quebec was founded by Samuel de Champlain.

In 1775, Gen. George Washington took command of the Continental Army at Cambridge, Mass.

In 1890, Idaho became the 43rd state of the Union.

In 1898, the U.S. Navy defeated a Spanish fleet outside Santiago Bay in Cuba during the Spanish-American War.

In 1944, during World War II, Soviet forces recaptured Minsk.

In 1962, Algeria became independent after 132 years of French rule.

In 1971, singer Jim Morrison of The Doors died in Paris at age 27.

In 1979, Dan White, convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the shooting deaths of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone (mahs-KOH'-nee) and Supervisor Harvey Milk, was sentenced to seven years and eight months in prison. (He ended up serving five years.)

In 1985, the time-travel comedy "Back to the Future," starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, was first released.

In 1988, the USS Vincennes shot down an Iran Air jetliner over the Persian Gulf, killing all 290 people aboard.

Ten years ago: President Bill Clinton made a congratulatory telephone call to Mexican President-elect Vicente Fox, a day after Fox's election. A 1970s steel observation tower that preservationists said had desecrated the battlefield of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania was demolished. Harold Nicholas, the younger half of the legendary tap-dancing Nicholas Brothers, died at age 79.

Five years ago: A NASA space probe, Deep Impact, hit its comet target as planned in a mission to learn how the solar system formed. Saudi security forces killed Moroccan Younis Mohammed Ibrahim al-Hayari, the al-Qaida terrorist group's leader in the country, during a gun battle in Riyadh. Roger Federer won his third consecutive Wimbledon title by beating Andy Roddick 6-2, 7-6 (2), 6-4.

One year ago: In a surprise announcement, Sarah Palin said she would resign as Alaska governor, effective July 26, 2009. Vice President Joe Biden visited Baghdad, where he pressed Iraqi leaders to do more to foster national reconciliation and offered U.S. assistance in achieving that goal. Businessman John S. Barry, who turned rust-fighter WD-40 into a household brand, died in La Jolla, Calif. at age 84.

Today's birthdays: Actor Tim O'Connor is 83. Movie director Ken Russell is 83. Jazz musician Pete Fountain is 80. Playwright Tom Stoppard is 73. Writer-producer Jay Tarses is 71. Singer Fontella Bass is 70. Actor Kurtwood Smith is 67. Actor Michael Cole ("The Mod Squad") is 65. Country singer Johnny Lee is 64. Humorist Dave Barry is 63. Actress Betty Buckley is 63. Rock singer-musician Paul Barrere (bah-RAYR') (Little Feat) is 62. Actress Jan Smithers is 61. Former Haitian President Jean-Claude Duvalier (doo-VAHL'-yay) is 59. Talk show host Montel Williams is 54. Country singer Aaron Tippin is 52. Rock musician Vince Clarke (Erasure) is 50. Actor Tom Cruise is 48. Actor Thomas Gibson is 48. Actress Hunter Tylo is 48. Actress Connie Nielsen is 46. Actress Yeardley Smith is 46. Singer Ishmael Butler is 41. Rock musician Kevin Hearn (Barenaked Ladies) is 41. Actress-singer Audra McDonald is 40. Actor Patrick Wilson is 37. Country singer Trent Tomlinson is 35. Singer Shane Lynch (Boyzone) is 34. Rhythm-and-blues singer Tonia Tash (Divine) is 31. Country singer-songwriter Sarah Buxton is 30. Actor Grant Rosenmeyer is 19. Actress Kelsey Batelaan is 15.

Thought for today: "The trouble with life isn't that there is no answer, it's that there are so many answers." -- Ruth Benedict, American anthropologist (1887-1948)

[Associated Press]

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