This day in history

[July 12, 2011]  (AP)  Today is Tuesday, July 12, the 193rd day of 2011. There are 172 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On July 12, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill passed by Congress authorizing the Medal of Honor.

On this date:

In 1543, England's King Henry VIII married his sixth and last wife, Catherine Parr.

In 1690, forces led by William of Orange defeated the army of James II at the Battle of the Boyne in Ireland.

In 1812, United States forces led by Gen. William Hull entered Canada during the War of 1812 against Britain. (However, Hull retreated shortly thereafter to Detroit.)

In 1909, the House of Representatives joined the Senate in passing the 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, allowing for a federal income tax, and submitted it to the states. (It was declared ratified in Feb. 1913.)

In 1948, the Democratic national convention, which nominated President Harry S. Truman for a second term of office, opened in Philadelphia.

In 1960, the Etch A Sketch Magic Screen drawing toy, invented by French electrician Andre Cassagnes, was first produced by the Ohio Art Co.

In 1977, President Jimmy Carter defended Supreme Court limits on government payments for poor women's abortions, saying, "There are many things in life that are not fair."

In 1984, Democratic presidential candidate Walter F. Mondale announced he'd chosen U.S. Rep. Geraldine A. Ferraro of New York to be his running-mate; Ferraro was the first woman to run for vice president on a major-party ticket.

In 1988, Democratic presidential candidate Michael S. Dukakis tapped Senator Lloyd Bentsen of Texas as his running-mate.

In 1991, a Japanese professor (Hitoshi Igarashi) who had translated Salman Rushdie's "The Satanic Verses" was found stabbed to death, nine days after the novel's Italian translator was attacked in Milan.

Ten years ago: Abner Louima, the Haitian immigrant tortured in a New York City police station, agreed to an $8.7 million settlement with the city and its police union.

Five years ago: Hezbollah guerrillas kidnapped two Israeli soldiers and killed eight others in a cross-border raid. (The bodies of the kidnapped soldiers, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, were returned to Israel in 2008 in exchange for five Lebanese militants.)

One year ago: Roman Polanski was declared a free man, no longer confined to house arrest in his Alpine villa, after Swiss authorities rejected a U.S. request for the Oscar-winning director's extradition because of a 32-year-old sex conviction. NBA commissioner David Stern fined Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert $100,000 for releasing a sharp-tongued statement shortly after LeBron James announced he was leaving the Cavaliers for Miami.

Today's birthdays: Movie director Monte Hellman is 79. Pianist Van Cliburn is 77. Comedian Bill Cosby is 74. Singer-musician Christine McVie is 68. Actress Denise Nicholas is 67. Singer-songwriter Butch Hancock is 66. Fitness guru Richard Simmons is 63. Actor Jay Thomas is 63. Singer Walter Egan is 63. Writer-producer Brian Grazer is 60. Actress Cheryl Ladd is 60. Country singer Julie Miller is 55. Gospel singer Sandi Patty is 55. Actress Mel Harris is 55. Actor Buddy Foster is 54. Rock guitarist Dan Murphy (Soul Asylum) is 49. Actress Judi Evans is 47. Rock singer Robin Wilson (Gin Blossoms) is 46. Actress Lisa Nicole Carson is 42. Olympic gold medal figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi is 40. Country singer Shannon Lawson is 38. Rapper Magoo is 38. Actress Anna Friel is 35. Rhythm-and-blues singer Tracie Spencer is 35. Actor Steve Howey is 34. Actor Topher Grace is 33. Actress Michelle Rodriguez is 33. Actor Erik Per Sullivan is 20.

Thought for today: "A man who fears suffering is already suffering from what he fears." -- Michel de Montaigne, French philosopher (1533-1592)

[Associated Press]

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