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Five years ago: Big banks started falling in line behind a revised bailout plan that was fast becoming more of a buy-in; the Bush administration announced it would fork over as much as $250 billion in exchange for partial ownership. A grand jury in Orlando, Fla. returned charges of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and aggravated manslaughter against Casey Anthony in the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee. (She was acquitted in July 2011.) Syria formally recognized Lebanon for the first time by establishing diplomatic relations with its neighbor. Canada's Conservative Party won in national elections but fell short of a parliamentary majority.
One year ago: Former Sen. Arlen Specter died at 82 of complications from non-Hodgkins lymphoma. For most of his 30 years representing Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate, Specter was a Republican, though he began his political career as a Democrat and returned to that party in 2009. Daredevil skydiver Felix Baumgartner became the first man to shatter the sound barrier without traveling in a jet or a spacecraft, jumping from a balloon 24 miles above the New Mexico desert. Sixty-five years after becoming the first human to fly faster than the speed of sound, 89-year-old retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Chuck Yeager commemorated the event by smashing through the sound barrier again, this time in the backseat of an F-15. The St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Francisco Giants 6-4 in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series, while the Detroit Tigers blanked the New York Yankees 3-0 to take a 2-0 lead in the American League Championship Series.
Today's birthdays: Actor Roger Moore is 86. Classical pianist Gary Graffman is 85. Movie director Carroll Ballard is 76. Former White House counsel John W. Dean III is 75. Country singer Melba Montgomery is 76. Fashion designer Ralph Lauren is 74. Singer Sir Cliff Richard is 73. Actor Udo Kier is 69. Singer-musician Justin Hayward (The Moody Blues) is 67. Actor Harry Anderson is 61. Actor Greg Evigan is 60. TV personality Arleen Sorkin is 58. World Golf Hall of Famer Beth Daniel is 57. Singer-musician Thomas Dolby is 55. Actress Lori Petty is 50. MLB manager Joe Girardi is 49. Actor Steve Coogan is 48. Singer Karyn White is 48. Actor Edward Kerr is 47. Actor Jon Seda is 43. Country musician Doug Virden is 43. Country singer Natalie Maines (The Dixie Chicks) is 39. Actress-singer Shaznay Lewis (All Saints) is 38. Singer Usher is 35. TV personality Stacy Keibler is 34. Actor Ben Whishaw is 33. Actor Jordan Brower is 32. Director Benh Zeitlin is 31. Actress Skyler Shaye is 27. Actor-comedian Jay Pharoah (TV: "Saturday Night Live") is 26.
Thought for today: "Sometimes we have to get really high to see how small we are." -- Skydiver Felix Baumgartner, after becoming the first man to shatter the sound barrier without using a jet or a spacecraft
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