This day in history

[August 18, 2008]  (AP)  Today is Monday, Aug. 18, the 231st day of 2008. There are 135 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On Aug. 18, 1587, Virginia Dare became the first child of English parents to be born on American soil, on what is now Roanoke Island, N.C. (However, the colony she was born into ended up mysteriously disappearing.)

On this date:

In 1838, the first marine expedition sponsored by the U.S. government set sail from Hampton Roads, Va.; the crews traveled the southern Pacific Ocean, gathering scientific information.

In 1846, U.S. forces led by Gen. Stephen W. Kearny captured Santa Fe, N.M.

In 1894, Congress established the Bureau of Immigration.

In 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which guarantees the right of all American women to vote, was ratified as Tennessee became the 36th state to approve it.

In 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King dedicated the Thousand Islands Bridge connecting the United States and Canada.

In 1958, the novel "Lolita" by Vladimir Nabokov was first published in New York by G.P. Putnam's Sons, almost three years after the book was originally published in Paris.

In 1963, James Meredith became the first black student to graduate from the University of Mississippi.

In 1969, the Woodstock Music and Art Fair ended in Sullivan County, N.Y., with a mid-morning set performed by Jimi Hendrix.

In 1976, two U.S. Army officers were killed in Korea's demilitarized zone as a group of North Korean soldiers wielding axes and metal pikes attacked U.S. and South Korean soldiers.

In 1983, Hurricane Alicia slammed into the Texas coast, leaving 21 dead and causing more than a billion dollars' worth of damage.

Ten years ago: A day after his grand jury testimony, President Clinton left Washington on a vacation with his family. Meanwhile, some lawmakers called for Clinton to resign in the wake of his admissions concerning Monica Lewinsky, while a spokeswoman for Hillary Rodham Clinton said the first lady "believes in this marriage."

Five years ago: A senior French health official resigned after France's health minister admitted that up to 5,000 people might have died in a heat wave. The Liberian government and rebels signed a peace accord. Islamic extremists freed 14 European tourists six months after they were kidnapped by an al-Qaida-linked group in the Algerian desert.

One year ago: Alarmed tourists jammed Caribbean airports for flights out of Hurricane Dean's path as the monster storm began sweeping past the Dominican Republic and Haiti. NASA, meanwhile, ordered space shuttle Endeavour back to Earth a day early out of fear Dean might disrupt flight operations. A seven-alarm fire ripped through an abandoned skyscraper next to ground zero in lower Manhattan, killing two firefighters who responded to the blaze. Michael K. Deaver, a close adviser to President Reagan, died in Bethesda, Md., at age 69.

Today's birthdays: Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter is 81. Movie director Roman Polanski is 75. Actor Robert Redford is 71. Singer Johnny Preston is 69. Actor Christopher Jones is 67. Actor Henry G. Sanders is 66. Rhythm-and-blues singer Sarah Dash (LaBelle) is 65. Actor-comedian Martin Mull is 65. Rock musician Dennis Elliott is 58. Comedian Elayne Boosler is 56. Actor Patrick Swayze is 56. Country singer Steve Wilkinson (The Wilkinsons) is 53. Actor Denis Leary is 51. Actress Madeleine Stowe is 50. News anchor Bob Woodruff is 47. Actor Craig Bierko is 43. Rock singer-musician Zac Maloy (The Nixons) is 40. Hip-hop artist Everlast is 39. Rapper Masta Killa (Wu-Tang Clan) is 39. Actor Christian Slater is 39. Actor Edward Norton is 39. Actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner is 38. Actress Kaitlin Olson is 33. Rock musician Dirk Lance is 32. Actor-comedian Andy Samberg (TV: "Saturday Night Live") is 30. Actress Parker McKenna Posey is 13.

Thought for today: "New opinions are always suspected, and usually opposed, without any other reason but because they are not already common." -- John Locke, English philosopher (1632-1704)

[Associated Press]

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