This day in history

[August 18, 2009]  (AP)  Today is Tuesday, Aug. 18, the 230th day of 2009. There are 135 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On Aug. 18, 1969, the Woodstock Music and Art Fair in Bethel, N.Y., which had fallen behind schedule, finally wound to a close after three nights with a midmorning set performed by Jimi Hendrix.

On this date:

In 1587, Virginia Dare became the first child of English parents to be born on American soil, on what is now Roanoke Island in North Carolina. (However, the colony Virginia was born into ended up mysteriously disappearing.)

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 guaranteed 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 it was originally published in Paris.

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

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 a deadly earthquake struck western Turkey, survivors denounced the rescue effort as sluggish and disorganized. (The death toll eventually topped 17,000.)

Five years ago: In Athens, Paul Hamm won the men's gymnastics all-around Olympic gold medal by the closest margin ever in the event; controversy followed after it was discovered a scoring error cost Yang Tae-young of South Korea the title. Film composer Elmer Bernstein died in Ojai, Calif. at age 82. Hawaii's first U.S. senator, Hiram L. Fong, died at age 97.

One year ago: Pervez Musharraf resigned as the president of Pakistan. Tropical Storm Fay pounded Cuba with torrential rain and wind before sweeping across the Florida Keys.

Today's birthdays: Former Interior Secretary Wally Hickel is 90. Former first lady Rosalynn Carter is 82. Movie director Roman Polanski is 76. Attorney and author Vincent Bugliosi is 75. Olympic gold medal decathlete Rafer Johnson is 74. Actor-director Robert Redford is 73. Singer Johnny Preston is 70. Actor Christopher Jones is 68. Actor Henry G. Sanders is 67. R&B singer Sarah Dash (LaBelle) is 66. Actor-comedian Martin Mull is 66. Rock musician Dennis Elliott is 59. Comedian Elayne Boosler is 57. Actor Patrick Swayze is 57. Country singer Steve Wilkinson (The Wilkinsons) is 54. Actor Denis Leary is 52. Actress Madeleine Stowe is 51. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is 48. News anchor Bob Woodruff is 48. The president of Mexico, Felipe Calderon, is 47. Bluegrass musician Jimmy Mattingly is 47. Actor Adam Storke is 47. Actor Craig Bierko is 44. Rock singer-musician Zac Maloy (The Nixons) is 41. Rock singer and hip-hop artist Everlast is 40. Rapper Masta Killa (Wu-Tang Clan) is 40. Actor Christian Slater is 40. Actor Edward Norton is 40. Actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner is 39. Actress Kaitlin Olson is 34. Actor-writer-director Hadjii is 33. Rock musician Dirk Lance is 33. New England Patriots linebacker Adalius Thomas is 32. Actor-comedian Andy Samberg (TV: "Saturday Night Live") is 31. New Orleans Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey is 29. Actress Parker McKenna Posey is 14.

Thought for today: "That is one of the bitter curses of poverty; it leaves no right to be generous." -- George Gissing, English author and critic (1857-1903)

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.