This day in history

[August 21, 2009]  (AP)  Today is Friday, Aug. 21, the 233rd day of 2009. There are 132 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

Fifty years ago, on Aug. 21, 1959, Hawaii became the 50th state as President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed an executive order, five months after signing the Hawaiian statehood bill.

On this date:

In 1609, Galileo Galilei demonstrated his new telescope, capable of magnifying images of objects ninefold, to a group of officials atop the Campanile in Venice.

In 1807, Robert Fulton's North River Steamboat set off from Albany on its return trip to New York, arriving some 30 hours later.

In 1831, Nat Turner led a violent slave rebellion in Virginia resulting in the deaths of at least 55 white people. (He was later executed.)

In 1858, the first of seven debates between Illinois senatorial contenders Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas took place.

In 1878, the American Bar Association was founded in Saratoga, N.Y.

In 1911, Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" was stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris. (The painting turned up two years later, in Italy.)

In 1940, exiled Communist revolutionary Leon Trotsky died in Mexico City from wounds inflicted by an assassin the day before.

In 1963, martial law was declared in South Vietnam as police and army troops began a crackdown on Buddhist anti-government protesters.

In 1983, Philippine opposition leader Benigno S. Aquino Jr., ending a self-imposed exile in the United States, was shot dead moments after stepping off a plane at Manila International Airport.

In 1991, the hard-line coup against Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev collapsed in the face of a popular uprising led by Russian federation President Boris N. Yeltsin.

Ten years ago: President Bill Clinton urged Americans to contribute to the relief effort for Turkey, where the death toll from a massive earthquake four days earlier topped 12,000. (It eventually reached 17,000).

Five years ago: The International Gymnastics Federation ruled that South Korean Yang Tae-young was unfairly docked a tenth of a point in the all-around gymnastics final at the Athens Olympics, costing him the gold medal that ended up going to Paul Hamm of the United States; however, the ruling did not change the final result.

One year ago: President George W. Bush issued a federal disaster declaration for parts of Florida affected by Tropical Storm Fay. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Baghdad for discussions with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other top Iraqi officials. Twin Taliban suicide bombings at Pakistan's largest weapons complex killed at least 67 people. At the Summer Olympics, Japan defeated the U.S. softball team, 3-1, to win the gold medal. Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor won their second consecutive gold medal in beach volleyball, beating Wang Jie and Tian Jia of China. The U.S. women's soccer team won the gold medal by beating Brazil 1-0 in extra time. One-time actor Fred Crane, who'd played one of the Tarleton twins in "Gone With the Wind," died in Atlanta at age 90.

Today's birthdays: Former NFL player Pete Retzlaff is 78. Actor-director Melvin Van Peebles is 77. Playwright Mart Crowley ("The Boys in the Band") is 74. Singer Kenny Rogers is 71. Actor Clarence Williams III is 70. Rock-'n'-roll musician James Burton is 70. Singer Harold Reid (The Statler Brothers) is 70. Singer Jackie DeShannon is 68. NFL Hall of Famer Willie Lanier is 64. Actress Patty McCormack is 64. Pop singer-musician Carl Giammarese is 62. Actress Loretta Devine is 60. CBS "Early Show" co-host Harry Smith is 58. Singer Glenn Hughes is 57. Country musician Nick Kane is 55. Actress Kim Cattrall is 53. College Football Hall of Famer and NFL quarterback Jim McMahon is 50. Baseball All-Star pitcher John Wetteland is 43. Rock singer Serj Tankian (System of a Down) is 42. Actress Carrie-Anne Moss is 39. Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Craig Counsell is 39. Rock musician Liam Howlett (Prodigy) is 38. Actress Alicia Witt is 34. Singer Kelis is 30. Singer Melissa Schuman is 25. Olympic gold medal sprinter Usain Bolt is 23. Actor Cody Kasch is 22. Actress Hayden Panettiere is 20. Actor RJ Mitte (TV: "Breaking Bad") is 17.

Thought for today: "To know a little less and to understand a little more: that, it seems to me, is our greatest need." -- James Ramsey Ullman, American author (1907-1971)

[Associated Press]

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