This day in history

[July 21, 2009]  (AP)  Today is Tuesday, July 21, the 202nd day of 2009. There are 163 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On July 21, 1959, the NS Savannah, the first nuclear-powered merchant ship, was christened by first lady Mamie Eisenhower at Camden, N.J.

On this date:

In 1831, Leopold I was proclaimed King of the Belgians.

In 1861, the first Battle of Bull Run was fought at Manassas, Va., resulting in a Confederate victory.

In 1925, the so-called "Monkey Trial" ended in Dayton, Tenn., with John T. Scopes convicted of violating state law for teaching Darwin's Theory of Evolution. (The conviction was later overturned on a technicality.)

In 1930, President Herbert Hoover signed an executive order establishing the Veterans Administration.

In 1944, American forces landed on Guam during World War II.

In 1949, the U.S. Senate ratified the North Atlantic Treaty.

In 1961, Captain Virgil "Gus" Grissom became the second American to rocket into a suborbital pattern around the Earth, flying aboard the Liberty Bell 7.

In 1969, Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin blasted off from the moon aboard the ascent stage of the lunar module for docking with the command module.

In 1980, draft registration began in the United States for 19- and 20-year-old men.

In 1994, Britain's Labor Party elected Tony Blair its new leader, succeeding the late John Smith.

Ten years ago: Navy divers found and recovered the bodies of John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife, Carolyn, and sister-in-law, Lauren Bessette, in the wreckage of Kennedy's plane in the Atlantic Ocean off Martha's Vineyard. Advertising executive David Ogilvy died in Bonnes, France, at age 88.

Five years ago: President George W. Bush sketched out a second-term domestic agenda, telling campaign donors he would shift focus to improving high school education and expanding access to health care. Academy Award-winning composer Jerry Goldsmith died in Beverly Hills, Calif., at age 75. Richard Bloch, co-founder of H&R Block, the world's largest tax preparer, died in Kansas City, Mo., at age 78.

One year ago: In a face-to-face meeting with Iraq's leaders, Barack Obama gained fresh support for the idea of pulling all U.S. combat forces out of the war zone by 2010. Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, one of the world's top war crimes fugitives, was arrested in a Belgrade suburb by Serbian security forces. Eric Dowling, who helped excavate tunnels used in the breakout from a World War II German prison camp that became known as the "Great Escape," died in Bristol, England, a day before his 93rd birthday.

Today's birthdays: Singer Kay Starr is 87. Movie director Norman Jewison is 83. Actor Paul Burke is 83. Former Attorney General Janet Reno is 71. Actress Patricia Elliott is 67. Actor David Downing is 66. Actor Edward Herrmann is 66. Actor Leigh Lawson is 64. Actor Wendell Burton is 62. Actor Art Hindle is 61. Singer Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens) is 61. Cartoonist Garry Trudeau is 61. Comedian-actor Robin Williams is 58. Rock singer-musician Eric Bazilian (The Hooters) is 56. Comedian Jon Lovitz is 52. Actor Lance Guest is 49. Actor Matt Mulhern is 49. Comedian Greg Behrendt is 46. Rock musician Koen Lieckens (K's Choice) is 43. Rock singer Emerson Hart is 40. Country singer Paul Brandt is 37. Actress Ali Landry is 36. Actor Justin Bartha is 31. Actor Josh Hartnett is 31. Contemporary Christian singer Brandon Heath is 31. Reggae singer Damian Marley is 31. Country singer Brad Mates (Emerson Drive) is 31. Indiana Fever forward Tamika Catchings is 30. New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia is 29. Actress Sprague Grayden is 29. Singer Blake Lewis ("American Idol") is 28. Cleveland Browns tight end Kellen Winslow II is 26. Rock musician Johan Carlsson (Johan Carlsson) is 25. Actress Vanessa Lengies is 24. Actor Jamie Waylett ("Harry Potter" films) is 20.

Thought for today: "Happiness is good health and a bad memory." -- Ingrid Bergman, Swedish-born actress (1915-1982)

[Associated Press]

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