This day in history

[August 02, 2010]  (AP)  Today is Monday, Aug. 2, the 214th day of 2010. There are 151 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On Aug. 2, 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait, seizing control of the oil-rich emirate. (The Iraqis were later driven out in Operation Desert Storm.)

On this date:

In 1610, during his fourth voyage to the Western Hemisphere, English explorer Henry Hudson sailed into what is now known as Hudson Bay.

In 1776, members of the Continental Congress began attaching their signatures to the Declaration of Independence.

In 1876, frontiersman "Wild Bill" Hickok was shot and killed while playing poker at a saloon in Deadwood, Dakota Territory by Jack McCall, who was later hanged.

In 1909, the original Lincoln "wheat" penny first went into circulation, replacing the "Indian Head" cent.

In 1923, the 29th president of the United States, Warren G. Harding, died in San Francisco; Vice President Calvin Coolidge became president.

In 1934, German President Paul von Hindenburg died, paving the way for Adolf Hitler's complete takeover.

In 1943, during World War II, Navy boat PT-109, commanded by Lt. John F. Kennedy, sank after being rammed by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri off the Solomon Islands.

In 1974, former White House counsel John W. Dean III was sentenced to one to four years in prison for obstruction of justice in the Watergate cover-up. (Dean ended up serving four months.)

In 1980, 85 people were killed when a bomb exploded at the train station in Bologna, Italy.

In 1985, 135 people were killed when a Delta Air Lines jetliner crashed while attempting to land at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

Ten years ago: Republicans awarded Texas Gov. George W. Bush their 2000 presidential nomination at the party's convention in Philadelphia and ratified Dick Cheney as his running mate. Former President Gerald R. Ford was hospitalized after suffering one, possibly two, small strokes. President Bill Clinton postponed the scheduled execution of Juan Raul Garza, a Texas drug kingpin and murderer (Garza was executed in June 2001).

Five years ago: An Air France jetliner from Paris skidded off a runway at Toronto's Pearson International Airport and burst into flames; all 309 people aboard survived. President George W. Bush signed a free trade pact with five Central American nations and the Dominican Republic. American freelance journalist Steven Vincent was found shot to death in Basra, Iraq, after being abducted by armed men.

One year ago: A mystery from the 1991 Gulf War was finally solved as the Pentagon announced that the remains of missing Navy pilot Michael "Scott" Speicher (SPY'-kur) had been found. Catriona Matthew won the Women's British Open for her first major title, beating Karrie Webb by three strokes.

Today's birthdays: Former Sen. Paul Laxalt (R-Nev.) is 88. Actor Peter O'Toole is 78. Country singer Hank Cochran is 75. Rock musician Garth Hudson (The Band) is 73. Movie director Wes Craven is 71. Singer Kathy Lennon (The Lennon Sisters) is 67. Actor Max Wright is 67. Actress Joanna Cassidy is 65. Actress Kathryn Harrold is 60. Singer Andrew Gold is 59. Actor Butch Patrick ("The Munsters") is 57. Singer Mojo Nixon is 53. Actress Victoria Jackson is 51. Actress Apollonia is 51. Actress Cynthia Stevenson is 48. Actress Mary-Louise Parker is 46. Rock musician John Stanier is 42. Writer-actor-director Kevin Smith is 40. Actor Sam Worthington is 34. Figure skater Michael Weiss is 34. Actor Edward Furlong is 33. Rock musician Devon Glenn is 30. Actress Hallie Eisenberg is 18.

Thought for today: "A beautiful soul has no other merit than its own existence." -- Friedrich von Schiller, German author (1759-1805)

[Associated Press]

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