This day in history

[August 11, 2010]  (AP)  Today is Wednesday, Aug. 11, the 223rd day of 2010. There are 142 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On Aug. 11, 1965, rioting and looting that claimed 34 lives broke out in the predominantly black Watts section of Los Angeles.

On this date:

In 1810, a major earthquake shook the island of St. Michael in the Azores.

In 1860, the nation's first successful silver mill began operation near Virginia City, Nev.

In 1909, the steamship SS Arapahoe became the first ship in North America to issue an S.O.S. distress signal, off North Carolina's Cape Hatteras.

In 1934, the first federal prisoners arrived at the island prison Alcatraz in San Francisco Bay.

In 1949, President Harry S. Truman nominated General Omar N. Bradley to become the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

In 1954, a formal peace took hold in Indochina, ending more than seven years of fighting between the French and Communist Viet Minh.

In 1960, the African country of Chad became independent of France.

In 1962, the Soviet Union launched cosmonaut Andrian Nikolayev on a 94-hour flight.

In 1975, the United States vetoed the proposed admission of North and South Vietnam to the United Nations, following the Security Council's refusal to consider South Korea's application.

In 1992, the Mall of America opened in Bloomington, Minn.

Ten years ago: The National Transportation Safety Board released evidence reports in the Oct. 31, 1999, crash of EgyptAir Flight 990 off the New England coast; a transcript of the cockpit voice recording showed the chilling details of the pilot's futile struggle to save the Boeing 767 and its 217 occupants. Pat Buchanan won the Reform Party presidential nomination in a victory bitterly disputed by party founder Ross Perot's supporters, who chose their own nominee, John Hagelin (HAYG'-lihn), in a rival convention.

Five years ago: President George W. Bush expressed sympathy for war protesters like Cindy Sheehan, the mother camped outside his Texas ranch demanding more answers for her soldier-son's death in Iraq, but said he believed it would be a mistake to bring U.S. troops home immediately. A one-day strike by British Airways baggage handlers and other ground staff forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights to and from Heathrow Airport.

One year ago: A Myanmar court found democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi (ahng sahn soo chee) guilty of violating her house arrest by allowing an uninvited American to visit her home; she was ordered to serve an 18-month sentence under house arrest. Jeers and taunts drowned out Democratic lawmakers calling for a health care overhaul at town halls; during his own town hall in Portsmouth, N.H., President Barack Obama assailed "wild misrepresentations" of his health care plan. Eunice Kennedy Shriver, sister of President John F. Kennedy and founder of the Special Olympics, died in Cape Cod, Mass. at age 88.

Today's birthdays: Actress Arlene Dahl is 82. Actress Anna Massey is 73. Songwriter-producer Kenny Gamble is 67. Rock musician Jim Kale (Guess Who) is 67. Country singer John Conlee is 64. Singer Eric Carmen is 61. Computer scientist and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is 60. Wrestler-actor Hulk Hogan is 57. Singer Joe Jackson is 56. Playwright David Henry Hwang is 53. Actor Miguel A. Nunez, Jr. is 46. Actress Viola Davis is 45. Actor Duane Martin is 45. Actor-host Joe Rogan is 43. Rhythm-and-blues musician Chris Dave is 42. Actress Anna Gunn is 42. Actress Ashley Jensen is 42. Rock guitarist Charlie Sexton is 42. Hip-hop artist Ali Shaheed Muhammad is 40. Actor Will Friedle is 34. Rapper Chris Kelly (Kris Kross) is 32. Singer J-Boog is 25. Rapper Asher Roth is 25. Actress Alyson Stoner is 17.

Thought for today: "The best of all the preachers are the men who live their creeds." -- Edgar A. Guest, American author, journalist and poet (1881-1959)

[Associated Press]

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