This day in history

[July 11, 2011]  (AP)  Today is Monday, July 11, the 192nd day of 2011. There are 173 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On July 11, 1798, the U.S. Marine Corps was formally re-established by a congressional act that also created the U.S. Marine Band.

On this date:

In 1767, John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States, was born in Braintree, Mass.

In 1804, Vice President Aaron Burr mortally wounded former Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton during a pistol duel in Weehawken, N.J.

In 1859, Big Ben, the great bell inside the famous London clock tower, chimed for the first time. (The clock had been keeping time since May 31.)

In 1864, Confederate forces led by General Jubal Early began an abortive invasion of Washington, D.C., turning back the next day.

In 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first incumbent chief executive to travel through the Panama Canal.

In 1936, New York City's Triborough Bridge (now officially known as the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge) linking Manhattan, Queens and The Bronx was opened to traffic.

In 1952, the Republican national convention, meeting in Chicago, nominated Dwight D. Eisenhower for president and Richard M. Nixon for vice president.

In 1960, the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee was first published by J.B. Lippincott and Co.

In 1979, the abandoned U.S. space station Skylab made a spectacular return to Earth, burning up in the atmosphere and showering debris over the Indian Ocean and Australia.

In 1989, actor and director Laurence Olivier died in Steyning, West Sussex, England, at age 82.

Ten years ago: The Senate joined the House in voting to bar coal mining and oil and gas drilling on pristine federally protected land in the West, dealing a fresh blow to President George W. Bush's energy production plans.

Five years ago: Eight bombs hit the commuter rail network during evening rush hour in Mumbai, India, killing more than 200 people. In Chicago, a Blue Line train derailed and started a fire during the evening rush hour, filling a subway tunnel with smoke and forcing dozens of soot-covered commuters to evacuate. The American League edged the National League 3-2 in the All-Star Game in Pittsburgh. Actor Barnard Hughes died in New York at age 90.

One year ago: Over the din of vuvuzela horns in Johannesburg, South Africa, Spain won soccer's World Cup after an exhausting 1-0 victory in extra time over the Netherlands. Police in the Bahamas arrested 19-year-old Colton Harris-Moore, the U.S. fugitive known as the "Barefoot Bandit." The Rev. Robert H. Schuller, founder of Southern California's Crystal Cathedral megachurch, announced he would retire after 55 years in the pulpit. Paula Creamer won her first major tournament, shooting a final-round 2-under 69 for a 3-under 281 at the U.S. Women's Open in Oakmont, Pa.

Today's birthdays: Actor Tab Hunter is 80. Actress Susan Seaforth Hayes is 68. Singer Jeff Hanna (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) is 64. Ventriloquist-actor Jay Johnson is 62. Actor Bruce McGill is 61. Singer Bonnie Pointer is 61. Actor Stephen Lang is 59. Actress Mindy Sterling is 58. Actress Sela Ward is 55. Reggae singer Michael Rose (Black Uhuru) is 54. Singer Peter Murphy is 54. Actor Mark Lester is 53. Jazz musician Kirk Whalum is 53. Singer Suzanne Vega is 52. Rock guitarist Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi) is 52. Actress Lisa Rinna is 48. Rock musician Scott Shriner (Weezer) is 46. Actress Debbe (correct) Dunning is 45. Actor Gred Grunberg is 45. Wildlife expert Jeff Corwin is 44. Actor Justin Chambers is 41. Actress Leisha Hailey is 40. Actor Michael Rosenbaum is 39. Pop-rock singer Andrew Bird is 38. Country singer Scotty Emerick is 38. Rapper Lil' Kim is 36. Rock singer Ben Gibbard is 35. Rapper Lil' Zane is 29. Pop-jazz singer-musician Peter Cincotti is 28. Actor David Henrie is 22.

Thought for today: "Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence." -- Robert Frost, American poet (1874-1963)

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.