This day in history

[July 06, 2013]  (AP)  Today is Saturday, July 6, the 187th day of 2013. There are 178 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On July 6, 1933, the first All-Star baseball game was played at Chicago's Comiskey Park; the American League defeated the National League, 4-2.

On this date:

In 1483, England's King Richard III was crowned in Westminster Abbey.

In 1535, Sir Thomas More was executed in England for high treason.

In 1777, during the American Revolution, British forces captured Fort Ticonderoga.

In 1885, French scientist Louis Pasteur tested an anti-rabies vaccine on 9-year-old Joseph Meister, who had been bitten by an infected dog; the boy did not develop rabies.

In 1917, during World War I, Arab forces led by T.E. Lawrence and Auda Abu Tayi captured the port of Aqaba (AH'-kah-buh) from the Turks.

In 1944, an estimated 168 people died in a fire that broke out during a performance in the main tent of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Hartford, Conn.

In 1945, President Harry S. Truman signed an executive order establishing the Medal of Freedom.

In 1957, Althea Gibson became the first black tennis player to win a Wimbledon singles title as she defeated fellow American Darlene Hard 6-3, 6-2.

In 1963, the cult horror movie "Blood Feast" had its world premiere at a drive-in theater in Peoria, Ill.

In 1973, classical conductor Otto Klemperer, 88, died in Zurich, Switzerland.

In 1983, Fred Lynn of the California Angels hit the first (and, to date, only) grand slam in an All-Star game as the American League zoomed to a 13-3 victory over the National League in Chicago's Comiskey Park.

In 1988, 167 North Sea oil workers were killed when explosions and fires destroyed a drilling platform. Medical waste and other debris began washing up on New York City-area seashores, forcing the closing of several popular beaches.

Ten years ago: Liberian leader Charles Taylor accepted an offer of asylum in Nigeria (he resigned and flew into exile the following month). Roger Federer became the first Swiss man to win a Grand Slam title, defeating Mark Philippoussis 7-6 (5), 6-2, 7-6 (3) in the Wimbledon final. Actor Buddy Ebsen died in Torrance, Calif., at age 95.

Five years ago: The U.S. launched an airstrike in Afghanistan's Nuristan province; the Afghan government later said 47 civilians died. President George W. Bush arrived in Japan for his eighth and final Group of Eight summit, where he emphasized the urgency of providing aid to Africa. Rafael Nadal won a riveting five-set Wimbledon final, 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7, denying Roger Federer a sixth straight title in a match that lasted 4 hours, 48 minutes.

One year ago: At a 100-nation conference in Paris, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton hailed an accelerating wave of defections in President Bashar Assad's inner circle as the United States and its international allies pleaded once again for global sanctions against the Syrian regime. Former neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman was released from jail in Florida for a second time while he awaited his second-degree murder trial for fatally shooting Trayvon Martin.

Today's birthdays: Former first lady Nancy Reagan is 92. Actor William Schallert is 91. Singer-actress Della Reese is 82. The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is 78. Actor Ned Beatty is 76. Singer Gene Chandler is 73. Country singer Jeannie Seely is 73. Actor Burt Ward is 68. Former President George W. Bush is 67. Actor-director Sylvester Stallone is 67. Actor Fred Dryer is 67. Actress Shelley Hack is 66. Actress Nathalie Baye is 65. Actor Geoffrey Rush is 62. Actress Allyce Beasley is 62. Rock musician John Bazz (The Blasters) is 61. Actor Grant Goodeve is 61. Country singer Nanci Griffith is 60. Jazz musician Rick Braun is 58. Country musician John Jorgenson is 57. Former first daughter Susan Ford Bales is 56. Hockey player and coach Ron Duguay (doo-GAY') is 56. Actress-writer Jennifer Saunders is 55. Rock musician John Keeble (Spandau Ballet) is 54. Actor Brian Posehn is 47. Actor Brian Van Holt is 44. Rapper Inspectah Deck (Wu-Tang Clan) is 43. TV host Josh Elliott ("Good Morning America") is 42. Rapper 50 Cent is 38. Actress Tia Mowry is 35. Actress Tamera Mowry is 35. Actress Eva (EH'-vuh) Green is 33. Actor Gregory Smith is 30. Rock singer Kate Nash is 26. Actor Jeremy Suarez is 23.

Thought for today: "Nothing is worth more than laughter. It is strength to laugh and to abandon oneself, to be light. Tragedy is the most ridiculous thing." -- Frida Kahlo, Mexican painter (born this date in 1907, died 1954)

[Associated Press]

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