August 5
1861 - For the first time, the U.S. government levied an income tax.
1864 - During the Civil War, Union Adm. David G. Farragut led his fleet to victory in the Battle of Mobile Bay, Alabama.
1884 - The cornerstone of the Statue of Liberty was laid on Bedloe's Island in New York Harbor.
1914 - The nation's first electric traffic lights were installed in Cleveland, Ohio.
1953 - Operation Big Switch began as remaining prisoners taken during the Korean War were exchanged at Panmunjom.
1957 - The teenage dance show “American Bandstand,” hosted by Dick Clark, made its network debut on ABC-TV.
1962 - Actress Marilyn Monroe died at age 36 at her Los Angeles home from an apparent drug overdose.
1962 - South African anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela was arrested on charges of leaving the country without a passport and inciting workers to strike; it was the beginning of 27 years of imprisonment.
1963 - The United States, Britain and the Soviet Union signed the limited Test Ban Treaty, which prohibited nuclear weapon tests in the atmosphere, in outer space, and underwater.
1964 - U.S. Navy pilot Everett Alvarez Jr. became the first American flier to be shot down and captured by North Vietnam; he was held prisoner until February 1973.
1969 - The U.S. space probe Mariner 7 transmitted pictures of Mars back to Earth.
1974 - The White House released transcripts of subpoenaed tape recordings showing that President Richard Nixon and his chief of staff, H.R. Haldeman, had discussed a plan in June 1972 to use the CIA to thwart the FBI’s Watergate investigation; revelation of the tape sparked Nixon’s resignation.
1981 - The federal government began firing air traffic controllers who had gone on strike.
2002 - The gun turret of the Civil War ironclad USS Monitor was raised from the ocean floor.
2003 - The Rev. Gene Robinson was approved as the first openly gay bishop by the U.S. Episcopal Church.
2010 - The Senate confirmed Elena Kagan, 63-37, as the Supreme Court’s 112th justice and the fourth woman in its history.
2011 - The sun-powered robotic explorer Juno rocketed toward Jupiter on a five-year quest to discover the secret recipe for making planets. (Juno reached Jupiter on July 4, 2016.)
2012 - The plutonium-powered rover Curiosity successfully lands on Mars. Larger than earlier rovers, Curiosity will spend two years examining the land, looking for evidence that conditions on Mars are fit for life.
2022 - China said it was canceling or suspending dialogue with the U.S. on a range of issues from climate change to military relations and anti-narcotics efforts in retaliation for a visit to Taiwan by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Birthdays
26 - Olivia Holt (actress/singer)
26 - Madeline Ford (model)
32 - Meegan Warner (actress)
34 - Jessica Nigri (model)
37 - Brendon Ryan Barrett (actor)
43 - Jesse Williams (actor)
57 - Jonathan Silverman (actor)
57 - James Gunn (director)
60 - Mark Strong (actor)
61 - Patrick Ewing (basketball player)
62 - Janet McTeer (actress)
67 - Maureen McCormick (actress)
72 - Samantha Sang (singer)
73 - Holly Palance (actress)
76 - Rick Derringer (singer)
77 - Erika Slezak (actress)
78 - Loni Anderson (actress)
83 - Roman Gabriel (football player)
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Today in Sports History - August 5
1921 - The first play-by-play broadcast of a baseball game was done by Harold Arlin. KDKA Radio in Pittsburgh, PA described the action between the Pirates and Philadelphia.
1936 - Jesse Owens of the United States won the 200-meter dash at the Berlin Olympics, collecting the third of his four gold medals.
1979 - Willie Mays, Warren Giles and Hack Wilson are inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1986 - Steve Carlton of the San Francisco Giants becomes just the second pitcher in MLB history to record 4,000 career strikeouts.
1999 - Mark McGwire (St. Louis Cardinals) hit his 500th career homerun. He also set a record for the fewest at-bats to hit the 500 homerun mark.
2005 - The NBA announces that Las Vegas will host the 2007 All-Star Game, the first time the event would be held in a city not already home to an NBA franchise.
2006 - Warren Moon, Troy Aikman, John Madden, Rayfield Wright, Harry Carson and Reggie White are inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
2007 - Tom Glavine of the Atlanta Braves becomes the 23rd pitcher in MLB history to reach 300 career wins.
2012 - At the Summer Olympic Games in London, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt breaks his own world record in the 100 meter dash with a time of 9.63 seconds.
2013 - Alex Rodriguez was suspended through 2014 and All-Stars Nelson Cruz, Jhonny Peralta and Everth Cabrera were banned 50 games apiece as Major League Baseball disciplined 13 players in a drug case.
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