August 7
Today is the 220th day of 2016, there are 146 days left in the year.
1782 - Gen. George Washington created the Order of the Purple Heart, a decoration to recognize merit in enlisted men and noncommissioned officers.
1789 - Congress established the U.S. War Department.
1882 - The famous feud between the Hatfields of West Virginia and the McCoys of Kentucky erupted into full-scale violence.
1912 - The Progressive Party nominated Theodore Roosevelt for president.
1942 - U.S. forces landed at Guadalcanal, marking the start of the first major allied offensive in the Pacific during World War II.
1947 - The wooden raft Kon-Tiki, which carried Thor Heyerdahl and five companions more than 4,000 miles across the ocean, crashed into a reef in the Pacific.
1959 - The United States launched Explorer 6, which sent back a picture of the Earth.
1964 - Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, giving President Lyndon B. Johnson broad powers in dealing with reported North Vietnamese attacks on U.S. forces.
1971 - Apollo 15 returned to Earth after a manned mission to the moon.
1974 - French stuntman Philippe Petit walked a tightrope between the twin towers of New York's World Trade Center.
1987 - Lynne Cox became the first person to swim from the United States to the Soviet Union, making the 2.7 mile trip through the frigid waters of the Bering Strait. Cox is surprised by the (relatively) warm welcome she receives from the Soviets.
1990 - President George H.W. Bush ordered U.S. troops and warplanes to Saudi Arabia to guard the oil-rich desert kingdom against a possible invasion by Iraq.
1998 - U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed by terrorists. Some 224 people were killed and more than 5,500 injured.
2000 - Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore chose Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman as his running mate, making him the first Jewish candidate on a major party ticket.
2005 - ABC News anchorman Peter Jennings died at age 67.
2008 - Georgia shelled the capital of breakaway republic South Ossetia. (Russia responded by occupying much of Georgia in a five-day war.)
2009 - Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin accused President Barack Obama of proposing a "death panel" that would decide who receives treatment in his health care plan.
2010 - Elena Kagan was sworn in as the 112th justice and fourth woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Birthdays
23 - Francesca Eastwood (actress)
25 - Mike Trout (baseball player)
27 - DeMar DeRozen (basketball player)
29 - Sidney Crosby (hockey player)
33 - Tina O'Brien (actress)
33 - Maggie Castle (actress)
34 - Abbie Cornish (actress)
41 - Charlize Theron (actress)
42 - Chico Benymon (actor)
46 - Melanie Sykes (TV host)
50 - David Mann (actor)
55 - Maggie Wheeler (actress)
56 - David Duchovny (actor)
74 - Tobin Bell (actor)
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Today in Sports History - August 7
1907 - Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators won his first major league game, defeating the Cleveland Indians 7-2.
1972 - Yogi Berra, Sandy Koufax, Lefty Gomez and Early Wynn are inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1983 - The first World Track & Field Championships are held.
1984 - Japan defeats the United States for the gold medal in baseball at the Los Angeles Olympic Games.
1987 - The Pittsburgh Pirates retire Bill Mazeroski's No 9.
1999 - Tony Gwynn of the San Diego Padres recorded his 3,000th career hit.
2001 - Black Betsy, Shoeless Joe Jackson's 40-ounce warped hickory bat is won in a 10-day eBay auction. The $577,610 price tag is believed to be the largest amount ever paid for a baseball bat.
2002 - Major League Baseball players and owners agreed on the sport's first tests for steroids.
2007 - Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants became baseball's all-time home run leader when he hit No. 756 during a home game, breaking the old mark of 755 held by Hank Aaron.
Today is the 220th day of 2016, there are 146 days left in the year.
1782 - Gen. George Washington created the Order of the Purple Heart, a decoration to recognize merit in enlisted men and noncommissioned officers.
1789 - Congress established the U.S. War Department.
1882 - The famous feud between the Hatfields of West Virginia and the McCoys of Kentucky erupted into full-scale violence.
1912 - The Progressive Party nominated Theodore Roosevelt for president.
1942 - U.S. forces landed at Guadalcanal, marking the start of the first major allied offensive in the Pacific during World War II.
1947 - The wooden raft Kon-Tiki, which carried Thor Heyerdahl and five companions more than 4,000 miles across the ocean, crashed into a reef in the Pacific.
1959 - The United States launched Explorer 6, which sent back a picture of the Earth.
1964 - Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, giving President Lyndon B. Johnson broad powers in dealing with reported North Vietnamese attacks on U.S. forces.
1971 - Apollo 15 returned to Earth after a manned mission to the moon.
1974 - French stuntman Philippe Petit walked a tightrope between the twin towers of New York's World Trade Center.
1987 - Lynne Cox became the first person to swim from the United States to the Soviet Union, making the 2.7 mile trip through the frigid waters of the Bering Strait. Cox is surprised by the (relatively) warm welcome she receives from the Soviets.
1990 - President George H.W. Bush ordered U.S. troops and warplanes to Saudi Arabia to guard the oil-rich desert kingdom against a possible invasion by Iraq.
1998 - U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed by terrorists. Some 224 people were killed and more than 5,500 injured.
2000 - Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore chose Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman as his running mate, making him the first Jewish candidate on a major party ticket.
2005 - ABC News anchorman Peter Jennings died at age 67.
2008 - Georgia shelled the capital of breakaway republic South Ossetia. (Russia responded by occupying much of Georgia in a five-day war.)
2009 - Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin accused President Barack Obama of proposing a "death panel" that would decide who receives treatment in his health care plan.
2010 - Elena Kagan was sworn in as the 112th justice and fourth woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Birthdays
23 - Francesca Eastwood (actress)
25 - Mike Trout (baseball player)
27 - DeMar DeRozen (basketball player)
29 - Sidney Crosby (hockey player)
33 - Tina O'Brien (actress)
33 - Maggie Castle (actress)
34 - Abbie Cornish (actress)
41 - Charlize Theron (actress)
42 - Chico Benymon (actor)
46 - Melanie Sykes (TV host)
50 - David Mann (actor)
55 - Maggie Wheeler (actress)
56 - David Duchovny (actor)
74 - Tobin Bell (actor)
=====================================
Today in Sports History - August 7
1907 - Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators won his first major league game, defeating the Cleveland Indians 7-2.
1972 - Yogi Berra, Sandy Koufax, Lefty Gomez and Early Wynn are inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1983 - The first World Track & Field Championships are held.
1984 - Japan defeats the United States for the gold medal in baseball at the Los Angeles Olympic Games.
1987 - The Pittsburgh Pirates retire Bill Mazeroski's No 9.
1999 - Tony Gwynn of the San Diego Padres recorded his 3,000th career hit.
2001 - Black Betsy, Shoeless Joe Jackson's 40-ounce warped hickory bat is won in a 10-day eBay auction. The $577,610 price tag is believed to be the largest amount ever paid for a baseball bat.
2002 - Major League Baseball players and owners agreed on the sport's first tests for steroids.
2007 - Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants became baseball's all-time home run leader when he hit No. 756 during a home game, breaking the old mark of 755 held by Hank Aaron.
