August 7
Today is the 219th day of 2015, 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.
1814 - Pope Pius VII issued a bull restoring the Society of Jesus, four decades after the order had been suppressed by Pope Clement XIV.
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, 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 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 strung 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.
1989 - A plane carrying U.S. Rep. Mickey Leland (D-Texas) and 14 others disappeared over Ethiopia. (The wreckage of the plane was found six days later; there were no survivors.)
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 the age of 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 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
21 - Francesca Eastwood (actress)
23 - Mike Trout (baseball player)
27 - Sidney Crosby (hockey player)
32 - Abbie Cornish (actress)
39 - Charlize Theron (actress)
39 - Megan Gale (model)
40 - Chico Benymon (actor)
44 - Melanie Sykes (TV host)
53 - Maggie Wheeler (actress)
54 - David Duchovny (actor)
59 - Wayne Knight (actor)
72 - Tobin Bell (actor)
=======================================
Today in Sports History - August 7
1907 - Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators picked up his first career pitching victory.
1972 - Yogi Berra, Sandy Koufax, Lefty Gomez and Early Wynn were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1983 - The first World Track & Field Championships began.
1984 - Japan beats the United States for the gold medal in baseball at the Summer Games in Los Angeles.
1987 - Bill Mazeroski's No. 9 is retired by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
1991 - The United States men's track team sets a new world record in the 4x100 relay with a time of 37.67 seconds.
1999 - Tony Gwynn of the San Diego Padres recorded his 3,000th hit.
2001 - Black Betsy, Shoeless Joe Jackson's 40-ounce warped hickory bat, is won in a 10-day auction on eBay. The $577,610 price tag is believed to be the highest 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, breaking Hank Aaron's record.
Today is the 219th day of 2015, 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.
1814 - Pope Pius VII issued a bull restoring the Society of Jesus, four decades after the order had been suppressed by Pope Clement XIV.
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, 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 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 strung 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.
1989 - A plane carrying U.S. Rep. Mickey Leland (D-Texas) and 14 others disappeared over Ethiopia. (The wreckage of the plane was found six days later; there were no survivors.)
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 the age of 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 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
21 - Francesca Eastwood (actress)
23 - Mike Trout (baseball player)
27 - Sidney Crosby (hockey player)
32 - Abbie Cornish (actress)
39 - Charlize Theron (actress)
39 - Megan Gale (model)
40 - Chico Benymon (actor)
44 - Melanie Sykes (TV host)
53 - Maggie Wheeler (actress)
54 - David Duchovny (actor)
59 - Wayne Knight (actor)
72 - Tobin Bell (actor)
=======================================
Today in Sports History - August 7
1907 - Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators picked up his first career pitching victory.
1972 - Yogi Berra, Sandy Koufax, Lefty Gomez and Early Wynn were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1983 - The first World Track & Field Championships began.
1984 - Japan beats the United States for the gold medal in baseball at the Summer Games in Los Angeles.
1987 - Bill Mazeroski's No. 9 is retired by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
1991 - The United States men's track team sets a new world record in the 4x100 relay with a time of 37.67 seconds.
1999 - Tony Gwynn of the San Diego Padres recorded his 3,000th hit.
2001 - Black Betsy, Shoeless Joe Jackson's 40-ounce warped hickory bat, is won in a 10-day auction on eBay. The $577,610 price tag is believed to be the highest 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, breaking Hank Aaron's record.
