July 8
1663 - King Charles II of England granted a charter to Rhode Island.
1776 - Col. John Nixon gave the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence to a crowd gathered at Independence Square in Philadelphia.
1777 - Vermont became the first colony to abolish slavery.
1839 - John D. Rockefeller, who founded Standard Oil and gave more than $500 million to charitable causes, was born.
1853 - An expedition led by Commodore Matthew Perry arrived in Yedo Bay, Japan, on a mission to seek diplomatic and trade relations with the Japanese.
1889 - The Wall Street Journal was first published.
1891 - Warren G. Harding married Florence K. DeWolfe in Marion, Ohio.
1919 - President Woodrow Wilson received a tumultuous welcome in New York City after his return from the Versailles Peace Conference in France.
1950 - Gen. Douglas MacArthur was named commander-in-chief of United Nations forces in Korea.
1958 - The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) awarded the first official gold album. It was for the soundtrack to "Oklahoma!".
1986 - Kurt Waldheim was inaugurated as president of Austria despite controversy over his alleged ties to Nazi war crimes.
1994 - Kim Il Sung, North Korea's communist leader since 1948, died at age 82.
2011 - Former first lady Betty Ford died in Rancho Mirage, California at the age of 93.
2011 - The space shuttle Atlantis launched into space for the final time, beginning the 135th and final flight of NASA's shuttle program, which began in 1981.
Birthdays
17 - Jaden Smith (actor)
22 - Aimee Kelly (actress)
27 - Jordan Burroughs (wrestler)
33 - Sophia Bush (actress)
42 - Kathleen Robertson (actress)
45 - Beck (singer)
47 - Michael Weatherly (actor)
54 - Toby Keith (country singer)
55 - Valarie Pettiford (actress)
57 - Kevin Bacon (actor)
64 - Anjelica Huston (actress)
66 - Wolfgang Puck (chef)
71 - Jeffrey Tambor (actor)
80 - Steve Lawrence (singer)
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Today in Sports History - July 8
1889 - John L. Sullivan defeated Jake Kilrain, in the last championship bare-knuckle fight. The flight lasted 75 rounds.
1935 - The American League won their third straight All-Star Game, 9-7 at the Polo Grounds in New York.
1941 - The American League won the All-Star Game 7-5 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit.
1947 - The American League won the All-Star Game 2-1 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
1952 - The National League won the All-Star Game 3-2 in a game that ended after 5 innings due to rain. The game was played at Shibe Park in Philadelphia.
1953 - Notre Dame announced that the next five years of its football games would be shown in theaters over closed-circuit television.
1958 - The American League won the All-Star Game 4-3 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore.
1967 - Billie Jean King swept three titles at Wimbledon, taking the singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles.
1980 - The National League won the All-Star Game 4-2 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Ken Griffey Sr. of the Cincinnati Reds was named MVP.
1984 - John McEnroe defeated Jimmy Connors to win Wimbledon.
1990 - West Germany defeated Argentina 1-0 to win the World Cup.
1995 - Steffi Graf won her sixth Wimbledon singles crown.
1997 - The American League won the All-Star Game 3-1 at Jacobs Field in Cleveland. Sandy Alomar of the Cleveland Indians was named MVP. Alomar was the first player in the game's history to be named MVP in front of his home fans and playing in his home stadium.
2000 - Venus Williams defeated Lindsay Davenport to win her first career grand slam title at Wimbledon.
2002 - Major League Baseball announced it was naming the All-Star Game MVP award after Hall of Famer Ted Williams, who had passed away earlier in the month.
2007 - Roger Federer won his fifth straight Wimbledon championship.
2010 - During an ESPN prime time special, basketball free agent LeBron James announced he was leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers to join the Miami Heat.
2012 - Roger Federer won a record-tying seventh Wimbledon championship and 17th career Grand Slam title.
1663 - King Charles II of England granted a charter to Rhode Island.
1776 - Col. John Nixon gave the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence to a crowd gathered at Independence Square in Philadelphia.
1777 - Vermont became the first colony to abolish slavery.
1839 - John D. Rockefeller, who founded Standard Oil and gave more than $500 million to charitable causes, was born.
1853 - An expedition led by Commodore Matthew Perry arrived in Yedo Bay, Japan, on a mission to seek diplomatic and trade relations with the Japanese.
1889 - The Wall Street Journal was first published.
1891 - Warren G. Harding married Florence K. DeWolfe in Marion, Ohio.
1919 - President Woodrow Wilson received a tumultuous welcome in New York City after his return from the Versailles Peace Conference in France.
1950 - Gen. Douglas MacArthur was named commander-in-chief of United Nations forces in Korea.
1958 - The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) awarded the first official gold album. It was for the soundtrack to "Oklahoma!".
1986 - Kurt Waldheim was inaugurated as president of Austria despite controversy over his alleged ties to Nazi war crimes.
1994 - Kim Il Sung, North Korea's communist leader since 1948, died at age 82.
2011 - Former first lady Betty Ford died in Rancho Mirage, California at the age of 93.
2011 - The space shuttle Atlantis launched into space for the final time, beginning the 135th and final flight of NASA's shuttle program, which began in 1981.
Birthdays
17 - Jaden Smith (actor)
22 - Aimee Kelly (actress)
27 - Jordan Burroughs (wrestler)
33 - Sophia Bush (actress)
42 - Kathleen Robertson (actress)
45 - Beck (singer)
47 - Michael Weatherly (actor)
54 - Toby Keith (country singer)
55 - Valarie Pettiford (actress)
57 - Kevin Bacon (actor)
64 - Anjelica Huston (actress)
66 - Wolfgang Puck (chef)
71 - Jeffrey Tambor (actor)
80 - Steve Lawrence (singer)
======================================
Today in Sports History - July 8
1889 - John L. Sullivan defeated Jake Kilrain, in the last championship bare-knuckle fight. The flight lasted 75 rounds.
1935 - The American League won their third straight All-Star Game, 9-7 at the Polo Grounds in New York.
1941 - The American League won the All-Star Game 7-5 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit.
1947 - The American League won the All-Star Game 2-1 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
1952 - The National League won the All-Star Game 3-2 in a game that ended after 5 innings due to rain. The game was played at Shibe Park in Philadelphia.
1953 - Notre Dame announced that the next five years of its football games would be shown in theaters over closed-circuit television.
1958 - The American League won the All-Star Game 4-3 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore.
1967 - Billie Jean King swept three titles at Wimbledon, taking the singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles.
1980 - The National League won the All-Star Game 4-2 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Ken Griffey Sr. of the Cincinnati Reds was named MVP.
1984 - John McEnroe defeated Jimmy Connors to win Wimbledon.
1990 - West Germany defeated Argentina 1-0 to win the World Cup.
1995 - Steffi Graf won her sixth Wimbledon singles crown.
1997 - The American League won the All-Star Game 3-1 at Jacobs Field in Cleveland. Sandy Alomar of the Cleveland Indians was named MVP. Alomar was the first player in the game's history to be named MVP in front of his home fans and playing in his home stadium.
2000 - Venus Williams defeated Lindsay Davenport to win her first career grand slam title at Wimbledon.
2002 - Major League Baseball announced it was naming the All-Star Game MVP award after Hall of Famer Ted Williams, who had passed away earlier in the month.
2007 - Roger Federer won his fifth straight Wimbledon championship.
2010 - During an ESPN prime time special, basketball free agent LeBron James announced he was leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers to join the Miami Heat.
2012 - Roger Federer won a record-tying seventh Wimbledon championship and 17th career Grand Slam title.
