Today in History

Today in History

Today is Friday, July 19, the 200th day of 2019. There are 165 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On July 19, 1969, Apollo 11 and its astronauts, Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and Michael Collins, went into orbit around the moon.

On this date:

In 1553, King Henry VIII's daughter Mary was proclaimed Queen of England after Lady Jane Grey was deposed.

In 1812, during the War of 1812, the First Battle of Sackets Harbor in Lake Ontario resulted in an American victory as U.S. naval forces repelled a British attack.

In 1848, a pioneering women's rights convention convened in Seneca Falls, New York.

In 1944, the Democratic national convention convened in Chicago with the nomination of President Franklin D. Roosevelt considered a certainty.

In 1961, TWA became the first airline to begin showing regularly scheduled in-flight movies as it presented "By Love Possessed" to first-class passengers on a flight from New York to Los Angeles.

In 1979, the Nicaraguan capital of Managua fell to Sandinista guerrillas, two days after President Anastasio Somoza fled the country.

In 1980, the Moscow Summer Olympics began, minus dozens of nations that were boycotting the games because of the Soviet military intervention in Afghanistan.

In 1985, Christa McAuliffe of New Hampshire was chosen to be the first schoolteacher to ride aboard the space shuttle. (McAuliffe and six other crew members died when the Challenger exploded shortly after liftoff in January 1986.)

In 1989, 111 people were killed when United Air Lines Flight 232, a DC-10 which suffered the uncontained failure of its tail engine and the loss of hydraulic systems, crashed while making an emergency landing at Sioux City, Iowa; 185 other people survived.

In 1990, President George H.W. Bush joined former presidents Ronald Reagan, Gerald R. Ford and Richard M. Nixon at ceremonies dedicating the Nixon Library and Birthplace (since redesignated the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum) in Yorba Linda, California.

In 1993, President Bill Clinton announced a policy allowing homosexuals to serve in the military under a compromise dubbed "don't ask, don't tell, don't pursue."

In 2016, Republicans meeting in Cleveland nominated Donald Trump as their presidential standard-bearer; in brief videotaped remarks, Trump thanked the delegates, saying: "This is a movement, but we have to go all the way."

Ten years ago: A Russian-owned civilian helicopter crashed shortly after takeoff from southern Afghanistan's largest NATO base, killing 16 civilians. Israel rejected a U.S. demand to suspend a planned housing project in east Jerusalem. Stewart Cink won the British Open in a four-hole playoff with Tom Watson. Eighty-one-year-old Hershel McGriff became the oldest driver to take part in a national NASCAR series race, finishing 13th in a Camping World West Series event at Portland International Raceway. Author Frank McCourt, who'd won the Pulitzer Prize for his memoir "Angela's Ashes," died in New York at 78.

Five years ago: A New York City police officer (Daniel Pantaleo) involved in the arrest of Eric Garner, who died in custody two days earlier after being placed in an apparent chokehold, was stripped of his gun and badge and placed on desk duty. Actor James Garner, 86, died in Los Angeles.

One year ago: The White House said President Donald Trump had invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to the White House in the fall for a second get-together, just days after a Helsinki summit that brought Trump criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike. Putin said his summit with Trump had been a success, and he accused Trump's opponents in the U.S. of hampering any progress on the issues they discussed. A duck boat packed with tourists capsized and sank in high winds on a lake in the tourist town of Branson, Missouri, killing 17 people.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Helen Gallagher is 93. Country singer Sue Thompson is 93. Singer Vikki Carr is 79. Blues singer-musician Little Freddie King is 79. Country singer-musician Commander Cody is 75. Actor George Dzundza is 74. Rock singer-musician Alan Gorrie (Average White Band) is 73. International Tennis Hall of Famer Ilie Nastase is 73. Rock musician Brian May is 72. Rock musician Bernie Leadon is 72. Actress Beverly Archer is 71. Movie director Abel Ferrara is 68. Actor Peter Barton is 63. Rock musician Kevin Haskins (Love and Rockets; Bauhaus) is 59. Movie director Atom Egoyan is 59. Actor Campbell Scott is 58. Actor Anthony Edwards is 57. Country singer Kelly Shiver is 56. Actress Clea Lewis is 54. Percusssionist Evelyn Glennie is 54. Country musician Jeremy Patterson is 49. Classical singer Urs Buhler (Il Divo) is 48. Actor Andrew Kavovit is 48. Rock musician Jason McGerr (Death Cab for Cutie) is 45. Actor Benedict Cumberbatch is 43. Actress Erin Cummings is 42. TV chef Marcela Valladolid is 41. Actor Chris Sullivan ("This is Us") is 39. Actor Jared Padalecki is 37. Actor Trai Byers is 36. Actress Kaitlin Doubleday ("Nashville") is 35. Actor/comedian Dustin Ybarra is 33. Actor Steven Anthony Lawrence is 29.

Thought for Today: "An optimist will tell you the glass is half-full; the pessimist, half-empty; and the engineer will tell you the glass is twice the size it needs to be." - Author unknown.