Today in history

  • Monday, July 27, 2015 5:17pm
  • Life

Today’s highlights:

On July 28, 1945, a U.S. Army bomber crashed into the 79th floor of New York’s Empire State Building, killing 14 people. The U.S. Senate ratified the United Nations Charter by a vote of 89-2.

On this date:

In 1540, King Henry VIII’s chief minister, Thomas Cromwell, was executed, the same day Henry married his fifth wife, Catherine Howard.

In 1655, French dramatist and novelist Cyrano de Bergerac, the inspiration for a play by Edmond Rostand, died in Paris at age 36.

In 1794, Maximilien Robespierre, a leading figure of the French Revolution, was sent to the guillotine.

In 1821, Peru declared its independence from Spain.

In 1914, World War I began as Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia.

In 1915, more than 300 American sailors and Marines arrived in Haiti to restore order following the killing of Haitian President Vibrun Guillaume Sam by rebels, beginning a 19-year U.S. occupation.

In 1932, federal troops forcibly dispersed the so-called “Bonus Army” of World War I veterans who had gathered in Washington to demand payments they weren’t scheduled to receive until 1945.

In 1959, in preparation for statehood, Hawaiians voted to send the first Chinese-American, Republican Hiram L. Fong, to the U.S. Senate and the first Japanese-American, Democrat Daniel K. Inouye, to the U.S. House of Representatives.

In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson announced he was increasing the number of American troops in South Vietnam from 75,000 to 125,000 “almost immediately.”

In 1976, an earthquake devastated northern China, killing at least 242,000 people, according to an official estimate.

In 1984, the Los Angeles Summer Olympics opened.

In 1995, a jury in Union, South Carolina, rejected the death penalty for Susan Smith, sentencing her to life in prison for drowning her two young sons (Smith will be eligible for parole in 2024).

Ten years ago: NASA said space shuttle Discovery had escaped any serious damage from a potentially deadly piece of foam that broke off from the fuel tank during liftoff and looked safe to fly home in a week. The Irish Republican Army renounced the use of violence against British rule in Northern Ireland and said it would disarm. Lightning struck a group of Boy Scouts taking shelter from a storm in Sequoia National Park in California, killing an assistant troop leader and a teenage Scout.

Five years ago: U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton put most of Arizona’s toughest-in-the-nation immigration law on hold just hours before it was to take effect. (In September 2012, Bolton ruled that police could enforce the so-called “show me your papers” provision of the law.) Airblue Flight 202, a Pakistani Airbus A321, crashed into the hills overlooking Islamabad, killing all 152 people aboard.

One year ago: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Israelis to be ready for a “prolonged” conflict with Hamas in Gaza as both sides held out for bigger gains and a cease-fire in the three-week conflict remained elusive. Theodore “Dutch” VanKirk, 93, the last surviving member of the Enola Gay crew that dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, died in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Actor James Shigeta, 85, who played the lead in the 1961 movie musical “Flower Drum Song” and appeared in other movies and TV shows, died in Beverly Hills, California.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Darryl Hickman is 84. Ballet dancer-choreographer Jacques d’Amboise is 81. Musical conductor Riccardo Muti is 74. Former Senator and NBA Hall of Famer Bill Bradley is 72. “Garfield” creator Jim Davis is 70. Singer Jonathan Edwards is 69. Actress Linda Kelsey is 69. TV producer Dick Ebersol is 68. Actress Sally Struthers is 68. Actress Georgia Engel is 67. Rock musician Simon Kirke (Bad Company) is 66. Rock musician Steve Morse (Deep Purple) is 61. CBS anchorman Scott Pelley is 58. Alt-country-rock musician Marc Perlman is 54. Actor Michael Hayden is 52. Actress Lori Loughlin is 51. Jazz musician-producer Delfeayo Marsalis is 50. Former hockey player turned general manager Garth Snow is 46. Actress Elizabeth Berkley is 43. Singer Afroman is 41. Country musician Todd Anderson (Heartland) is 40. Rock singer Jacoby Shaddix (Papa Roach) is 39. Country singer Carly Goodwin is 34. Actor Dustin Milligan is 30. Actor Nolan Gerard Funk is 29. Rapper Soulja Boy is 25. Pop/rock singer Cher Lloyd (TV: “The X Factor”) is 22.

Thought for Today: “Beware of monotony; it’s the mother of all the deadly sins.” — Edith Wharton, American author (1862-1937).

Associated Press

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.