TODAY IN HISTORY
In 1845, the U.S. Naval Academy was established in Annapolis, Maryland.
In 1911, Chinese revolutionaries launched an uprising that led to the collapse of the Qing (or Manchu) Dynasty and the establishment of the Republic of China.
In 1935, the George Gershwin opera “Porgy and Bess,” featuring an all-Black cast, opened on Broadway, beginning a run of 124 performances.
In 1962, President John F. Kennedy, responding to the Thalidomide birth defects crisis, signed an amendment to the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act requiring pharmaceutical companies to prove that their products were safe and effective prior to marketing.
In 1964, entertainer Eddie Cantor died in Beverly Hills, California at age 72.
In 1966, the Beach Boys’ single “Good Vibrations,” written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love was released by Capitol Records.
In 1973, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, accused of accepting bribes, pleaded no contest to one count of federal income tax evasion, and resigned his office.
In 1981, a funeral was held in Cairo for Egyptian leader Anwar Sadat, who had been assassinated by Muslim extremists.
In 1985, actor-director Orson Welles died in Los Angeles at age 70, and actor Yul Brynner died in New York at age 65.
In 1997, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines and its coordinator, Jody Williams, were named winners of the Nobel Peace Prize.
In 2001, a month after the Sept. 11 attacks, U.S. jets pounded the Afghan capital of Kabul while President George W. Bush unveiled a list of 22 most-wanted terrorists, including Osama bin Laden.
In 2012, football star-turned-actor Alex Karras died in Los Angeles at age 77.
In 2013, Scott Carpenter, the second American to orbit the Earth and one of the last surviving Mercury 7 astronauts, died at age 88.
In 2014, Malala Yousafzai, a 17-year-old Pakistani girl, and Kailash Satyarthi, a 60-year-old Indian man, were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for risking their lives for the right of children to receive an education and to live free from abuse.
In 2017, the U.S. soccer team failed to qualify for the World Cup, eliminated with a 2-1 loss to Trinidad and Tobago; it ended a run of seven straight U.S. appearances at soccer’s showcase event.
In 2021, after more than 18 months of pandemic delays, Daniel Craig’s final James Bond film, “No Time to Die,” was the top earner at the box office on its opening weekend, grossing $56 million in North America.
BIRTHDAYS
Actor Peter Coyote is 82.
Entertainer Ben Vereen is 77.
Actor Charles Dance is 77.
Rock singer-musician Cyril Neville (The Neville Brothers) is 75.
Actor Jessica Harper is 74.
Author Nora Roberts (aka “J.D. Robb”) is 73.
Singer-musician Midge Ure is 70.
Rock singer David Lee Roth is 69.
Actor J. Eddie Peck is 65.
Country singer Tanya Tucker is 65.
Actor Julia Sweeney is 64.
Actor Bradley Whitford is 64.
Musician Martin Kemp is 62.
Actor Jodi Benson is 62.
Rock musician Jim Glennie (James) is 60.
Actor Rebecca Pidgeon is 58.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is 56.
Rock musician Mike Malinin (Goo Goo Dolls) is 56.
Pro Football Hall of Famer Brett Favre is 54.
Actor Manu Bennett is 54.
Actor Joelle Carter is 54.
Actor Wendi McLendon-Covey is 54.
Actor/TV host Mario Lopez is 50.
Retired race car driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. is 49.
Actor Jodi Lyn O’Keefe is 45.
Singer Mya is 44.
Actor Dan Stevens is 41.
Singer Cherie is 39.
MLB outfielder Andrew McCutchen is 37.
Actor Rose McIver is 35.
Actor Aimee Teegarden is 34.
