Today in History
Today is Thursday, Aug. 10, the 222nd day of 2023. There are 143 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Aug. 10, 1945, a day after the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Imperial Japan conveyed its willingness to surrender provided the status of Emperor Hirohito remained unchanged. (The Allies responded the next day, saying they would determine the Emperor’s future status.)
On this date:
In 1792, during the French Revolution, mobs in Paris attacked the Tuileries (TWEE’-luh-reez) Palace, where King Louis XVI resided. (The king was later arrested, put on trial for treason, and executed.)
In 1821, Missouri became the 24th state.
In 1885, Leo Daft opened America’s first commercially operated electric streetcar, in Baltimore.
In 1944, during World War II, American forces overcame remaining Japanese resistance on Guam.
In 1962, Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man made his debut in issue 15 of “Amazing Fantasy.”
In 1969, Leno and Rosemary LaBianca were murdered in their Los Angeles home by members of Charles Manson’s cult, one day after actor Sharon Tate and four other people were slain.
In 1977, postal employee David Berkowitz was arrested in Yonkers, New York, accused of being “Son of Sam,” the gunman who killed six people and wounded seven others in the New York City area.
In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed a measure providing $20,000 payments to still-living Japanese-Americans who were interned by their government during World War II.
In 1993, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was sworn in as the second female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.
In 1995, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols were charged with 11 counts in the Oklahoma City bombing (McVeigh was convicted of murder and executed; Nichols was convicted of conspiracy and involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to life in prison).
In 2006, British authorities announced they had thwarted a terrorist plot to simultaneously blow up 10 aircraft heading to the U.S. using explosives smuggled in hand luggage.
In 2019, Jeffrey Epstein, accused of orchestrating a sex-trafficking ring and sexually abusing dozens of underage girls, was found unresponsive in his cell at a New York City jail; he was later pronounced dead at a hospital. (The city’s medical examiner ruled the death a suicide by hanging.)
Ten years ago: In an address at the Disabled American Veterans’ convention in Orlando, Florida, President Barack Obama assured disabled veterans that his administration was making progress on reducing a backlog of disability claims. A harrowing weeklong search for a missing California teenager ended when FBI agents rescued 16-year-old Hannah Anderson and shot and killed 40-year-old James Lee DiMaggio at a campsite deep in the Idaho wilderness. (Authorities say in addition to kidnapping Hannah, DiMaggio killed her brother and mother at his home east of San Diego.) Singer Edyie Gorme, 84, died in Las Vegas.
Five years ago: Richard Russell, a 29-year-old airline ground agent, stole a commercial plane from Sea-Tac International Airport near Seattle; he flew for 75 minutes, performing dangerous stunts while being chased by military jets before crashing into a remote island in Puget Sound, killing himself. Two police officers and two others were killed in a shooting in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada.
One year ago: Donald Trump invoked his Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination as he testified under oath in the New York attorney general’s civil investigation into the former president’s business dealings. A fear of attacks that had rippled through Muslim communities nationwide after the fatal shootings of four men in Albuquerque, New Mexico, gave way to surprise when it turned out the suspect in the killings was himself Muslim. Muhammad Syed, 51, denied any connection to the crimes. But investigators said they had ample evidence to prove his guilt.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor James Reynolds is 77. Rock singer-musician Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) is 76. Country musician Gene Johnson (Diamond Rio) is 74. Singer Patti Austin is 73. Actor Daniel Hugh Kelly is 71. Folk singer-songwriter Sam Baker is 69. Actor Rosanna Arquette is 64. Actor Antonio Banderas is 63. Rock musician Jon Farriss (INXS) is 62. Singer Julia Fordham is 61. Journalist-blogger Andrew Sullivan is 60. Actor Chris Caldovino is 60. Singer Neneh Cherry is 59. Singer Aaron Hall is 59. Former boxer Riddick Bowe is 56. Actor Sean Blakemore is 56. R&B singer Lorraine Pearson (Five Star) is 56. Singer-producer Michael Bivins is 55. Actor-writer Justin Theroux is 52. Actor Angie Harmon is 51. Country singer Jennifer Hanson is 50. Actor-turned-lawyer Craig Kirkwood is 49. Actor JoAnna Garcia Swisher is 44. Singer Cary Ann Hearst (Shovels & Rope) is 44. Actor Aaron Staton is 43. Actor Ryan Eggold is 39. Actor Charley Koontz is 36. Actor Lucas Till is 33. Reality TV star Kylie Jenner is 26. Actor Jeremy Maguire is 12.
Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
