Today in History
Today is Sunday, July 21, the 203rd day of 2024. There are 163 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On July 21, 1925, the so-called “Monkey Trial” ended in Dayton, Tennessee, with John T. Scopes found guilty of violating state law for teaching Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. (The conviction was later overturned.)
Also on this date:
In 1861, during the Civil War, the first Battle of Bull Run was fought at Manassas, Virginia, resulting in a Confederate victory.
In 1944, American forces landed on Guam during World War II, capturing it from the Japanese some three weeks later.
In 1954, the Geneva Conference concluded with accords dividing Vietnam into northern and southern entities.
In 1969, Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin blasted off from the moon aboard the ascent stage of the lunar module for docking with the command module.
In 1970, construction of the Aswan High Dam in Egypt was completed.
In 1972, the Irish Republican Army carried out 22 bombings in Belfast, Northern Ireland, killing nine people and injuring 130 in what became known as “Bloody Friday.”
In 2002, Ernie Els won the British Open in the first sudden-death finish in the 142-year history of the tournament.
In 2008, former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic (RA’-doh-van KA’-ra-jich), one of the world’s top war crimes fugitives, was arrested in a Belgrade suburb by Serbian security forces. (He was sentenced by a U.N. court in 2019 to life imprisonment after being convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.)
In 2011, the 30-year-old space shuttle program ended as Atlantis landed at Cape Canaveral, Florida, after the 135th shuttle flight.
In 2012, Erden Eruc became the first person to complete a solo, human-powered circumnavigation of the globe.
In 2021, public health officials said U.S. life expectancy fell by a year and a half in 2020, the largest one-year decline since World War II; the drop was due mainly to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2023, the “Barbenheimer” buzz reached its peak as the films “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” opened in theaters; the critical and public acclaim for both films led to the fourth-largest weekend box office of all time.
Today’s Birthdays: Singer Yusuf Islam (also known as Cat Stevens) is 76. Cartoonist Garry Trudeau is 76. Author Michael Connelly is 68. Comedian Jon Lovitz is 67. Retired soccer player Brandi Chastain is 56. Rock-soul singer Michael Fitzpatrick (Fitz and the Tantrums) is 54. Actor/singer Charlotte Gainsbourg is 53. Actor Justin Bartha is 46. Actor Josh Hartnett is 46. Reggae singer Damian Marley is 46. Basketball Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings is 45. Former MLB All-Star pitcher CC Sabathia (suh-BATH’-ee-uh) is 44. Singer Blake Lewis (“American Idol”) is 43. Latin singer Romeo Santos is 43. Actor Betty Gilpin is 38. Actor Juno Temple is 35. Actor Rory Culkin is 35. Manchester City soccer star Erling Haaland is 24.
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