Wednesday, August 05th
The 217th day of 2009.
There are 148 days left in the year.
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Today's Highlights in History
On August 5, 1963 the United States, Britain and the Soviet Union signed a treaty in Moscow banning nuclear tests in the atmosphere, outer space and underwater. (Go to article.)
On Aug. 5, 1906, John Huston, the American motion-picture director, was born. Following his death on Aug. 28, 1987, his obituary appeared in The Times. (Go to obit. | Other Birthdays)
Editorial Cartoon of the Day
On August 5, 1882, Harper's Weekly featured a cartoon about the gubernatorial campaign of Alexander Stephens, the former Confederate vice president. (See the cartoon and read an explanation.)
On this date in:
1861 The federal government levied an income tax for the first time.
1864 Union Adm. David G. Farragut is said to have given his famous order "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!" as he led his fleet against Mobile Bay, Ala., during the Civil War.
1884 The cornerstone for the Statue of Liberty was laid on Bedloe's Island in New York Harbor.
1924 The comic strip "Little Orphan Annie" by Harold Gray made its debut.
1957 "American Bandstand," hosted by Dick Clark, made its network TV debut on ABC.
1962 Actress Marilyn Monroe was found dead in her Los Angeles home at age 36. Her death was ruled a probable suicide from an overdose of sleeping pills.
1966 The album "Revolver" by the Beatles was released.
1969 The U.S. space probe Mariner 7 flew by Mars, sending back photographs and scientific data.
1981 The federal government began firing air traffic controllers who had gone on strike.
1992 Federal civil rights charges were filed against four Los Angeles police officers acquitted of state charges in the videotaped beating of Rodney King; two were later convicted.
2001 Afghanistan's ruling Taliban jailed eight foreign aid workers, including two Americans, for allegedly preaching Christianity.
2002 The coral-encrusted gun turret of the Civil War ironclad USS Monitor was raised from the floor of the Atlantic.
Current Birthdays
Carl Crawford turns 28 years old today.
AP Photo/Bill Kostroun Tampa Bay Rays left fielder Carl Crawford turns 28 years old today.
79 Neil Armstrong
Astronaut
75 Cammie King
Actress
74 Zakes Mokae
Actor
74 John Saxon
Actor
69 Bobby Braddock
Country songwriter
69 Rick Huxley
Rock musician (The Dave Clark Five)
64 Loni Anderson
Actress ("WKRP in Cincinnati")
63 Erika Slezak
Actress ("One Life to Live")
62 Rick Derringer
Rock singer
59 Holly Palance
Actress
56 Samantha Sang
Singer
53 Maureen McCormick
Actress ("The Brady Bunch")
50 Pat Smear
Rock musician
48 Tawney Kitaen
Actress
48 Mark O'Connor
Country musician
47 Patrick Ewing
Basketball Hall of Famer
45 MCA
Rapper (The Beastie Boys)
43 Jonathan Silverman
Actor
41 Terri Clark
Country singer
34 Eicca Toppinen
Rock musician (Apocalyptica)
32 Mark Mulder
Baseball player
23 Brendon Ryan Barrett
Actor
Historic Birthdays
John Huston
8/5/1906 - 8/28/1987
American film director
(Go to obit.)
68 Joseph Justus Scaliger
8/5/1540 - 1/21/1609
Dutch philologist and historian
46 Pietro Antonio Cesti
8/5/1623 - 10/14/1669
Italian composer
99 Antonio Franconi
8/5/1737 - 12/6/1836
Italian impresario
84 Ambrose Thomas
8/5/1811 - 2/12/1896
French composer
42 Guy de Maupassant
8/5/1850 - 7/6/1893
French novelist and short-story writer
84 Conrad Aiken
8/5/1889 - 8/17/1973
American poet, novelist and critic
65 Erich Kleiber
8/5/1890 - 1/27/1956
Austrian conductor and composer
92 Wassily Leontief
8/5/1906 - 2/5/1999
Russian-born Nobel Prize-winning American economist (1973)
59 Harold Holdt
8/5/1908 - 12/17/1967
Australian prime minister (1966-67)
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