Associated Press
On August 5, 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 barbiturates.)
On this date in:
1861- The federal government levied an income tax for the first time.
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.
1930- Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio.
1957-“American Bandstand,” hosted by Dick Clark, made its network TV debut on ABC.
1963- The United States, Britain and the Soviet Union signed a treaty in Moscow banning nuclear tests in the atmosphere, outer space and underwater.
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 striking air traffic controllers.
2001- Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban jailed eight foreign aid workers, including two Americans, for allegedly preaching Christianity.
2009- Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was sworn in for a second term as Iran’s president.
2010- The Senate confirmed Elena Kagan as the Supreme Court’s 112th justice and the fourth woman in its history. The vote was 63-37.
2010- Thirty-three workers were trapped in a copper mine in northern Chile after a tunnel caved in. (They were rescued after being entombed for 69 days).
2011- Standard & Poor’s lowered the United States’ AAA credit rating by one notch to AA-plus.
Today’s Birthdays:
Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Carl Crawford turns 34 years old.
Loni Anderson, Actress (“WKRP in Cincinnati”), 70
Rick Derringer, Rock singer, 68
Maureen McCormick, Actress (“The Brady Bunch”), 59
David Baldacci, Author, 55
Tawney Kitaen, Actress, 54
Patrick Ewing, Basketball Hall of Famer, 53
Jonathan Silverman, Actor, 49
Terri Clark Country, singer, 47
Actress Janet McTeer turns 54 years old today.