Those born on this date in history are under the sign of Virgo. They include Italian explorer Marco Polo in 1254; novelist James Fenimore Cooper in 1789; William Howard Taft, 27th president of the United States, in 1857; humorist Robert Benchley in 1889; British mystery writer Agatha Christie in 1890; country music star Roy Acuff in 1903; actors Fay Wray in 1907 and Jackie Cooper in 1922; golf entrepreneur Karsten Solheim in 1911; writer Orhan Kemal in 1914; comedian Nipsey Russell in 1918; singer/pianist Bobby Short in 1924; comedian Norm Crosby in 1927 (age 87); jazz saxophone player Julian "Cannonball" Adderley in 1928; baseball Hall of Fame member Gaylord Perry in 1938 (age 76); football Hall of Fame member and actor Merlin Olsen in 1940; soprano Jessye Norman in 1945 (age 69); filmmaker Oliver Stone and actor Tommy Lee Jones, both in 1946 (age 68); football Hall of Fame member Dan Marino in 1961 (age 53); and Prince Henry, called "Harry," second son of Britain's Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, in 1984 (age 30).
On this date in history:
In 1812, Russians set fire to Moscow in an effort to keep out Napoleon and his invading French troops.
In 1942, the armies of Nazi Germany began their siege of the Russian city of Stalingrad.
In 1954, the famous scene in which Marilyn Monroe is shown laughing as her skirt is blown up by a blast of air from a subway vent was shot during the filming of "The Seven Year Itch." The scene infuriated her husband, Joe DiMaggio, who felt it was exhibitionist. (The couple divorced a short time later.)
In 1963, four black girls were killed in the bombing of a church in Birmingham, Ala. Two black teenage boys were shot to death later that day as citywide rioting broke out.
In 1971, the environmental organization Greenpeace was founded by 12 members of the Don't Make A Wave committee of Vancouver, British Columbia.
In 1993, Katherine Ann Power, a Vietnam War opponent and a fugitive for more than 20 years in the death of a police officer during a bank robbery in Boston, surrendered. (She pleaded guilty and spent six years in prison.)
In 1999, a 47-year-old man opened fire during a youth service at the Wedgwood Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, killing seven people and wounding seven before killing himself.
In 2000, the 27th Summer Olympic Games opened in Sydney, with a record number of female athletes participating -- and with North and South Korea marching together in the opening procession.
In 2003, more than 100 prisoners were killed in a fire at a maximum-security prison outside the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh.
In 2009, U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the recession, which began in December 2007, was "very likely over" but the economy would appear weak "for some time."
In 2012, an attack by the Taliban killed two U.S. Marines and destroyed several planes at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan. The militants said one of their reasons for the attack was to assassinate Britain's Prince Harry, a helicopter pilot stationed at the base, but officials said he was not in danger. NATO said 18 attackers were killed.
In 2013, authorities said six people had been killed and dozens were stranded in Colorado after a week of flooding caused by record-breaking rains.
A thought for the day: California Gov. Jerry Brown said, "Too often I find that the volume of paper expands to fill the available briefcases."
