Those born on this date are under the sign of Cancer. They include American firearms inventor Samuel Colt in 1814; French painter Edgar Degas in 1834; Dr. Charles H. Mayo, co-founder of the Mayo Clinic, in 1865; author A.J. Cronin in 1896; former U.S. Sen. George McGovern, D-S.D. (1972 Democratic presidential nominee) in 1922; former CIA agent-turned-author Philip Agee in 1935; singer Vikki Carr in 1941 (age 73); tennis Hall of Fame member Ilie Nastase in 1946 (age 68); Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Bernie Leadon (Eagles) in 1947 (age 67); and actors Anthony Edwards in 1962 (age 52) and Benedict Cumberbatch in 1976 (age 38).
On this date in history:
In 1848, "bloomers," a radical departure in women's clothing, were introduced to the first women's rights convention in Seneca Falls, N.Y. They were named after Amelia Jenks Bloomer.
In 1911, Pennsylvania became the first U.S. state to pass laws censoring movies.
In 1918, the end of World War I approached as the German army began retreating across the Marne River in France.
In 1946, Marilyn Monroe was given her first screen test at Twentieth Century-Fox Studios. Even without sound, the test was enough to earn Monroe her first contract.
In 1969, John Fairfax of Britain arrived at Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to become the first person to row across the Atlantic alone.
In 1984, U.S. Rep. Geraldine Ferraro, D-N.Y., was chosen as Walter Mondale's vice presidential running mate at the Democratic National Convention. She was the first woman on a major ticket.
In 1989, a crippled DC-10 jetliner crash-landed in a cornfield in Sioux City, Iowa. One-hundred-eighty-four of the 296 people aboard survived.
In 1993, the Pentagon announced its "don't ask, don't tell, don't pursue" policy toward homosexuals in the U.S. military.
In 1996, the Summer Olympics opened in Atlanta with a record 197 countries taking part.
In 1997, the IRA declared a cease-fire in its long war to force Britain out of Northern Ireland.
In 2005, U.S. Appeals Court Judge John Roberts was nominated by President George Bush to the U.S. Supreme Court, replacing Sandra Day O'Connor, who resigned. (After the death of William Rehnquist, Roberts' nomination was changed to make him chief justice.)
In 2007, on Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average closed at more than 14,000 for the first time.
In 2010, a speeding express train slammed into the rear of a train preparing to leave a West Bengal station in India, killing more than 60 people and injuring about 100 others.
In 2012, the U.S. Defense Department said military personnel would be permitted to march in uniform in a San Diego Gay Pride Parade.
In 2013, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced a "hard decision" on asylum-seekers. In the future, he said, the so-called boat people would be sent to Papua New Guinea.
A thought for the day: "The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why." -- Mark Twain
