Advertisement

UPI Almanac for Tuesday, July 26, 2016

On July 26, 2005, the Discovery lifted off from Cape Canaveral in the first shuttle launch since the 2003 Columbia tragedy.

By United Press International
The Space Shuttle Discovery lifts off from Launch Complex 39B on mission STS 114 to the International Space Station at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on July 26, 2005. This first shuttle mission since the Columbia disaster was originally scheduled for launch in May, but technical glitches delayed the return to human space flight. Photo by Marino-Cantrell/UPI
The Space Shuttle Discovery lifts off from Launch Complex 39B on mission STS 114 to the International Space Station at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on July 26, 2005. This first shuttle mission since the Columbia disaster was originally scheduled for launch in May, but technical glitches delayed the return to human space flight. Photo by Marino-Cantrell/UPI | License Photo

Today is Tuesday, July 26, the 208th day of 2016, with 158 to follow.

The moon is waning. Morning stars are Neptune and Uranus. Evening stars are Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Mars and Saturn.

Advertisement


Those born on this date are under the sign of Leo. They include artist George Catlin, painter of American Indian scenes, in 1796; Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw in 1856; Swiss psychologist Carl Jung, founder of analytic psychology, in 1875; British novelist Aldous Huxley in 1894; comedian Gracie Allen in 1895; U.S. Sen. Estes Kefauver, D-Tenn., who led the 1950-51 Senate investigation of organized crime, in 1903; actor Vivian Vance in 1909; Erskine Hawkins, trumpet virtuoso/band leader, in 1914; storyteller Jean Shepherd in 1921; actor Jason Robards in 1922; movie producer Blake Edwards in 1922; baseball Hall of Fame member Hoyt Wilhelm in 1922; children's author Jan Berenstain in 1923; filmmaker Stanley Kubrick in 1928; singer Mick Jagger (Rolling Stones) in 1943 (age 73); actor Helen Mirren in 1945 (age 71); tennis player Vitas Gerulaitis in 1954; former Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari in 1955 (age 61); Olympic gold medal skater Dorothy Hamill in 1956 (age 60); actor Kevin Spacey in 1959 (age 57); actor Sandra Bullock in 1964 (age 52); actor Kate Beckinsale in 1973 (age 43).

Advertisement


On this date in history:

In 1847, Liberia became a republic and Africa's first sovereign, black-ruled democratic nation.

In 1908, the FBI was born as the BOI (Bureau of Investigation) when a group of newly hired investigators reported to the Justice Department. The special unit officially became the FBI in 1935.

In 1941, Army Gen. Douglas MacArthur was named commander of U.S. forces in the Philippines.

In 1948, President Harry S. Truman ordered desegregation of the U.S. military.

In 1956, Egypt created a crisis by nationalizing the British- and French-owned Suez Canal.

In 1984, "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" became the first network television program to be broadcast in stereo.

In 1992, under pressure, Iraq agreed to allow U.N. inspectors to look for documentation on weapons of mass destruction.

In 2005, the Discovery lifted off from Cape Canaveral in the first shuttle launch since the 2003 Columbia tragedy.

In 2007, the U.S. Congress overwhelmingly passed anti-terrorism legislation that enhanced screening of air and sea cargo and allocated more funds to states deemed at risk of attack.

In 2010, the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, said it was decided to post more than 75,000 secret U.S. Afghan war documents on the Internet to give a more complete picture of the conflict. The White House said the deed had "a potential to be very harmful."

Advertisement

In 2013, Ariel Castro agreed to a plea bargain in the kidnapping of three Ohio women who were held for a decade. He was sentenced to life in prison. On September 3, 2013, Castro hanged himself in his cell.


A thought for the day: Matthew Arnold wrote, "The free thinking of one age is the common sense of the next."

Latest Headlines