On This Day in History - August 7th - Almanac

Today is Sunday, Aug. 7, the 220th day of 2016 with 146 to follow.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Leo. They include Carl Ritter, German co-founder of modern geographical science, in 1779; World War I Dutch spy and courtesan known as Mata Hari (Margaret Gertrude Zelle) in 1876; actor Billie Burke in 1884; British archaeologist/anthropologist Louis Leakey in 1903; American statesman/Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ralph J. Bunche in 1904; film director Nicholas Ray in 1911; comedian/producer Stan Freberg in 1926); actor Carl Switzer (Alfalfa in the "Our Gang" and "Little Rascals" movie comedies) in 1927; basepall pitcher Don Larsen, who had a perfect game in the 1956 World Series, in 1929 (age 87); singer B.J. Thomas in 1942 (age 74); humorist Garrison Keillor in 1942 (age 74); former FBI Director Robert Mueller in 1944 (age 72); actor John Glover in 1944 (age 72); Minnesota Supreme Court Justice/football Hall of Fame member Alan Page in 1945 (age 71); actor Wayne Knight in 1955 (age 61); actor David Duchovny in 1960 (age 56); actor Charlize Theron in 1975 (age 41).

On this date in history:

In 1782, the Order of the Purple Heart was established by Gen. George Washington to honor Americans who fought in the Revolutionary War.

In 1942, U.S. Marines launched America's first offensive in World War II, landing on the Pacific island of Guadalcanal.

In 1959, the satellite Explorer 6 transmitted man's first view of Earth from space.

In 1998, terrorists' bombs detonated within minutes of each other outside of U.S. embassy buildings in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, killing 224 people. Authorities estimated another 4,000 were wounded.

In 2001, Uribe Velez was sworn in as president of Colombia in ceremonies interrupted by rebel shelling that killed 15 people and wounded 60.

In 2005, Peter Jennings, anchor and senior editor of ABC News World News Tonight, who said in April he had lung cancer, died at his New York home at age 67.

In 2007, Barry Bonds hit his 756th major league home run, breaking the record set by Hank Aaron. Bonds ended his career just under seven weeks later with a total of 762 homers.

In 2010, the Taliban claimed responsibility for killing 10 members of a medical charity team -- six of them Americans -- in a remote forest in Afghanistan.

In 2012, Jared Lee Loughner pleaded guilty to murder and attempted murder in Tucson shootings that killed six people and wounded 13, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Under his plea agreement, Loughner is imprisoned for life without parole and no opportunity to appeal.

In 2013, air travelers across Africa faced delays after a huge fire ripped through the main airport in Nairobi, Kenya. No fatalities were reported.

In 2014, U.S. President Barack Obama said he authorized targeted airstrikes as needed against Islamic militants in northern Iraq.

A thought for the day: "All television ever did was shrink the demand for ordinary movies. The demand for extraordinary movies increased." -- Clive James