On This Day: U.S. embassy bombings kill 224

Aug. 7 (UPI) -- 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 VI transmitted man's first view of Earth from space.

In 1963, Jacqueline Kennedy becomes first sitting U.S. first lady to give birth since Frances Folsom Cleveland in 1897. President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy's premature son, Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, died two days later.

UPI File Photo

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 injured 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.

File Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI

In 2008, Georgian troops laid siege to the capital of the breakaway region of South Ossetia, sparking the five-day Russo-Georgian War, which left more than 300 dead.

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.