On This Day: Prisoner swap with Israel releases 26 Palestinians

Aug. 13 (UPI) -- On this date in history:

In 1889, William Gray patented the coin-operated telephone.

In 1918, women were allowed to join the U.S. Marines for the first time. Sgt. Opha May Johnson, a 40-year-old civil servant, was the first to enlist.

In 1930, Capt. Frank Hawkes set an air speed record by flying from Los Angeles to New York in 12 hours, 25 minutes.

In 1961, East Germany closed the Brandenburg Gate and prepared to start building the Berlin Wall.

In 1980, U.S. President Jimmy Carter was nominated for a second term by the Democratic National Convention in New York. He lost in November to Ronald Reagan.

File Photo by Don Rypka/UPI

In 1990, singer/songwriter Curtis Mayfield was left paralyzed when he was hit by a wind-blown lighting rig on an outdoor stage in New York. He died in 1999.

In 1993, the multi-story Royal Plaza Hotel in eastern Thailand collapsed into a heap of rubble, leaving 137 people dead.

In 1994, North Korea agreed to allow U.N. monitors to inspect a secret nuclear laboratory.

North Korea test-fires the Hwasong-15 long-range ballistic missile November 29, 2017. North Korea claimed the upgraded intercontinental ballistic missile can carry a super-size nuclear warhead while targeting the whole U.S. mainland. File Photo by KCNA

In 1995, former New York Yankees centerfielder Mickey Mantle died of liver cancer at the age of 63.

In 2008, Bill Gwatney, chairman of the Arkansas Democratic Party and a former legislator, was shot to death in his Little Rock office. After a 30-mile chase, a suspect was killed by police in an exchange of gunfire. A motive for Gwatney's killing was never determined.

In 2013, Israel released 26 Palestinian prisoners as part of a deal to resume peace talks.

In 2014, Brazilian presidential candidate Eduardo Campos was among seven people killed in a plane crash southeast of Sao Paulo.

In 2016, Michael Phelps wins his 23rd Olympic gold medal to finish his swimming career as the world's most decorated Olympian.

In 2017, American Justin Thomas won his first PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C.

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