On This Day in History - July 9th - Almanac

Today is Sunday, July 9, the 190th day of 2023 with 175 to follow.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Cancer. They include actor/singer Ed Ames in 1927; former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in 1932; English artist David Hockney in 1937 (age 86); actor Brian Dennehy in 1938; actor Richard Roundtree in 1942 (age 81); writer Dean R. Koontz in 1945 (age 78); rock singer Bon Scott in 1946; football star/actor/convict O.J. Simpson in 1947 (age 76); former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in 1950 (age 72); actor Chris Cooper in 1951 (age 72); entertainer John Tesh in 1952 (age 71); actor Jimmy Smits in 1955 (age 68); actor Lisa Banes in 1955; businessman/reality star Kevin O'Leary in 1954 (age 69); actor Tom Hanks in 1956 (age 67); actor Kelly McGillis in 1957 (age 66); musician Courtney Love in 1964 (age 59); musician Jack White in 1975 (age 48); actor Fred Savage in 1976 (age 47); actor Ruairi O'Connor in 1991 (age 32); actor Mitchel Musso in 1991 (age 32); actor Douglas Booth in 1992 (age 31); actor Georgie Henley in 1995 (age 28).

On this date in history:

In 1850, U.S. President Zachary Taylor died suddenly of cholera. He was succeeded by Millard Fillmore.

In 1868, the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, guaranteeing African Americans full citizenship and all people in the United States due process under the law.

In 1877, the first Wimbledon tennis tournament was contested at the All-England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club.

In 1893, Chicago surgeon Dr. Daniel Hale Williams performed the first successful open-heart surgery.

In 1943, U.S., Canadian and British forces invaded Sicily during World War II.

In 1960, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev threatened the United States with rockets if U.S. forces attempted to oust the communist government of Cuba.

In 1982, a Pan Am Boeing 727 jetliner crashed in Kenner, La., shortly after takeoff from New Orleans, killing 154 people.

In 1992, Democratic presidential hopeful Bill Clinton picked U.S. Sen. Al Gore, D-Tenn., as his running mate.

In 1993, British and Russian scientists identify the remains of the last Russian czar's family found in a shallow grave in Yekaterinburg two years before.

In 2004, a report by the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence accused the CIA and other intelligence agencies of producing false and misleading pre-war information about Iraq's weapons program.

In 2006, a S7 Airlines Airbus from Moscow taking children to a vacation area in Siberia crashed, killing about 120 of the 203 people aboard.

In 2011, after more than half a century of struggle and violence that claimed an estimated 2 million lives, the Republic of South Sudan declared its independence from Sudan and became Africa's 54th nation.

In 2017, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory over the Islamic State militant group in Mosul after months of fighting.

In 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a large swath of eastern Oklahoma is still considered Muscogee (Creek) Nation reservation, meaning state prosecutors don't have authority to pursue cases against American Indians there.

In 2022, Elena Rybakina made history as Kazakhstan's first Grand Slam winner with a Wimbledon singles final victory over Tunisian Ons Jabeur.

A thought for the day: "Some people say it takes courage to face the matter of death. I believe it takes more courage to face life." -- American playwright J. California Cooper