On This Day: Capt. Phelps wins 23rd gold medal, most in history

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.

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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 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.

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

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

In 2019, media companies CBS and Viacom agreed to a merger, combining their entertainment assets in an all-stock merger. The new company was known as ViacomCBS.

In 2020, Israel and the United Arab Emirates agreed to full normalization of relations.

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