27 July: H. Rap Brown "Tells It Like It Is," Crazed Right-Wing Gunman Proves Him Right 41 Yrs. Later; Bugs Bunny Set Loose

By The Associated Press: Today is Monday, July 27, the 208th day of 2009. There are 157 days left in the year. AP. A/V. UPI Almanac. Today's Highlight in History: One hundred years ago, in 1909, during the first official test of the U.S. Army's first airplane, Orville Wright flew himself and a passenger, Lt. Frank Lahm, above Fort Myer, Va., for one hour and 12 minutes. On this date: In 1694, The Bank of England received a royal charter as a commercial institution. In 1789, President George Washington signed a measure establishing the Department of Foreign Affairs, forerunner of the Department of State. In 1794, French revolutionary leader Maximilien Robespierre was overthrown and placed under arrest; he was executed the following day. In 1861, Union Gen. George B. McClellan was put in command of the Army of the Potomac. In 1866, Cyrus W. Field finished laying out the first successful underwater telegraph cable between North America and Europe (a previous cable in 1858 burned out after only a few weeks of use). Ninety years ago, in 1919, race-related rioting erupted in Chicago; the violence, which claimed the lives of 23 blacks and 15 whites, lasted until Aug. 3. In 1953, the Korean War armistice was signed at Panmunjom, ending three years of fighting.In 1960, Vice President Richard M. Nixon was nominated for president at the Republican national convention in Chicago. In 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed the Kerner Commission to assess the causes of urban rioting, the same day black militant H. Rap Brown said in Washington that violence was "as American as cherry pie." Thirty-five years ago, in 1974, the House Judiciary Committee voted 27-11 to adopt the first of three articles of impeachment against President Richard Nixon, charging he had personally engaged in a course of conduct designed to obstruct justice in the Watergate case. Rep. Joshua Eilberg (D-Penn.) tells it like it is. In 1980, the deposed Shah of Iran died in Egypt at age 60. In 1995, The Korean War Veterans Memorial was dedicated in Washington, D.C.

In 1996, terror struck the Atlanta Olympics as a pipe bomb exploded at Centennial Olympic Park, directly killing one person and injuring 111. (Anti-government extremist Eric Rudolph later pleaded guilty to the bombing.) Ten years ago: The House approved President Bill Clinton's one-year extension of normal trade with China. In an overwhelming defeat for major league umpires, their threatened walkout collapsed when all of the umpires withdrew their resignations; however, about one-third of them ended up losing their jobs anyway. A flash flood in Switzerland claimed the lives of 21 people, 18 of them tourists. With Air Force Col. Eileen Collins at the controls, space shuttle Columbia returned to Earth, ending a five-day mission. Five years ago: Democrats assailed President George W. Bush's handling of the Iraq war at their convention in Boston and painted a vivid portrait of John Kerry as a decorated Vietnam War hero. In a keynote address, Illinois State Sen. Barack Obama said Kerry had long made "tough choices when easier ones were available." In 2005, Ahmed Ressam, an Algerian who'd plotted to bomb the Los Angeles airport on the eve of the millennium, was sentenced to 22 years in prison by a judge in Seattle. One year ago: A gunman went on a rampage at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville, killing two people and wounding six others. (Jim D. Adkisson later pleaded guilty to murder and attempted murder and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.) Two bombs targeting civilians at a packed square in Istanbul, Turkey, killed 17 people. Iran hanged 29 people convicted of murder, drug trafficking and other crimes. Carlos Sastre of Spain won the Tour de France in one of the closest finishes in the 105-year-old race. Today's Birthdays: TV producer Norman Lear is 87. R&B singer Harvey Fuqua is 80. Actor Jerry Van Dyke is 78. Sportscaster Irv Cross is 70. Actor John Pleshette is 67. Singer Bobbie Gentry is 65. Actress-director Betty Thomas is 61. Olympic gold medal figure skater Peggy Fleming is 61. Actor Maury Chaykin is 60. Singer Maureen McGovern is 60. Actress Janet Eilber is 58. Actress Roxanne Hart is 57. Country musician Duncan Cameron is 53. Comedian-actress-writer Carol Leifer is 53. Comedian Bill Engvall is 52. Jazz singer Karrin Allyson is 47. Country singer Stacy Dean Campbell is 42. Rock singer Juliana Hatfield is 42. Actor Julian McMahon is 41. Comedian Maya Rudolph is 37. Rock musician Abe Cunningham is 36. Singer-songwriter Pete Yorn is 35. New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez is 34. Actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers is 32. Today In Entertainment History -- On July 27th, 1940, the cartoon character Bugs Bunny made his official debut when Warner Brothers released the animated short "A Wild Hare."In 1961, The Tokens recorded "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" at a studio in New York. [Bullshit. Lions are nocturnal. They follow the "Sleep all night/Sleep all day/Nothing good on tee vee/anyway" philosophy found here.— Ed.] In 1976, John Lennon was granted permanent US residency following a lengthy battle with immigration officials, & Bruce Springsteen filed a fraud and breach of trust lawsuit against his manager Mike Appel. Appel countersued. In other legal/relationship news, Tina Turner filed for divorce from Ike Turner. Thirty years ago, in 1979, a firebomb was thrown through a window of an Indian art store in Scottsdale, Arizona, owned by Alice Cooper. Cooper said maybe a "disco-music freak" was to blame, because he had been making some "anti-disco remarks." Twenty-five years ago, in 1984, the movie "Purple Rain," featuring Prince, opened in the US and Canada. [OK, you Gen X fucks have to admit you're officiallly old & wretched now. — Ed.] Actor James Mason died in Lausanne, Switzerland, at age 75. In 1985, concertgoer Jon Moreland jumped onstage at a Cure concert in Los Angeles and stabbed himself with a hunting knife. Fans did not know it was not part of the show. In 1995, Selena's "Dreaming Of You" album made its debut at number one on the Billboard album chart, four months after she was shot to death. In 2001, Lynyrd Skynyrd bassist Leon Wilkeson was found dead in a hotel room outside Jacksonville, Florida. He was 49. In 2003, comedian Bob Hope died of pneumonia in Toluca Lake, California. He was 100. Thought for Today: "Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock." — Will Rogers, American humorist (1879-1935).