In 1942, Pierre Laval, prime minister of Vichy France, publicly declared that "the hour of liberation for France is the hour when Germany wins the war."
Sixty years ago, in 1949, President Harry S. Truman nominated General Omar N. Bradley to become the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
In 1954, a formal peace took hold in Indochina, ending more than seven years of fighting between the French and Communist Vietminh.
In 1956, abstract painter Jackson Pollock, 44, died in an automobile accident on Long Island, N.Y.
In 1962, the Soviet Union launched cosmonaut Andrian Nikolayev on a 94-hour flight.
In 1965, rioting and looting that claimed 34 lives broke out in the predominantly black Watts section of Los Angeles.
Twenty-five years ago, in 1984, President Ronald Reagan joked during a voice test for a paid political radio address that he had "signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes."
In 1992, the Mall of America opened in Bloomington, Minn.In 1994, major league baseball players went on strike following the conclusion of the day's games.
In 1997, President Bill Clinton made the first use of the line-item veto approved by Congress, rejecting three items in spending and tax bills. (The Supreme Court later struck down the line-item veto as unconstitutional.)
In 1998, British Petroleum purchased Amoco for $49 billion.
Ten years ago: White supremacist Buford O. Furrow, wanted in the wounding of five people at a Los Angeles Jewish community center and the shooting death of a mail carrier the day before, turned himself in to the FBI in Las Vegas and waived extradition to Los Angeles. (Furrow is serving life in prison.) A tornado tore across Salt Lake City, killing one person.
In 2000, Pat Buchanan won the Reform Party presidential nomination in a victory bitterly disputed by party founder Ross Perot's supporters, who chose their own nominee in a rival convention.
In 2002, US Airways filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
In 2003, NATO took command of the 5,000-strong peacekeeping force in Afghanistan. Charles Taylor resigned as Liberia's president and went into exile in Nigeria.
Five years ago: Britain granted its first license for human cloning for the purpose of stem cell research. The U.S. women's soccer team defeated home team Greece 3-to-0 on the first day of competition in the 2004 Olympic Games (the opening ceremony took place two days later).
One year ago: President George W. Bush, back from his Asia tour, warned of a "dramatic and brutal escalation" of violence by Russia in the former Soviet republic of Georgia; he pressed Moscow to accept an immediate cease-fire and to pull back its troops. In Beijing, Michael Phelps got his second gold medal — thanks to a late comeback in the 400-meter freestyle relay by Jason Lezak, who lunged to the wall just ahead of the French anchor.
Today's Birthdays: Actress Arlene Dahl is 81. Actress Anna Massey is 72. Songwriter-producer Kenny Gamble is 66. Rock musician Jim Kale (Guess Who) is 66. Country singer John Conlee is 63. Singer Eric Carmen is 60. Sen. Tim Hutchinson, R-Ark., is 60. Computer scientist and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is 59. Wrestler-actor Hulk Hogan is 56. Singer Joe Jackson is 55. Playwright David Henry Hwang is 52. Actor Miguel A. Nunez Jr. is 45. Actress Viola Davis is 44. Actor Duane Martin is 44. Actor-host Joe Rogan is 42. R&B musician Chris Dave is 41. Actress Anna Gunn is 41. Actress Ashley Jensen is 41. Rock guitarist Charlie Sexton is 41. Hip-hop artist Ali Shaheed Muhammad is 39. Actor Will Friedle is 33. Rapper Chris Kelly (Kris Kross) is 31. [Crap, 1/2 of Kriss Kross is 31? — Ed.] Football player Andy Lee is 27.
Today In Entertainment History -- On August eleventh, 1962, the Booker T. and the MG's classic instrumental "Green Onions" was released by Stax Records.
In 1968, The Beatles released "Hey Jude" backed with "Revolution," the first single from their Apple Records label.
In 1972, Elvis and Priscilla Presley filed for divorce. They had married in May of 1967.
In 1985, singer Simon LeBon of Duran Duran was rescued from his yacht, which had capsized during a race off the British coast. His rescuer later received a medal of bravery.
In 1986, six early albums by The Monkees re-entered Billboard's top albums chart after almost 20 years.
In 1987, Clara Peller, the elderly woman in the "Where's the beef?" commercials for Wendy's, died at age 86.
In 1996, drummer Mel Taylor of The Ventures died of lung cancer in Tarzana, California. He was 62.
In 1997, actor Christian Slater was arrested after he bit a man in the stomach and threw a police officer against a wall during a rowdy party in Los Angeles. He later pleaded no contest to the charges and served 90 days in jail.
Ten years ago, in 1999, bassist Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue was arrested for allegedly inciting violence at a show in Las Vegas. Police say he told the crowd to flip cop cars.
In 2002, actor Jason Priestly was seriously injured after crashing a race car head-on into a wall in Sparta, Kentucky. He broke his back, his nose and both feet, as well as suffered a concussion.
In 2005, singer Marc Cohn was shot in the temple during an attempted carjacking in Denver.
In 2006, talk show host Mike Douglas died on his 81st birthday in West Palm Beach, Florida.
One year ago, actor-playwright George Furth died in Santa Monica, Calif., at age 75.
Thought for Today: "A pessimist is a man who looks both ways when he's crossing a one-way street." — Laurence J. Peter, Canadian-born educator and author of "The Peter Principle" (1919-1990). [In Los Angeles, we call someone who looks both ways when crossing a one-way street a live pedestrian. — Ed.]
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