Today is Wednesday, Aug. 19, the 231st day of 2009. There are 134 days left in the year. UPI Almanac.
Today's Highlight in History:
On Aug. 19, 1909, the first automobile races were run at the just-opened Indianapolis Motor Speedway; the winner of the first event was auto engineer Louis Schwitzer, who drove a Stoddard-Dayton touring car twice around the 2.5-mile track at an average speed of 57.4 mph. [Which would make it the Indy Five. — Ed.]
On this date:
In 1812, the USS Constitution defeated the British frigate Guerriere off Nova Scotia during the War of 1812.
In 1915, two Americans were killed when a German U-boat torpedoed the British liner Lusitania in the Atlantic Ocean, an incident that helped move the United States into World War I.In 1918, "Yip! Yip! Yaphank," a musical revue by Irving Berlin featuring Army recruits from Camp Upton in Yaphank, N.Y., opened on Broadway.
Eighty years ago, in 1929, the radio comedy program "Amos 'n' Andy," starring Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll, made its network debut on NBC-Blue. [That was the "dirty" network of the time. — Ed.]
In 1934, a plebiscite in Germany approved the vesting of sole executive power in Adolf Hitler.
In 1942, about 6,000 Canadian and British soldiers launched a disastrous raid against the Germans at Dieppe, France, suffering more than 50 percent casualties.
In 1949, the Federal Communications Commission prohibited so-called "give-away" radio and TV shows, saying they violated lottery laws. (The US Supreme Court overturned the ban in 1954, ruling that give-away shows fell short of being lotteries because participants did not pay in order to try to win prizes.)
In 1955, severe flooding in the northeastern US claimed some 200 lives.
In 1960, a tribunal in Moscow convicted American U2 pilot Francis Gary Powers of espionage.
In 1976, President Gerald R. Ford won the Republican presidential nomination at the party's convention in Kansas City.
In 1977, one of the most powerful earthquakes in recorded history hit the eastern Indian Ocean between Australia and Indonesia, rattling buildings in Perth, Australia, 1,000 miles to the south.
In 1987, gun enthusiast Michael Ryan went on a shooting rampage in Hungerford, England, killing 16 people.In 1991, Soviet hard-liners announced to a shocked world that President Mikhail S. Gorbachev had been removed from power. (The coup attempt collapsed two days later.)
In 1992, delegates to the Republican National Convention nominated President George H.W. Bush and Vice President Dan Quayle for re-election. They were defeated in November by Democrats Bill Clinton and Al Gore.In 1994, U.S. President Bill Clinton announced he was ending the 28-year U.S. policy of letting Cuban refugees take up U.S. residency if they reached the country.Ten years ago: Confronting questions about possible past drug use, Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush told reporters he had not used illegal drugs in 25 years, and added that if voters insisted on knowing more -- quote -- "they can go find somebody else to vote for." [He warned you, you awful stupid people. But did you listen? No. — Ed.]
Five years ago: Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry fought back against campaign allegations that he had exaggerated his combat record in Vietnam, accusing President George W. Bush of using a Republican front group "to do his dirty work." Google began trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market, ending the day up $15.34 at $100.34. Carly Patterson won gymnastics' premier event at the Olympics in Athens, becoming the first US woman to win the all-around title since Mary Lou Retton in 1984.
In 2007, voters in Thailand approved a constitutional referendum by the military-backed government, which seized power the previous year. Rescue workers were reported ending their search for six miners trapped in a Utah coal mine for nearly two weeks. Three would-be rescuers were killed in a second cave-in. And, officials said intense heat gripping the U.S. Midwest and South contributed to the deaths of at least 47 people. Memphis endured the brunt with 10 dead.One year ago: Tropical Storm Fay rolled ashore in Florida short of hurricane strength, but mysteriously gained speed as it headed over land. Heavily armed insurgents in Afghanistan killed 10 French soldiers in a mountain ambush and then sent a squad of suicide bombers in a failed assault on a US base near the Pakistan border. Russia and Georgia exchanged prisoners captured during their brief war. Shawn Johnson won a gold medal on the balance beam at the Beijing games.
Today's Birthdays -- August 19
Actor L.Q. Jones is 82. Actress Debra Paget is 76. Tennis coach Renee Richards is 75. Baseball All-Star Bobby Richardson is 74. Actress Diana Muldaur is 71. Rock musician Ginger Baker (Cream, Blind Faith) is 70. Singer Johnny Nash is 69. Actress Jill St. John is 69. Actor and former U.S. senator Fred Thompson is 67. Singer Billy J. Kramer is 66. Country singer-songwriter Eddy Raven is 65. Rock singer Ian Gillan (Deep Purple) is 64. Former President Bill Clinton is 63. Tipper Gore, wife of former Vice President Al Gore, is 61. Actor Gerald McRaney is 61. Rock musician John Deacon (Queen) is 58. Actor-director Jonathan Frakes is 57. Political consultant Mary Matalin is 56. Actor Peter Gallagher is 54. Actor Adam Arkin is 53. Singer-songwriter Gary Chapman is 52. Actor Martin Donovan is 52. Football Hall-of-Famer Anthony Munoz is 51. Rhythm-and-blues singer Ivan Neville is 50. Actress Kyra Sedgwick is 44. Actor Kevin Dillon is 44. Country singer Lee Ann Womack is 43. TV reporter Tabitha Soren is 42. Rapper Nate Dogg is 40. Actor Matthew Perry is 40. Country singer Clay Walker is 40. Rapper Fat Joe is 39. Olympic gold medal tennis player Mary Joe Fernandez is 38. Actress Tracie Thoms is 34. Football player Thomas Jones is 31. Baseball player J.J. Hardy is 27. Olympic silver medal snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis is 24.
Today In Entertainment History -- August 19
In 1964, The Beatles opened their first US tour at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. Other acts on the bill included the Righteous Brothers and Jackie DeShannon.
In 1967, "All You Need Is Love" by The Beatles hit No. 1 on the pop charts. That same day, Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and his wife Maureen had another child, a boy named Jason.
In 1973, singers Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge got married in Los Angeles. They divorced in 1979. [Yawn. This is beyond dumb, but we're beyond lazy, so we can't be arsed to delete this sort of hooey. Instead we mock, which, though much more effort, is a bit satisfying. — Ed.]
In 1977, comedian Groucho Marx died in Los Angeles. He was 86.Or you can believe The Very Reverend Moon's UPI Almanac, which claimed yesterday that: "In 1977, comedian Julius "Groucho" Marx, leader of the wacky Marx Brothers, died at the age of 87." At least both agree on the yr. — Ed.]
In 1980, Christopher Cross' debut album went platinum. [Fortunately, a one-shit wonder. — Ed.]
In 2000, actresses Ellen DeGeneres and Anne Heche announced they were breaking up. Just hours later, Heche was hospitalized after she wandered disoriented into a stranger's home in Fresno County, Calif.
In 2008, sax player Leroi Moore of the Dave Matthews Band died of complications from an all-terrain vehicle accident two months earlier. He was 46. LeRoi Moore, a versatile saxophonist with the Dave Matthews Band, died in Los Angeles of complications from an ATV accident; he was 46. [Not that the AP is internally consistent. — Ed.]
Thought for Today:
"Being an intellectual creates a lot of questions and no answers." — Janis Joplin, American rock singer (1943-1970).
Or you can believe The Very Reverend Moon's UPI Almanac, which claimed yesterday that: "In 1977, comedian Julius "Groucho" Marx, leader of the wacky Marx Brothers, died at the age of 87." At least both agree on the yr. — Ed.]
In 1980, Christopher Cross' debut album went platinum. [Fortunately, a one-shit wonder. — Ed.]
In 2000, actresses Ellen DeGeneres and Anne Heche announced they were breaking up. Just hours later, Heche was hospitalized after she wandered disoriented into a stranger's home in Fresno County, Calif.
In 2008, sax player Leroi Moore of the Dave Matthews Band died of complications from an all-terrain vehicle accident two months earlier. He was 46. LeRoi Moore, a versatile saxophonist with the Dave Matthews Band, died in Los Angeles of complications from an ATV accident; he was 46. [Not that the AP is internally consistent. — Ed.]
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