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Today is Friday, July 5, the 187th day of 2024. There are 179 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On July 5, 1996, Dolly the sheep was born, the first mammal to be cloned from an adult somatic cell by scientists at the University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute.
Also on this date:
In 1687, Isaac Newton first published his Principia Mathematica, a three-volume work in which he set out his mathematical principles of natural philosophy.
In 1811, Venezuela became the first South American country to declare its independence from Spain.
In 1852, Frederick Douglass gave his speech “What Kind of the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” at Corinthian Hall in Rochester, New York.
In 1865, the Secret Service Division of the US Treasury Department was founded in Washington DC with the mission of combating counterfeit money.
In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the National Labor Relations Act.
In 1937, Hormel introduced a canned meat product called Spam; Since then, more than 9 billion cans have been sold.
In 1940, during World War II, Britain and the Vichy government in France broke off diplomatic relations.
In 1943, the Battle of Kursk began during World War II; in the weeks that followed the Soviets were able to repeatedly repel the Germans, who eventually retreated in defeat.
In 1946, the modern bikini, designed by Frenchman Louis Reard, was first modeled in Paris.
In 1947, Larry Doby made his debut with the Cleveland Indians and became the first black player in the American League, three months after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in the National League.
In 1954, Elvis Presley recorded his first single “That’s All Right” at the Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee.
In 1971, President Richard Nixon passed the 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, lowering the minimum voting age from 21 to 18.
In 1975, Arthur Ashe became the first black man to win a Wimbledon singles title, beating Jimmy Connors.
In 1977, the Pakistani army, led by General Mohammad Zia ul-Haq, seized power from President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (ZUL’-fih-kahr ah-LEE’ BOO’-toh).
In 1980, Bjorn Borg became the first male player to win five consecutive Wimbledon singles titles.
Amazon was founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos as an online marketplace for books.
In 2011, a jury in Orlando, Florida found Casey Anthony, 25, not guilty of murder, manslaughter and child abuse in the 2008 disappearance and death of her 2-year-old daughter Caylee.
In 2013, Pope Francis cleared two of the most influential popes of the 20th century to become saints in the Roman Catholic Church. He approved a miracle needed to canonize Pope John Paul II and waived Vatican rules to honor Pope John XXIII.
Today’s Birthdays:
- Julie Nixon Eisenhower is 76.
- Rock star Huey Lewis is 74.
- Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Rich “Goose” Gossage is 73.
- NFL Hall of Fame receiver James Lofton is 68.
- Cartoonist Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes) is 66.
- Singer-songwriter Marc Cohn is 65.
- Actor Edie Falco is 61.
- Actor Jillian Armenante is 60.
- Actor Kathryn Erbe (er-BEE’) is 59.
- Actor Michael Stuhlbarg (STOOL’-bahrg) is 56.
- Rapper RZA (RIH’-zuh) is 55.
- Author Gary Shteyngart is 52.
- R&B singer Joe is 51.
- 5’9” rapper Royce is 47.
- International Tennis Hall of Famer Amelie Mauresmo is 45.
- Actor Ryan Hansen is 43.
- Country musician Dave Haywood (Lady A) is 42.
- Actor Danay Garcia is 40.
- Soccer player Megan Rapinoe is 39.
- Actor Jason Dolley is 33.
- Shohei Ohtani, pitcher and designated hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers, is 30.