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Today is Sunday, August 4, the 217th day of 2024. There are 149 days left in the year.
Today in history:
On August 4, 2020, nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate, which had been improperly stored for years in the port of Beirut, Lebanon, exploded, killing more than 200 people, injuring more than 7,000 and destroying nearby neighborhoods; it was one of the largest non-nuclear explosions ever recorded.
Also on this date:
In 1790, the U.S. Coast Guard began when President George Washington signed a measure authorizing a group of revenue generators to enforce tariff and trade laws and prevent smuggling.
In 1916, the United States reached an agreement with Denmark to purchase the Danish Virgin Islands for $25 million worth of gold.
In 1936, Jesse Owens of the United States won the second of his four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics when he prevailed in the long jump over German Luz Long, who was the first to congratulate him.
In 1944, 15-year-old diarist Anne Frank was arrested by the Gestapo along with her sister, parents and four others after hiding in a building in Amsterdam for two years. (Anne and her sister Margot died in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.)
In 1960, Burkina Faso (then known as Upper Volta) declared its independence from France after more than 60 years of colonial rule.
In 1964, 44 days after their murders, the bodies of missing civil rights workers James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner were found buried in an earthen dam in Mississippi.
In 1972, Arthur Bremer was sentenced to 63 years in prison in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, for his attempt on the life of Alabama Governor George C. Wallace (the sentence was later reduced to 53 years; Bremer was released from prison in 1972 ). 2007).
In 1977, President Jimmy Carter signed a measure creating the Department of Energy.
In 1984, Prince and the Revolution’s album ‘Purple Rain’ began its 24-week run at the top of the Billboard 200 chart.
In 1987, the Federal Communications Commission voted 4-0 to repeal the Fairness Doctrine, which required radio and television stations to present balanced coverage of controversial issues.
In 1993, a federal judge sentenced Los Angeles police officers Stacey Koon and Laurence Powell to 2.5 years in prison for violating Rodney King’s civil rights.
In 2009, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il pardoned American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee for entering the country illegally and ordered their release during a surprise visit by former US President Bill Clinton.
In 2017, former pharmaceutical CEO Martin Shkreli, who became infamous for a pricing scandal, was convicted on federal charges that he deceived investors in a pair of failed hedge funds. (Shkreli was later sentenced to seven years in prison; he was released in 2022.)
In 2019, a masked gunman shot at revelers enjoying the summer nightlife in a popular entertainment district of Dayton, Ohio, killing nine people and wounding 27; Police said officers shot and killed the gunman within 30 seconds of starting his rampage.
Today’s Birthdays:
- Actor-singer Tina Cole is 81.
- Football Hall of Famer John Riggins is 75.
- Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is 69.
- Actor-screenwriter Billy Bob Thornton is 69.
- Actor Kym Karath (Film: “The Sound of Music”) is 66.
- Hall of Fame track star Mary Decker Slaney is 66.
- Actor Lauren Tom is 66.
- Former President Barack Obama is 63.
- Retired MLB All-Star pitcher Roger Clemens is 62.
- Actor Crystal Chappell is 59.
- Author Dennis Lehane is 59.
- Actor Daniel Dae Kim is 56.
- Actor Michael DeLuise is 55.
- Former racing driver Jeff Gordon is 53.
- Rapper-actor Yo-Yo is 53.
- R&B singer-actor Marques Houston is 43.
- Britain’s Duchess of Sussex, former actor Meghan Markle, is 43.
- Actor Abigail Spencer is 43.
- Actor/director Greta Gerwig is 41.
- Country singer Crystal Bowersox (TV: “American Idol”) is 39.
- Actors Dylan and Cole Sprouse are 32.
- Singer Jessica Sanchez (TV: “American Idol”) is 29.
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