On This Day: July 16 On July 16, 1918, Russias Czar Nicholas II, his wife and their five children were executed by the Bolsheviks. On July 16, 1911, Ginger Rogers, the American actress and dancer who partnered with Fred Astaire in many Hollywood musicals, was born. Following her death on April 25, 1995, her obituary appeared in The Times. 1790 The District of Columbia was established as the seat of the U.S. government. 1951 J.D. Salingers novel The Catcher in the Rye was published. 1957 Marine Maj. John Glenn set a transcontinental speed record when he flew a jet from California to New York in 3 hours, 23 minutes and 8 seconds. 1964 In accepting the Republican presidential nomination in San Francisco, Barry M. Goldwater said extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice and moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue. 1969 Apollo 11 blasted off from Cape Kennedy on the first manned mission to the moon. 1973 Former White House aide Alexander P. Butterfield publicly revealed the existence of President Richard Nixons secret taping system during the Senate Watergate hearings. 1979 Saddam Hussein became president of Iraq. 1980 Ronald Reagan won the Republican presidential nomination at the partys convention in Detroit. 1999 John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife, Carolyn, and her sister died when the single-engine plane Kennedy was piloting plunged into the Atlantic Ocean near Marthas Vineyard, Mass. 2004 Martha Stewart was sentenced to five months in prison and five months of home confinement by a federal judge for lying about a stock sale. Current Birthdays Actor-comedian Will Ferrell turns 47 years old today. Actress Jayma Mays (Glee) turns 35 years old today. 1932 Dick Thornburgh, Former U.S. attorney general, turns 82 1942 Margaret Smith Court, Tennis Hall of Famer, turns 72 1948 Ruben Blades, Singer, actor, turns 66 1952 Stewart Copeland, Rock musician (The Police), turns 62 1956 Tony Kushner, Playwright, turns 58 1958 Michael Flatley, Dancer, turns 56 1963 Phoebe Cates, Actress, turns 51 1968 Barry Sanders, Football Hall of Famer, turns 46 1971 Corey Feldman, Actor, turns 43 1987 AnnaLynne McCord, Actress (Nip/Tuck, 90210), turns 27
Posted on: Wed, 16 Jul 2014 11:26:03 +0000