Today in History

Today is Friday, July 23, the 204th day of 2010. There are 161 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On July 23, 1885, Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th president of the United States, died in Mount McGregor, N.Y. at age 63.

On this date:

In 1892, Emperor Haile Selassie (HY'-lee suh-LAH'-see) of Ethiopia was born.

In 1914, Austria-Hungary issued a list of demands to Serbia following the killing of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a Serb assassin; the dispute led to World War I.

In 1945, French Marshal Henri Petain (ahn-REE' pay-TAN'), who had headed the Vichy (vee-shee) government during World War II, went on trial, charged with treason. (He was convicted and condemned to death, but the sentence was commuted; Petain died in prison on this date in 1951.)

In 1952, Egyptian military officers led by Gamal Abdel Nasser launched a successful coup against King Farouk I.

In 1958, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II named the first four women to peerage in the House of Lords.

In 1967, a week of deadly race-related rioting that claimed 43 lives erupted in Detroit.

In 1977, a jury in Washington, D.C. convicted 12 Hanafi (hah-NAH'-fee) Muslims of charges stemming from the hostage siege at three buildings the previous March.

In 1985, Commodore International Ltd. unveiled its Amiga 1000 personal computer during a press event at New York's Lincoln Center. Bandleader Kay Kyser, known for his "Kollege of Musical Knowledge," died in Chapel Hill, N.C. (sources differ on whether he was 79 or 80).

In 1986, Britain's Prince Andrew married Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey in London. (The couple divorced in 1996.)

In 1990, President George H.W. Bush announced his choice of Judge David Souter of New Hampshire to succeed retiring Justice William J. Brennan on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Ten years ago: President Bill Clinton rejoined the troubled Middle East talks at Camp David after hurrying back from a four-day trip to Asia. Leaders of the major industrial countries concluded their summit in Japan by announcing a campaign to slash the number of deaths worldwide from AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Lance Armstrong clinched his second straight victory in the Tour de France. Tiger Woods, at 24, became the youngest player to win the career Grand Slam with a record-breaking performance in the British Open. Karrie Webb, 25, won the U.S. Women's Open.

Five years ago: Multiple bomb blasts in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheik (shahrm ehl shayk) killed at least 64 people. London police acknowledged that Jean Charles de Menezes, the man they'd shot and killed on a subway car in front of horrified commuters, had nothing to do with recent bombings of the city's transit system. Accordionist Myron Floren died in Los Angeles County at age 85.

One year ago: Michael Jackson's personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, was named in a search warrant as the target of a manslaughter probe into the singer's death. Authorities arrested 44 people in New Jersey in a corruption probe. Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox pitched the 18th perfect game in major league history, a 5-0 win over Tampa Bay.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Gloria DeHaven is 85. Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy is 74. Actor Ronny Cox is 72. Radio personality Don Imus is 70. Country singer Tony Joe White is 67. Rock singer David Essex is 63. Actor Larry Manetti is 63. Singer-songwriter John Hall is 62. Actress Belinda Montgomery is 60. Rock musician Blair Thornton (Bachman Turner Overdrive) is 60. Actress Edie McClurg is 59. Actor Woody Harrelson is 49. Rock musician Martin Gore (Depeche Mode) is 49. Actor Eriq Lasalle is 48. Rock musician Yuval Gabay is 47. Rock musician Slash is 45. Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman is 43. Rock musician Nick Menza is 42. Model-actress Stephanie Seymour is 42. Actress Charisma Carpenter is 40. Rhythm-and-blues singer Sam Watters is 40. Country singer Alison Krauss is 39. Rhythm-and-blues singer Dalvin DeGrate is 39. Rock musician Chad Gracey (Live) is 39. Actor-comedian Marlon Wayans is 38. Country singer Shannon Brown is 37. Actor Omar Epps is 37. Retired MLB All-Star Nomar Garciaparra is 37. Former White House intern Monica Lewinsky is 37. Actress Stephanie March is 36. Country musician David Pichette (Emerson Drive) is 33. Rhythm-and-blues singer Michelle Williams is 30. Actor Daniel Radcliffe is 21.

Thought for Today: "To be proud and inaccessible is to be timid and weak." — Jean Baptiste Massillon (zhahn bah-TEEST' mah-see-YOHN'), French clergyman (1663-1742).