Today’s Highlight in History:
On July 5, 1947, Larry Doby made his debut with the Cleveland Indians, becoming the first Black player in the American League three months after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in the National League. (In the game against the Chicago White Sox at Comiskey Park, Doby, pinch-hitting for Bryan Stephens, struck out in his first at-bat during the seventh inning; Chicago won 6-5.)
On this date:
In 1687, Isaac Newton first published his Principia Mathematica, a three-volume work setting out his mathematical principles of natural philosophy.
In 1811, Venezuela became the first South American country to declare independence from Spain.
In 1865, the Secret Service Division of the U.S. Treasury Department was founded in Washington, D.C., with the mission of suppressing counterfeit currency.
In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the National Labor Relations Act.
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 withdrew in defeat.
In 1954, Elvis Presley’s first commercial recording session took place at Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee; the song he recorded was “That’s All Right.”
In 1971, President Richard Nixon certified the 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which lowered the minimum voting age from 21 to 18.
In 1975, Arthur Ashe became the first Black man to win a Wimbledon singles title as he defeated Jimmy Connors, 6-1, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4.
In 1977, Pakistan’s army, led by General Mohammad Zia ul-Haq, seized power from President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (ZUL’-fih-kahr ah-LEE’ BOO’-toh). (Bhutto was executed in 1979.)
In 2008, Venus Williams won her fifth Wimbledon singles title, beating younger sister Serena 7-5, 6-4 in the final.
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 2012: Trucks carrying NATO supplies rolled into Afghanistan for the first time in more than seven months, ending a painful chapter in U.S.-Pakistan relations that saw the border closed until Washington apologized for an airstrike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. Former Argentine dictator Jorge Rafael Videla was convicted and sentenced to 50 years for a systematic program to steal babies from prisoners who were kidnapped, tortured and killed during the military junta’s so-called “dirty war” on leftist dissidents. (Videla died in prison in May 2013.)
In 2017: The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that two laws passed by Congress did not end the right to a bond hearing for unaccompanied immigrant children who are detained by federal authorities.
In 2021: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos officially stepped down as CEO; he was succeeded by Andy Jassy, who ran Amazon’s cloud-computing business. Filmmaker Richard Donner died in Los Angeles at 91; he had helped create the modern superhero blockbuster with “Superman” in 1978 and mastered the buddy comedy with the “Lethal Weapon” franchise.
Celebrity Birthdays
July 5: Musician Robbie Robertson is 80. Musician Huey Lewis is 72. Country keyboardist Charles Ventre of River Road is 71. Singer Marc Cohn is 64. Actor Dorien Wilson (“The Parkers,” ″Sister, Sister”) is 61. Actor Edie Falco (“Nurse Jackie,” “The Sopranos”) is 60. Actor Jillian Armenante (“Judging Amy”) is 59. Actor Kathryn Erbe (“Law and Order: Criminal Intent”) is 58. Michael Stuhlbarg (“Dr. Strange”) is 55. Rapper RZA of Wu-Tang Clan is 54. Singer Joe is 50. Drummer Bengt Lagerberg of The Cardigans is 50. Rapper Bizarre of D12 is 47. Rapper Royce da 5′9″ is 46. Musician Jason Wade of Lifehouse is 43. Actor Ryan Hansen (“Party Down,” “Veronica Mars”) is 42. Musician Dave Haywood of Lady A is 41. Bassist Nick O’Malley of Arctic Monkeys is 38. Actor Jason Dolley (“Cory in the House”) is 32.