Updated July 7, 2012, 2:28 pm
On July 8, 1950, Gen. Douglas MacArthur was named commander-in-chief of United Nations forces in Korea.
Go to article »On July 8, 1839, John D. Rockefeller, who founded the Standard Oil Co. and gave more than $500 million to charitable causes, was born. Following his death on May 23, 1937, his obituary appeared in The Times.
Go to obituary » | Other birthdays »
On This Date
By The Associated Press
1663 King Charles II of England granted a charter to Rhode Island. 1776 Col. John Nixon gave the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence to a crowd gathered at Independence Square in Philadelphia. 1853 An expedition led by Commodore Matthew Perry arrived in Yedo Bay, Japan, on a mission to seek diplomatic and trade relations with the Japanese. 1889 The Wall Street Journal was first published. 1891 Warren G. Harding married Florence K. DeWolfe in Marion, Ohio. 1907 Florenz Ziegfeld staged his first “Follies,” on the roof of the New York Theater in New York City. 1919 President Woodrow Wilson received a tumultuous welcome in New York City after his return from the Versailles Peace Conference in France. 1950 Gen. Douglas MacArthur was named commander-in-chief of United Nations forces in Korea. 1986 Kurt Waldheim was inaugurated as president of Austria despite controversy over his alleged ties to Nazi war crimes. 1994 Kim Il Sung, North Korea’s communist leader since 1948, died at age 82. 2004 Enron founder and former chairman Kenneth Lay pleaded innocent to charges related to the energy company’s collapse. (He was convicted, but died while the case was on appeal.) 2010 During an ESPN prime-time special, basketball free agent LeBron James announced he was leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers to join the Miami Heat. 2011 Former first lady Betty Ford died in Rancho Mirage, Calif., at age 93. Current Birthdays
By The Associated Press
Actor Billy Crudup turns 44 years old today.
AP Photo/Evan Agostini
Actress Sophia Bush (“One Tree Hill”) turns 30 years old today.
AP Photo/Dan Steinberg
1926 John Dingell, U S. representative, D-Mich., turns 86 1932 Jerry Vale, Singer, turns 80 1935 Steve Lawrence, Singer, turns 77 1942 Phil Gramm, Former U.S. senator, R-Texas, turns 70 1944 Jeffrey Tambor, Actor (“Arrested Development”), turns 68 1947 Kim Darby, Actress, turns 65 1951 Anjelica Huston, Actress, turns 61 1952 Jack Lambert, Football Hall of Famer, turns 60 1952 Anna Quindlen, Writer, turns 60 1958 Kevin Bacon, Actor, turns 54 1961 Toby Keith, Country singer, turns 51 1962 Rob Burnett, Writer, producer, turns 50 1962 Joan Osborne, Rock singer, turns 50 1970 Beck, Rock musician, turns 42 1977 Milo Ventimiglia, Actor (“Heroes”), turns 35 1985 Jamie Cook, Rock musician (Arctic Monkeys), turns 27 1998 Jaden Smith, Actor (“The Pursuit of Happyness”), turns 14
Historic Birthdays
John D. Rockefeller 7/8/1839 – 5/23/1937 American industrialist and philanthropist.Go to obituary »
78 Samuel Gross 7/8/1805 – 5/6/1884
American surgeon, teacher and author54 Alfred Binet 7/8/1857 – 10/18/1911
French psychologist; developed measures of intelligence77 Kathe Kollwitz 7/8/1867 – 4/22/1945
German graphic artist and sculptor78 Percy Grainger 7/8/1882 – 2/28/1961
Australian-born American composer, pianist and conductor92 Ernst Bloch 7/8/1885 – 8/4/1977
German Marxist philosopher83 Alec Waugh 7/8/1898 – 9/3/1981
English novelist and travel writer81 David Lilienthal 7/8/1899 – 1/15/1981
American businessman and government official70 Nelson Rockefeller 7/8/1908 – 1/26/1979
American politician; New York governor (1959-73) and U.S. vice president (1974-7)66 Louis Jordan 7/8/1908 – 2/4/1975
American singer, saxophonist and bandleader78 Billy Eckstine 7/8/1914 – 3/8/1993
American singer and bandleader
