Updated August 6, 2012, 2:28 pm
On Aug. 7, 1964, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, giving President Johnson broad powers in dealing with reported North Vietnamese attacks on United States forces.
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On Aug. 7, 1904, Ralph Bunche, the American diplomat who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1950, was born. Following his death on Dec. 9, 1971, his obituary appeared in The Times.
Go to obituary » | Other birthdays »
On This Date
By The Associated Press
| 1912 |
The Progressive Party nominated Theodore Roosevelt for president. |
| 1942 |
U.S. forces landed at Guadalcanal, marking the start of the first major allied offensive in the Pacific during World War II. |
| 1964 |
Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, giving President Lyndon B. Johnson broad powers to deal with reported North Vietnamese attacks on U.S. forces. |
| 1971 |
Apollo 15 returned to Earth after a manned mission to the moon. |
| 1974 |
French stuntman Philippe Petit walked a tightrope strung between the twin towers of New York’s World Trade Center. |
| 1990 |
President George H.W. Bush ordered U.S. troops and warplanes to Saudi Arabia to guard the oil-rich desert kingdom against a possible invasion by Iraq. |
| 2000 |
Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore chose Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman as his running mate, making him the first Jewish candidate on a major party ticket. |
| 2002 |
Major league baseball players and owners agreed on the sport’s first tests for steroids. |
| 2007 |
Barry Bonds became baseball’s career home run leader when he hit No. 756 during a home game in San Francisco, passing Hank Aaron’s mark. |
| 2008 |
Georgia shelled the capital of breakaway republic South Ossetia. (Russia responded by occupying much of Georgia in a five-day war.) |
| 2009 |
Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin accused President Barack Obama of proposing a “death panel” that would decide who receives treatment in his health care plan. |
| 2010 |
Elena Kagan was sworn in as the 112th justice and fourth woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. |
Current Birthdays
By The Associated Press
Actor David Duchovny (“The X Files,” “Californication”) turns 52 years old today.
AP Photo/Dan Steinberg
Actress Charlize Theron turns 37 years old today.
AP Photo/Peter Kramer
| 1942 |
Garrison Keillor, Writer, humorist (“A Prairie Home Companion”), turns 70 |
| 1942 |
B.J. Thomas, Singer, turns 70 |
| 1944 |
John Glover, Actor, turns 68 |
| 1955 |
Wayne Knight, Actor (“Seinfeld”), turns 57 |
| 1958 |
Alberto Salazar, Marathon runner, turns 54 |
| 1963 |
Harold Perrineau, Actor (“Lost”), turns 49 |
| 1982 |
Abbie Cornish, Actress, turns 30 |
| 1987 |
Sidney Crosby, Hockey player, turns 25 |
Historic Birthdays
Ralph Bunche 8/7/1904 – 12/9/1971 American civil rights activist and diplomat awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1950.Go to obituary »
| 61 |
Alonso de Ercilla y Zuniga 8/7/1533 – 11/29/1594
Spanish soldier and poet |
| 80 |
Carl Ritter 8/7/1779 – 9/28/1859
German geographer |
| 77 |
John Heathcoat 8/7/1783 – 1/18/1861
English inventor of lace-making machinery |
| 63 |
Paulina Kellogg Davis 8/7/1813 – 8/24/1876
American feminist and social reformer |
| 71 |
Ellen Fitz Pendleton 8/7/1864 – 7/26/1936
American educator; president of Wellesley College (1911-36) |
| 41 |
Mata Hari 8/7/1876 – 10/15/1917
Dutch dancer executed by the French for espionage during World War I |
| 77 |
Alan Hazeltine 8/7/1886 – 5/24/1964
American electrical engineer and physicist |
| 69 |
Louis S. B. Leakey 8/7/1903 – 10/1/1972
Kenyan archaeologist and anthropologist |
| 67 |
Nicholas Ray 8/7/1911 – 6/16/1979
American film writer and director |
| 41 |
Abebe Bikila 8/7/1932 – 10/25/1973
Ethiopian Olympic gold medal marathon winner (1960, 1964) |
