Today in History: July 5, Doby is AL’s first Black player

Jul 4, 2022, 9:00 AM | Updated: 10:05 pm

Today in History

Today is Tuesday, July 5, the 186th day of 2022. There are 179 days left in the year.

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.

Ten years ago: 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.)

Five years ago: 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.

One year ago: 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.

Today’s Birthdays: Singer-musician Robbie Robertson is 79. Julie Nixon Eisenhower is 74. Rock star Huey Lewis is 72. Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Rich “Goose” Gossage is 71. Country musician Charles Ventre is 70. Singer-songwriter Marc Cohn is 63. Actor John Marshall Jones is 60. Actor Dorien Wilson is 60. Actor Edie Falco is 59. Actor Jillian Armenante is 58. Actor Kathryn Erbe (er-BEE’) is 57. Actor Michael Stuhlbarg (STOOL’-bahrg) is 54. Country musician Brent Flynn (Flynnville Train) is 53. Rapper RZA (RIH’-zuh) is 53. R&B singer Joe is 49. Rock musician Bengt Lagerberg (The Cardigans) is 49. Actor Dale Godboldo is 47. Rapper Bizarre is 46. Rapper Royce da 5’9″ is 45. Rock singer Jason Wade (Lifehouse) is 42. Actor Ryan Hansen is 41. Country musician Dave Haywood (Lady A) is 40. Soccer player Megan Rapinoe is 37. Rock musician Nick O’Malley (Arctic Monkeys) is 37. Actor Jason Dolley is 31. California Angels pitcher and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani is 28.