Today in History: Alexander Hamilton’s fatal duel

Today in History

Today is Monday, July 11, the 192nd day of 2022. There are 173 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On July 11, 1804, Vice President Aaron Burr mortally wounded former Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton during a pistol duel in Weehawken, New Jersey. (Hamilton died the next day.)

On this date:

In 1798, the U.S. Marine Corps was formally re-established by a congressional act that also created the U.S. Marine Band.

In 1859, Big Ben, the great bell inside the famous London clock tower, chimed for the first time.

In 1864, Confederate forces led by General Jubal Early began an abortive invasion of Washington, D.C., turning back the next day.

In 1914, Babe Ruth made his Major League baseball debut, pitching the Boston Red Sox to a 4-3 victory over Cleveland.

In 1955, the U.S. Air Force Academy swore in its first class of cadets at its temporary quarters at Lowry Air Force Base in Colorado.

In 1972, the World Chess Championship opened as grandmasters Bobby Fischer of the United States and defending champion Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union began play in Reykjavik, Iceland. (Fischer won after 21 games.)

In 1979, the abandoned U.S. space station Skylab made a spectacular return to Earth, burning up in the atmosphere and showering debris over the Indian Ocean and Australia.

In 1989, actor and director Laurence Olivier died in Steyning, West Sussex, England, at age 82.

In 1991, a Nigeria Airways DC-8 carrying Muslim pilgrims crashed at the Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, international airport, killing all 261 people on board.

In 1995, the U.N.-designated “safe haven” of Srebrenica (sreh-breh-NEET’-sah) in Bosnia-Herzegovina fell to Bosnian Serb forces, who then carried out the killings of more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys. The United States normalized relations with Vietnam.

In 2006, eight bombs hit a commuter rail network during evening rush hour in Mumbai, India, killing more than 200 people.

In 2020, President Donald Trump wore a mask during a visit to a military hospital; it was the first time he had been seen in public with one.

Ten years ago: Unflinching before a skeptical NAACP crowd in Houston, Republican Mitt Romney declared he’d do more for African-Americans than Barack Obama, the nation’s first black president. Hillary Rodham Clinton became the first U.S. secretary of state to visit Laos in more than five decades.

Five years ago: Emails released by Donald Trump Jr. revealed that he’d been told before meeting with a Russian attorney during the presidential campaign that the Russian government had information that could “incriminate” Hillary Clinton. MSNBC “Morning Joe” host and former Republican congressman Joe Scarborough announced that he was leaving the Republican party, partly because of its loyalty to President Donald Trump. Seattle’s Robinson Cano homered off Cubs closer Wade Davis leading off the 10th inning and the American League beat the National League 2-1 in the All-Star game.

One year ago: Billionaire Richard Branson hurtled into space aboard his own winged rocket ship over the New Mexico desert, beating out his rival Jeff Bezos and bringing astro-tourism a step closer to reality. Novak Djokovic tied Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal by claiming his 20th Grand Slam title, coming back to beat Matteo Berrettini 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 in the Wimbledon final. Actor Charlie Robinson, best known for his long-running role as the court clerk Mac Robinson on the sitcom “Night Court,” died in Los Angeles at 75.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Susan Seaforth Hayes is 79. Singer Jeff Hanna (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) is 75. Ventriloquist-actor Jay Johnson is 73. Actor Bruce McGill is 72. Actor Stephen Lang is 70. Actor Mindy Sterling is 69. Actor Sela Ward is 66. Reggae singer Michael Rose (Black Uhuru) is 65. Singer Peter Murphy is 65. Actor Mark Lester is 64. Jazz musician Kirk Whalum is 64. Singer Suzanne Vega is 63. Rock guitarist Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi) is 63. Actor Lisa Rinna is 59. Rock musician Scott Shriner (Weezer) is 57. Actor Debbe (correct) Dunning is 56. Actor Greg Grunberg is 56. Wildlife expert Jeff Corwin is 55. Actor Justin Chambers is 52. Actor Leisha Hailey is 51. Actor Michael Rosenbaum is 50. Pop-rock singer Andrew Bird is 49. Country singer Scotty Emerick is 49. Rapper Lil’ Kim is 48. U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona is 47. Actor Jon Wellner is 47. Rapper Lil’ Zane is 41. Pop-jazz singer-musician Peter Cincotti is 39. Actor Serinda Swan is 38. Actor Robert Adamson is 37. Actor David Henrie is 33. Actor Connor Paolo is 32. Former tennis player Caroline Wozniacki is 32. R&B/pop singer Alessia Cara is 26.

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