Today in History

Today is Friday, Aug. 26, the 238th day of 2022. There are 127 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On Aug. 26, 1968, the Democratic National Convention opened in Chicago; the four-day event that resulted in the nomination of Hubert H. Humphrey for president was marked by a bloody police crackdown on antiwar protesters in the streets.

On this date:

In 55 B.C., Roman forces under Julius Caesar invaded Britain, with only limited success.

In 1910, Thomas Edison demonstrated for reporters an improved version of his Kinetophone, a device for showing a movie with synchronized sound.

In 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing American women’s right to vote, was certified in effect by Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby.

In 1939, the first televised major league baseball games were shown on experimental station W2XBS: a double-header between the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field. (The Reds won the first game, 5-2, the Dodgers the second, 6-1.)

In 1944, French Gen. Charles de Gaulle braved the threat of German snipers as he led a victory march in Paris, which had just been liberated by the Allies from Nazi occupation.

In 1957, the Soviet Union announced it had successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile.

In 1958, Alaskans went to the polls to overwhelmingly vote in favor of statehood.

In 1972, the summer Olympics opened in Munich, West Germany.

In 1978, Cardinal Albino Luciani (al-BEE’-noh loo-CHYAH’-nee) of Venice was elected pope following the death of Paul VI; the new pontiff took the name Pope John Paul I. (However, he died just over a month later.)

In 1985, 13-year-old AIDS patient Ryan White began “attending” classes at Western Middle School in Kokomo, Indiana, via a telephone hook-up at his home — school officials had barred Ryan from attending classes in person.

In 2018, a gunman opened fire on fellow gamers at a video game tournament in Jacksonville, Fla., killing two men and wounding 10 others before taking his own life. Playwright Neil Simon, whose comedies included “The Odd Couple” and “Barefoot in the Park,” died at the age of 91.

In 2020, 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse was arrested in Illinois in the shooting deaths of two people and the wounding of another during a third night of protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, over the police shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake. (Rittenhouse, who said he was defending himself after the three men attacked him, would be acquitted on all charges, including homicide.) All three scheduled NBA playoff games were postponed, with players choosing to boycott in their strongest statement yet against racial injustice. (The games resumed three days later, after players and owners agreed to expand initiatives, many tied to increased voting awareness and opportunities.)

Ten years ago: In the face of approaching Tropical Storm Isaac, Republicans pushed back the start of their national convention in Tampa, Florida, by a day. Lydia Ko, a 15-year-old South Korean-born New Zealander, won the Canadian Women’s Open to become the youngest winner in LPGA Tour history and only the fifth amateur champion. Japan limited Tennessee’s potent lineup to two hits in a 12-2 victory in the Little League World Series title game.

Five years ago: Hurricane Harvey spun into Texas, unloading extraordinary amounts of rain. Iraq’s military said it had driven Islamic State militants out of 90 percent of the northern town of Tal Afar. Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. beat UFC fighter Conor McGregor in a boxing match in Las Vegas that was stopped by the referee in the 10th round; it was the last fight of Mayweather’s career and earned him an estimated $200 million. Spotify said Taylor Swift had set a new global first-day streaming record with more than 8 million same-day streams for Swift’s new single, “Look What You Made Me Do.”

One year ago: An Islamic State suicide bomber detonated two dozen pounds of explosives in a crowd of Afghans pushing to get into Kabul airport to flee the Taliban, killing more than 170 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members. The Supreme Court allowed evictions to resume across the United States, blocking the Biden administration from enforcing a temporary ban that was put in place because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Today’s Birthdays: Pop singer Vic Dana is 82. Former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge is 77. R&B singer Valerie Simpson is 77. Pop singer Bob Cowsill is 73. Broadcast journalist Bill Whitaker is 71. Actor Brett Cullen is 66. Former NBA coach Stan Van Gundy is 63. Jazz musician Branford Marsalis is 62. Country musician Jimmy Olander (Diamond Rio) is 61. Actor Chris Burke is 57. Actor-singer Shirley Manson (Garbage) is 56. Rock musician Dan Vickrey (Counting Crows) is 56. TV writer-actor Riley Weston is 56. Rock musician Adrian Young (No Doubt) is 53. Actor Melissa McCarthy is 52. Latin pop singer Thalia is 51. Actor Meredith Eaton is 48. Rock singer-musician Tyler Connolly (Theory of a Deadman) is 47. Actor Mike Colter is 46. Actor Macaulay Culkin is 42. Actor Chris Pine is 42. Comedian/actor/writer John Mulaney is 40. Actor Johnny Ray Gill is 38. Country singer Brian Kelley (Florida Georgia Line) is 37. R&B singer Cassie (AKA Cassie Ventura) is 36. Actor Evan Ross is 34. Actor Danielle Savre is 34. Actor Dylan O’Brien is 31. Actor Keke Palmer is 29.

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