Today is Wednesday, Aug. 26, the 239th day of 2020. There are 127 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On August 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 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 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 games opened in Munich, West Germany.
In 1974, Charles Lindbergh — the first man to fly solo, non-stop across the Atlantic — died at his home in Hawaii at age 72.
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 2017, Hurricane Harvey spun into Texas, unloading extraordinary amounts of rain. (The hurricane killed nearly 70 people, damaged more than 300,000 structures and caused an estimated $125 billion in damage.)
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.
Today’s Birthdays: Former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge is 75. Rhythm-and-blues singer Valerie Simpson is 75. Pop singer Bob Cowsill is 71. Broadcast journalist Bill Whitaker is 69. Actor Brett Cullen is 64. Former NBA coach Stan Van Gundy is 61. Jazz musician Branford Marsalis is 60. Country musician Jimmy Olander (Diamond Rio) is 59. Actor Chris Burke is 55. Actor-singer Shirley Manson (Garbage) is 54. Rock musician Dan Vickrey (Counting Crows) is 54. TV writer-actor Riley Weston is 54. Rock musician Adrian Young (No Doubt) is 51. Actor Melissa McCarthy is 50.
