Today in History: July 16, Apollo 11 heads to the moon - WTOP News (2024)

Listen now to WTOP News WTOP.com | Alexa | Google Home | WTOP App | 103.5 FM

Today in History

Today is Sunday, July 16, the 197th day of 2023. There are 168 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On July 16, 1969, Apollo 11 blasted off from Cape Kennedy in Florida on the first manned mission to the surface of the moon.

On this date:

In 1790, a site along the Potomac River was designated the permanent seat of the United States government; the area became Washington, D.C.

In 1862, Flag Officer David G. Farragut became the first rear admiral in the United States Navy.

In 1945, the United States exploded its first experimental atomic bomb in the desert of Alamogordo, New Mexico; the same day, the heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis left Mare (mar-AY’) Island Naval Shipyard in California on a secret mission to deliver atomic bomb components to Tinian Island in the Marianas.

In 1951, the novel “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger was first published by Little, Brown and Co.

In 1957, Marine Corps Maj. John Glenn set a transcontinental speed record by flying a Vought F8U Crusader jet from California to New York in 3 hours, 23 minutes and 8.4 seconds.

In 1964, as he accepted the Republican presidential nomination in San Francisco, Barry M. Goldwater declared that “extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice” and that “moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.”

In 1980, former California Gov. Ronald Reagan won the Republican presidential nomination at the party’s convention in Detroit.

In 1999, John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife, Carolyn, and her sister, Lauren Bessette, died when their single-engine plane, piloted by Kennedy, plunged into the Atlantic Ocean near Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.

In 2004, Martha Stewart was sentenced to five months in prison and five months of home confinement by a federal judge in New York for lying about a stock sale.

In 2008, Florida resident Casey Anthony, whose 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, had been missing a month, was arrested on charges of child neglect, making false official statements and obstructing a criminal investigation. (Casey Anthony was later acquitted at trial of murdering Caylee, whose skeletal remains were found in December 2008; Casey was convicted of lying to police.)

In 2015, a jury in Centennial, Colorado, convicted James Holmes of 165 counts of murder, attempted murder and other charges in the 2012 Aurora movie theater rampage that left 12 people dead.

In 2016, Republican presidential nominee-apparent Donald Trump formally introduced his running mate, Mike Pence, during an event in New York, hailing the Indiana governor as his “first choice” and his “partner in the campaign” a day after announcing the selection on Twitter.

Ten years ago: Egypt’s interim leader, Adly Mansour, swore in a Cabinet that included women and Christians but no Islamists as the military-backed administration moved swiftly to formalize the new political order. Twenty-three children between the ages of 5 and 12 were fatally poisoned by pesticide-contaminated lunches served at a school in eastern India. The American League beat the National League 3-0 in baseball’s All-Star Game.

Five years ago: After meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, President Donald Trump openly questioned the finding of his own intelligence agencies that Russia had meddled in the 2016 U.S. election to his benefit. (Trump said a day later that he misspoke.) Federal prosecutors said a 29-year-old gun rights activist, Maria Butina, had been arrested on charges that she served as a covert Russian agent while living in Washington, gathering intelligence on American officials and political organizations. (Butina was sentenced to 18 months in prison after admitting gathering intelligence on the NRA and other groups at the direction of a former Russian lawmaker.)

One year ago: President Joe Biden promised “strong executive action” to combat climate change, despite dual setbacks in the weeks before that restricted his ability to regulate carbon emissions and boost clean energy like wind and solar power. Rapper Kodak Black was arrested in Florida on charges of trafficking in oxycodone and possession of a controlled substance. José Ramón Balaguer, a longtime member of Cuba’s communist leadership who as health minister sent thousands of the island’s doctors on missions to win hearts and minds in Venezuela and developing countries around the world, died at age 90.

Today’s Birthdays: Soul singer William Bell is 84. International Tennis Hall of Famer Margaret Court is 81. College Football Hall of Famer and football coach Jimmy Johnson is 80. Violinist Pinchas Zukerman is 75. Actor-singer Ruben Blades is 75. Rock composer-musician Stewart Copeland is 71. Playwright Tony Kushner is 67. Actor Faye Grant is 66. Dancer Michael Flatley is 65. Former actor Phoebe Cates is 60. Actor Paul Hipp is 60. Actor Daryl “Chill” Mitchell is 58. Actor-comedian Will Ferrell is 56. Actor Jonathan Adams is 56. College and Pro Football Hall of Famer Barry Sanders is 55. Actor Rain Pryor is 54. Actor Corey Feldman is 52. Rock musician Ed Kowalczyk (koh-WAHL’-chek) (Live) is 52. Rock singer Ryan McCombs (Drowning Pool) is 49. Actor Jayma Mays is 44. Retired soccer star Carli Lloyd is 41. Actor AnnaLynne McCord is 36. Actor-singer James Maslow is 33. Actor Mark Indelicato is 29. Pop singer-musician Luke Hemmings (5 Seconds to Summer) is 27.

Copyright ©2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.