This Day in History
1775: The Second Continental Congress establishes a postal system.
1788: New York becomes the 11th state to ratify the Constitution.
1947: Pres. Harry Truman signs a law uniting the Army, Navy, and Air Force as the National Military Establishment, directed by the secretary of defense, and creating the National Security Council and CIA.
1948: An executive order signed by Pres. Harry Truman ends racial segregation in the armed forces.
1953: Fidel Castro and a small group of revolutionaries unsuccessfully attack the Moncada army barracks in Santiago de Cuba.
1956: Egypt seizes control of the Suez Canal and is subsequently invaded by Israel, France, and Great Britain.
1973: Pres. Richard Nixon refuses to comply with subpoenas ordering him to turn over tapes of White House conversations on Watergate.
1990: The Americans With Disabilities Act is signed by Pres. George H. W. Bush, barring discrimination against the handicapped and requiring that public facilities be accessible.
2004: U.S. supercyclist Lance Armstrong wins the Tour de France for a record 6th consecutive year.
Today's Birthdays
1739: George Clinton, fourth vice-president of the U.S. (Little Britain, NY; died 1812)
1796: George Catlin, painter (Wilkes-Barre, PA; died 1872)
1856: George Bernard Shaw, playwright/critic (Dublin, Ireland; died 1950)
1875: Carl Jung, psychiatrist (Switzerland; died 1961)
1894: Aldous Huxley, writer (Godalming, Surrey, England; died 1963)
1906: Gracie Allen, actress/comedian (San Francisco, CA; died 1964)
1922: Blake Edwards, producer/director/writer (Tulsa, OK). Jason Robards, actor (Chicago, IL; died 2000)
1928: Stanley Kubrick, director/writer (Bronx, NY; died 1999)
1943: Mick Jagger, singer and member of the Rolling Stones (Dartford, England)
1945: Helen Mirren, actress (London, England)
1956: Dorothy Hamill, Olympic champion figure skater (Chicago, IL)
1959: Kevin Spacey, actor (South Orange, NJ)
1964: Sandra Bullock, actress (Arlington, VA). Jeremy Piven, actor (New York, NY)
1973: Kate Beckinsale, actress (London, England)
