This Day in History
1942: In World War II, the Marines land on Guadalcanal, an island in the South Pacific.
1947: Norwegian anthropologist Thor Heyerdahl completes a 101-day journey across more than 4,000 miles of the Pacific on a balsa raft, the Kon-Tiki.
1964: The U.S. Congress passes the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, authorizing presidential action in Vietnam.
1990: Operation Desert Shield forces leave for Saudi Arabia.
2003: In apparent retaliation for Jordan's support of the Iraq war, a car bomb detonates outside the Jordanian embassy in Baghdad, killing 19 and wounding 65.
Today's Birthdays
1742: Nathanael Greene, Revolutionary War general (Patowomut, RI; died 1786)
1876: Mata Hari, dancer and courtesan/spy (Leewarden, Netherlands; died 1917)
1903: Rudolf C. Ising, animator and cocreator of Loony Tunes and Merrie Melodies (Kansas City, MO; died 1992)
1904: Ralph Bunche, statesman/UN official (Detroit, MI; died 1971)
1942: Garrison Keillor, humorist/writer/radio personality (Anoka, MN). B. J. Thomas, singer (Houston, TX)
1943: Lana Cantrell, singer (Sydney, Australia)
1944: John Glover, actor (Kingston, NY). Robert S. Mueller III, FBI director (New York, NY)
1955: Wayne Knight, actor (Cartersville, GA)
1957: Alberto Salazar, champion marathon runner (Havana, Cuba)
1960: David Duchovny, actor (New York, NY)
