Shimla, Aug 10 Keekli Bureau
2008
American singer-songwriter Isaac Hayes—a pioneering figure in soul music whose recordings influenced the development of such musical genres as disco, rap, and urban-contemporary—died at age 65.
1993
American jurist Ruth Bader Ginsburg was sworn in as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, becoming the second woman to serve on the court.
1977
American serial killer David Berkowitz was arrested after murdering six people in New York City and plunging the city into a panic; he later confessed and was sentenced to 365 years in prison.
1970
American musician Jim Morrison, lead singer of the Doors, went on trial in Florida, charged with various crimes after allegedly exposing himself during a Miami concert in 1969; he was later found guilty.
1950
Sunset Boulevard, considered one of Hollywood’s greatest films, had its world premiere; the film noir is especially noted for Gloria Swanson’s portrayal of a fading movie star.
1914
France declared war on Austria-Hungary in World War I.
1846
The Smithsonian Institution was founded in Washington, D.C., by the U.S. Congress with funds bequeathed by English scientist James Smithson.
1815
Ganioda’yo, Seneca chief and founder of the Longhouse Religion, died in Onondaga, New York.
1793
The Louvre opened in Paris, and it later became the most-visited museum in the world.
1792
As the French Revolution (1787–99) continued, the country’s monarchy was effectively overthrown on this day in 1792 when King Louis XVI and his wife, Marie-Antoinette, were imprisoned (they were eventually guillotined).
1729
William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe, commander in chief of the British Army in North America (1776–78) who failed to destroy the Continental Army and stem the American Revolution, was born.
