Today in History - Aug. 14

Today is Monday, Aug. 14, the 226th day of 2006. There are 139 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History

On Aug. 14, 1945, President Truman announced that Japan had surrendered unconditionally, ending World War II.

On This Date

In 1848, the Oregon Territory was established.

In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law.

In 1947, Pakistan was established as a modern state, independent of British rule.

In 1956, German dramatist Bertolt Brecht died in East Berlin at age 58.

In 1969, British troops arrived in Northern Ireland to intervene in sectarian violence between Protestants and Roman Catholics.

In 1973, the U.S. bombing of Cambodia came to a halt.

In 1980, workers went on strike at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdansk, Poland, in a job action that resulted in the creation of the Solidarity labor movement.

In 1980, President Carter and Vice President Walter Mondale were nominated for a second term at the Democratic national convention in New York.

In 1981, Pope John Paul II left a Rome hospital, three months after being wounded in an attempt on his life.

In 2003, a huge blackout hit the northeastern United States and part of Canada; 50 million people lost power.

Ten years ago: The Republican national convention in San Diego nominated Bob Dole for president and Jack Kemp for vice president in an evening that featured a talk-show-style testimonial by Elizabeth Dole, who strolled the convention floor with a wireless microphone. In Peru, 35 people were electrocuted when a stray rocket during a fireworks show knocked down a high-tension line.

Five years ago: Twenty people detained in riots at the Group of Eight summit in Italy the previous month were ordered released by a Genoa court _ 15 Austrians, three Americans, a Slovak and a Swede.

One year ago: Israel sealed the Gaza Strip to Israeli civilians, signaling the start of the historic withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. A Cypriot plane crashed into a hill north of Athens, killing all 121 people on board in Greece's deadliest airline disaster. Cristeta Comerford was named the new White House chef, the first woman to hold the post.

Today's Birthdays

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Russell Baker is 81. Singer Buddy Greco is 80. Actress Alice Ghostley is 80. Singer Dash Crofts is 66. Rock singer David Crosby is 65. Country singer Connie Smith is 65. Former jockey Robyn Smith Astaire is 62. Comedian-actor Steve Martin is 61. Actress Susan Saint James is 60. Singer-musician Larry Graham is 60. Actor Antonio Fargas is 60. Author Danielle Steel is 59. "Far Side" cartoonist Gary Larson is 56. Rock singer-musician Terry Adams (NRBQ) is 56. Actor Carl Lumbly is 55. Film composer James Horner is 53. Actress Jackee Harry is 50. Actress Marcia Gay Harden is 47. Former basketball player Earvin "Magic" Johnson is 47. Singer Sarah Brightman is 45. Actress Susan Olsen is 45. Rock musician Keith Howland (Chicago) is 42. Actress Emmanuelle Beart is 41. Actress Halle Berry is 40. Actress Catherine Bell is 38. Rock musician Kevin Cadogan is 36. Actor Scott Michael Campbell is 35. Actress Lalanya Masters is 34. Actress Mila Kunis is 23.

Thought for Today

"Freedom of speech and freedom of action are meaningless without freedom to think. And there is no freedom of thought without doubt." -- Bergen Baldwin Evans, American author (1904-1978).