History for August 7

History for August 7 - On-This-Day.com
Nathaniel Greene 1742, Mata Hari 1876, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer 1927
  

Garrison Keillor 1942, David Duchovny 1960, Charlize Theron 1975 - Actress


1782 - George Washington created the Order of the Purple Heart.


1888 - Theophilus Van Kannel received a patent for the revolving door.


1934 - The U.S. Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling striking down the government's attempt to ban the controversial James Joyce novel "Ulysses."


1942 - U.S. forces landed at Guadalcanal, marking the start of the first major allied offensive in the Pacific during World War II.


1959 - The U.S. launched Explorer 6, which sent back a picture of the Earth.


1960 - The Cuban Catholic Church condemned the rise of communism in Cuba. Fidel Castro then banned all religious TV and radio broadcasts.


1964 - The U.S. Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, which gave President Johnson broad powers in dealing with reported North Vietnamese attacks on U.S. forces.


1974 - French stuntman Philippe Petit walked a tightrope strung between the twin towers of New York's World Trade Center.