JULY 14TH

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Today is Monday, July 14, the 196th day of 2008. There are 170 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

• On July 14, 1789, during the French Revolution, citizens of Paris stormed the Bastille prison and released the seven prisoners inside.

On this date:

• In 1798, Congress passed the Sedition Act, making it a federal crime to publish false, scandalous or malicious writing about the United States government.
• In 1853, Commodore Matthew Perry relayed to Japanese officials a letter from President Fillmore, requesting trade relations. (Fillmore's term of office had already expired by the time the letter was delivered.)
• In 1858, British suffragist Emmeline Pankhurst was born in Manchester, England.
• In 1881, outlaw William H. Bonney Jr., alias "Billy the Kid," was shot and killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett in Fort Sumner, N.M.
• In 1908, the short film "The Adventures of Dollie," the first movie directed by D.W. Griffith, opened in New York.
• In 1913, Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr., the 38th president of the United States, was born Leslie Lynch King Jr. in Omaha, Neb.
• In 1933, all German political parties, except the Nazi Party, were outlawed.
• In 1958, the army of Iraq overthrew the monarchy.
• In 1966, eight student nurses were murdered by Richard Speck in a Chicago dormitory.
• In 1978, Soviet dissident Natan Sharansky was convicted of treasonous espionage and anti-Soviet agitation, and sentenced to 13 years at hard labor. (Sharansky was released in 1986.)

Ten years ago:

• Northern Ireland said a tear-filled farewell to Richard, Mark and Jason Quinn, three young brothers burned to death in a sectarian attack in Ballymoney that came as they slept.

Five years ago:

• Iraq's new governing council, in its first full day on the job, voted to send a delegation to the U.N. Security Council and assert its right to represent Baghdad on the world stage.
• President Bush, facing questions about his credibility, said the United States was working overtime to prove Saddam Hussein was developing weapons of mass destruction before the United States invaded Iraq.

One year ago:

• North Korea told the United States it had shut down its nuclear reactor, hours after a ship cruised into port loaded with oil promised in return for the country's pledge to disarm.
• Former presidents, fellow first ladies and about 1,800 other people attended a private funeral in Austin, Texas, for Lady Bird Johnson, the widow of President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Today's Birthdays:

• Playwright Arthur Laurents is 91.
• Actor Dale Robertson is 85.
• Actor Harry Dean Stanton is 82.
• Actress Nancy Olson is 80.
• Actress Polly Bergen is 78.
• Former football player Rosey Grier is 76.
• Actor Vincent Pastore is 62.
• Former music company executive Tommy Mottola is 59.
• Actor Jerry Houser is 56.
• Actor-director Eric Laneuville is 56.
• Actor Stan Shaw is 56.
• Movie producer Scott Rudin is 50.
• Singer-guitarist Kyle Gass is 48.
• Country musician Ray Herndon (McBride and the Ride) is 48.
• Actor Jackie Earle Haley is 47.
• Actor Matthew Fox is 42.
• Rock musician Ellen Reid (Crash Test Dummies) is 42.
• Rock singer-musician Tonya Donelly is 42.
• Actress Missy Gold is 38.
• Rhythm-and-blues singer Tameka Cottle (Xscape) is 33.
• Hip-hop musician taboo (Black Eyed Peas) is 33.
• Actor Scott Porter is 29.

Thought for Today:

"Jealousy is no more than feeling alone among smiling enemies."
Elizabeth Bowen, Irish novelist (1899-1973).

"Let's all be careful out there!"