On This Day August 3

1981
Federal air traffic controllers go on an illegal strike, and are dismissed by Pres. Reagan 2 days later.

1977
The Spy Who Loved Me premiers in the U.S., 10th in the James Bond series, it starred Roger Moore as 007.

1965
Famous UFO sighting: Highway inspector Rex Heflin takes four Polaroid's of a flying object measuring 30 feet in diameter near Santa Anna, California. According to Heflin, the photos were taken from him by two men identifying themselves as from the North American Air Defense. (Source: Above Top Secret) (more¼)

1936
Jesse Owens: The black American track star upsets Hitler's theory of Aryan superiority by winning a gold medal in the 100-meter race. He went on to win a total of four.

1858
The source of the Nile is found, by English explorer John Hanning Speke.

1807
First arrest of a U.S. Vice-President: Former Vice-Pres. Aaron Burr, arrested 5½ months earlier, goes on trial for treason against the U.S. He had organized an armed militia of about 60 men; the exact purpose of which has never been determined. He was acquitted.

1492
Columbus sets sail for the Indies: He reached the New World of the Americas instead, landing in the Bahamas in October.

1952
Jay North, American actor. TV: Dennis the Menace (title role) and Pebbles and Bamm Bamm (voice of Bamm Bamm).

1951
Johnny Graham, American guitarist, with Earth, Wind & Fire. Music: Shining Star (1975, #1, Grammy), Best of My Love (1977, #1), and After the Love has Gone (1979, #2, Grammy).

1926
Tony Bennett (Anthony Benedetto), American singer. Music: Because of You (1951, #1), Cold, Cold Heart (1951, #1), and I Left My Heart in San Francisco (1962).

1905 d. 1983
Dolores Del Rio, Mexican actress. Film: Maria Candelaria (1943) and The Fugitive (1947).

1900 d. 1970
John Thomas Scopes, American educator. His arrest for teaching evolution in Tennessee led to the Scopes Monkey Trial (1925). He was convicted and fined $100, although it was overturned on a technicality.

1875 d. 1930
Robert Ernest House, American physician. He discovered that scopolamine hydrobromide could be used as a "truth serum." However, later research showed that its use was unreliable due to its hallucinogenic effects.

1811 d. 1861
Elisha Graves Otis, American inventor of the modern safety elevator (1852), with a device to protect passengers in case the cable broke. He also patented a steam driven elevator (1860).

1966 b. 1926
Lenny Bruce (Leonard A. Schneider), American "blue" comedian, author of How to Talk Dirty and Influence People: An Autobiography (1965). He was deported from Britain in 1963, arrested for obscenity on several occasions, and banned from Australia after his first performance there.

1929 b. 1851
Emile Berliner, American inventor, the microphone (1877), patented the first disc record player (1887), the flat disc phonograph record (1904), and the gramophone.

1907 b. 1848
Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Irish-born sculptor, regarded as America's greatest sculptor.

1888 b. 1841
Benjamin Franklin Goodrich, American physician, rubber manufacturer, founder of the B.F. Goodrich Co. (1880).

1881 b. 1818
William George Fargo, American businessman, co-founder of American Express (1850), co-founder of Wells, Fargo and Co. (1852), mayor of Buffalo, N.Y. (1862-66), and for whom Fargo, North Dakota is named.

1422 b. 1387
Henry V, King of England (1413-22). Although greatly outnumbered (13,000 to 50,000), he defeated the French at Agincourt (1415).

August 3

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