Today’s highlight

On July 21, 1925, the so-called “Monkey Trial” ended in Dayton, Tennessee, with John T. Scopes found guilty of violating state law for teaching Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. (The conviction was later overturned.)

Also on this date:

1861: During the Civil War, the first Battle of Bull Run was fought at Manassas, Virginia, resulting in a Confederate victory.

1944: American forces landed on Guam during World War II, capturing it from the Japanese some three weeks later.

1954: The Geneva Conference concluded with accords dividing Vietnam into northern and southern entities.

1969: Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin blasted off from the moon aboard the ascent stage of the lunar module for docking with the command module.

2011: The 30-year-old space shuttle program ended as Atlantis landed at Cape Canaveral, Florida, after the 135th shuttle flight.

2012: Erden Eruc became the first person to complete a solo, human-powered circumnavigation of the globe.

2021: Public health officials said U.S. life expectancy fell by a year and a half in 2020, the largest one-year decline since World War II; the drop was due mainly to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Today’s birthdays

Singer Yusuf Islam is 76. Cartoonist Garry Trudeau is 76. Author Michael Connelly is 68. Comedian Jon Lovitz is 67. Retired soccer player Brandi Chastain is 56. Actor Josh Hartnett is 46. Former MLB All-Star pitcher CC Sabathia is 44.