Today in History

On Aug. 16, 1977, Elvis Presley died at his Graceland estate in Memphis, Tennessee at the age of 42; 41 years later, in 2018, singer Aretha Franklin, known as the “Queen of Soul,” died in Detroit at the age of 76.

On this date

1777: American forces won the Battle of Bennington in what was considered a turning point of the Revolutionary War.

1861: President Abraham Lincoln issued Proclamation 86, which prohibited the states of the Union from engaging in commercial trade with states that were in rebellion — i.e., the Confederacy.

1896: Gold was discovered in Canada’s Yukon Territory, sparking the “Klondike Fever” that would draw tens of thousands to the region in search of fortune.

1962: The Beatles fired their original drummer, Pete Best, replacing him with Ringo Starr.

2014: Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency and imposed a curfew in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, where police and protesters repeatedly clashed in the week since a Black 18-year-old, Michael Brown, was shot to death by a white police officer.

Today’s birthdays

Actor Julie Newmar is 92. Ballerina Suzanne Farrell is 80. Singer/author/TV personality Kathie Lee Gifford is 72. Movie director James Cameron is 71. Singer/actor Madonna is 67. Country musician Emily Strayer (The Chicks) is 53. Country singer Dan Smyers (Dan & Shay) is 38. U.S. Olympic gold medal swimmer Caeleb Dressel is 29. Tennis player Jannik Sinner is 24.