TODAY IN HISTORY

Thursday, July  05, 2012 AP Highlight in History:  On July 5, 1954, Elvis Presley's first commercial recording session took place at Sun Records in Memphis, Tenn.   AP Photo
On this date in: 1810 Sowman and promoter Phineas T. Barnum was born in Bethel, Conn. 1811 Venezuela declared independence from Spain. 1830 The French occupied the North African city of Algiers. 1865 William Booth founded the Salvation Army in London. 1935 President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the National Labor Relations Act, which allowed labor to organize for the purpose of collective bargaining. 1946 The bikini made its debut during an outdoor fashion show at the Molitor Pool in Paris. 1948 Britain's National Health Service Act went into effect, providing government-financed medical and dental care. 1975 The Cape Verde Islands became independent after 500 years of Portuguese rule. 1975 Arthur Ashe became the first African-American man to win a Wimbledon singles title as he defeated Jimmy Connors. AP Photo 1991 Regulators in eight countries shut down the Bank of Credit and Commerce International, charging it with fraud, drug money laundering and illegal infiltration into the U.S. banking system. 1997 Martina Hingis, 16, became the youngest Wimbledom singles champion in 110 years. 2002 Baseball Hall of Famer Ted Williams died at age 83. 2006 North Korea test-fired seven missiles into the Sea of Japan, including at least one believed capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. 2006 Enron founder Kenneth Lay, facing decades in prison, died of heart disease at age 64. 2009 The worst ethnic violence in decades in China erupted in the far western Xinjiang region. Some 200 people were killed. 2005 Roger Federer of Switzerland won Wimbledon for his record 15th Grand Slam tennis title.		Video Highlights of This Day in History Today's Birthdays: Actress Edie Falco ("The Sopranos," "Nurse Jackie") turns 49 years old today. AP Photo/Evan Agostini Name Profession Age Katherine Helmond Actress ("Soap," "Who's the Boss") 83 Shirley Knight Actress 76 Robbie Robertson Rock singer, musician (The Band) 69 Julie Nixon Eisenhower Daughter of President Richard Nixon 64 Rich "Goose" Gossage Baseball Hall of Famer 61 Roger Wicker U.S. senator, R-Miss. 61 James Lofton Football Hall of Famer 56 Marc Cohn Rock singer, songwriter 53 Kathryn Erbe Actress ("Law & Order: Criminal Intent") 47 Michael Stuhlbarg Actor ("A Serious Man") 44 Dave Haywood Country musician (Lady Antebellum) 30 Rock singer Huey Lewis turns 62 years old today. AP Photo/Peter Kramer