TODAY IN HISTORY

Friday, August  03, 2012 AP Highlight in History:  On Aug. 3, 1492, Christopher Columbus set sail from Palos, Spain, on a voyage that would take him to the present-day Americas.
On this date in: 1778 The opera house La Scala opened in Milan, Italy, with a performance of Antonio Salieri's "Europa riconosciuta." 1914 At the outbreak of World War I, British Foreign Secretary Edward Grey remarked: "The lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime." 1914 Germany declared war on France. 1923 Calvin Coolidge was sworn in as the 30th president of the United States, one day after President Warren G. Harding died of a heart attack. 1943 Gen. George S. Patton slapped a private at an army hospital in Sicily, accusing him of cowardice. 1948 Whittaker Chambers, a former Communist, publicly accused former State Department official Alger Hiss of having been part of a Communist underground, a charge Hiss denied. AP Photo 1949 The National Basketball Association was formed. 1981 U.S. air traffic controllers went on strike, despite a warning from President Ronald Reagan that they would be fired. President Ronald Reagan 1987 The Iran-Contra congressional hearings ended with none of the 29 witnesses tying President Ronald Reagan directly to the diversion of arms-sales profits to Nicaraguan rebels. 1994 Stephen G. Breyer was sworn in as a Supreme Court justice. 2011 Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak denied all charges against him as he went on trial for alleged corruption and complicity in the deaths of protesters who'd helped drive him from power.		Video HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS DAY IN HISTORY Today's Birthdays: Singer Tony Bennett turns 86 years old today. AP Photo/Evan Agostini Name Profession Age P.D. James Author 92 Marv Levy Hall of Fame football coach 87 Martha Stewart Lifestyle guru 71 John Landis Director 62 Marcel Dionne Hockey Hall of Famer 61 Jay North Actor ("Dennis the Menace") 61 Randy Scruggs Country musician 59 John C. McGinley Actor ("Scrubs") 53 James Hetfield Rock musician (Metallica) 49 Isaiah Washington Actor 49 Tom Brady Football player 35 Evangeline Lilly Actress ("Lost") 33 Mamie Gummer Actress 29 Whitney Duncan Country singer ("Nashville Star") 28 Actor Martin Sheen ("The West Wing") turns 72 years old today. AP Photo/Dan Steinberg