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1981
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1903
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more events on August 7
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2007
Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants breaks Hank Aaron’s record with his 756th home run. Bonds’ accomplishments were clouded by allegations of illegal steroid use and lying to a grand jury.
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1990
Operation Desert Shield begins as US troops deploy to Saudi Arabia to discourage Iraq’s Saddam Hussein from invading that country as he had Kuwait.
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1987
Presidents of five Central American nations sign a peace accord in Guatemala.
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1984
Japan defeats the United States to win the Olympic Gold in baseball.
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1981
The Washington (D.C.) Star ceases publication after 128 years.
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1976
The US Viking 2 spacecraft goes into orbit around Mars.
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1975
Charlize Theron, model and Academy Award-winning actress (Monster).
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1973
A U.S. plane accidentally bombs a Cambodian village, killing 400 civilians.
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1971
Apollo 15 returns to Earth. The mission to the moon had marked the first use of the Lunar Roving Vehicle.
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1966
Jimmy Donal “Jimbo” Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia.
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The United States loses seven planes over North Vietnam, the most in the war up to this point.
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1964
Congress overwhelmingly passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, allowing the president to use unlimited military force to prevent attacks on U.S. forces.
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1963
Patrick Kennedy, son of President and Mrs. John F. Kennedy; dies 39 hours later.
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1950
Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter (“Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight,” “Ain’t Living Long Like This”) and author (Chinaberry Sidewalks) Rodney Crowell.
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1944
German forces launch a major counter attack against U.S. forces near Mortain, France.