On this day: July 5
Perhaps history's greatest showman is born, a war begins and two of man's greatest inventions are unveiled, all on this day in history.
1810: P.T. Barnum is born.
1810: P.T. Barnum is born.
1811: Venezuela becomes the first South American country to declare independence from Spain, as shown in this 1876 painting by Venezuelan painter Martín Tovar y Tovar.
1865: The Salvation Army is founded by William Booth in the East End of London, England.
1935: The National Labor Relations Act, which governs labor relations in the United States, is signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
1937: Spam, the luncheon meat, is introduced into the market by the Hormel Foods Corporation.
1944: Robbie Robertson of The Band is born.
1946: The bikini bathing suit, designed by Louis Reard, makes its debut during an outdoor fashion show at the Molitor Pool in Paris. The suit is worn by 19-year-old Micheline Bernardini, a nude dancer from the Casino de Paris.
1947: Larry Doby signs a contract with the Cleveland Indians, becoming the first black player in the American League. (Jackie Robinson had broken the color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers in the National League 11 weeks earlier.)
1950: The Battle of Osan, the first clash between American and North Korean forces during the Korean War, takes place. At right is Pfc. Kenneth Shadrick, who was killed by enemy fire a few moments after this photo was taken, thus becoming the first United States soldier to die in the Korean campaign.
1950: Singer Huey Lewis is born.
1954: Elvis Presley's first commercial recording session takes place at Sun Records in Memphis, Tenn. The song he recorded was "That's All Right (Mama)."
1963: "The Sopranos" and "Nurse Jackie" actress Edie Falco is born.
1971: The 26th Amendment to the United States Constitution, lowering the voting age from 21 to 18 years, is formally certified by President Richard Nixon.
1975: Arthur Ashe becomes the first black man to win the Wimbledon singles title.
1989: Oliver North is sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gerhard A. Gesell to a three-year suspended prison term, two years probation, $150,000 in fines and 1,200 hours community service for his role in the Iran-Contra affair. His convictions are later overturned.
1995: Armenia adopts its constitution, four years after their independence from the Soviet Union.
1996: Dolly the sheep becomes the first mammal cloned from an adult cell.
1999: President Bill Clinton imposes trade and economic sanctions against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
2002: Legendary Boston Red Sox player Ted Williams dies at age 83.
2009: Roger Federer wins a record 15th Grand Slam title in tennis, winning a five set match against Andy Roddick at Wimbledon. He's since broken his own record, winning a 16th title at the 2010 Australian Open and a 17th at Wimbledon in 2012, his seventh overall Wimbledon championship.
