On this day: July 10
The United States takes possession of the Sunshine State, Howard Hughes flies around the world, a new milestone is reached in space and a "classic" soft drink returns, all on this day in history.
988: In what is considered to be the founding of Dublin, Ireland, Norse King Glun Iarainn recognises Máel Sechnaill II, High King of Ireland, and agrees to pay taxes and accept Brehon Law.
988: In what is considered to be the founding of Dublin, Ireland, Norse King Glun Iarainn recognises Máel Sechnaill II, High King of Ireland, and agrees to pay taxes and accept Brehon Law.
1212: The most severe of several early fires of London burns most of the city to the ground. Known as "the Great Fire of Southwark," the fire began directly to the south of London Bridge, destroying a cathedral (front center of photo) and damaging the bridge.
1778: In support of the American Revolution, Louis XVI of France declares war on the Kingdom of Great Britain.
1821: The United States takes possession of its newly bought territory of Florida from Spain.
1839: Brewer Adolphus Busch is born.
1850: Millard Fillmore is officially inaugurated as the 13th president of the United States, a day after the death of President Zachary Taylor.
1856: Inventor Nikola Tesla, best known for developing the modern alternating current electrical supply system, is born.
1871: French writer Marcel Proust is born.
1890: Wyoming is admitted as the 44th U.S. state.
1900: "His Master's Voice" is registered with the U.S. Patent Office. The iconic logo of the Victor Recording Company, and later, RCA Victor, shows the dog, Nipper, looking into the horn of a gramophone machine.
1913: Death Valley, Calif., hits 134 degrees, the highest temperature recorded in the United States.
1920: David Brinkley (seen on the TV screen at left), a newscaster for NBC and ABC in a career lasting from 1943 to 1997, is born.
1938: Howard Hughes sets a new record by completing a 91-hour airplane flight around the world, beating the previous record by more than four hours.
1941: Legendary jazz pianist and composer Jelly Roll Morton, born Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe, dies in Los Angeles. He's shown here around age 17 in 1906.
1942: Musician Ronnie James Dio, seen here in 2007, is born.
1943: Arthur Ashe is born in Richmond, Va. During his professional tennis career, he reached the No. 1 ranking, won three Grand Slam titles and became the first, and only, black man to ever win singles titles at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the Australian Open.
1962: Telstar, the world's first communications satellite, is launched into orbit. It successfully relayed through space the first television pictures, telephone calls, fax images and provided the first live transatlantic television feed.
1965: Wilson Pickett's "In The Midnight Hour" is released.
1967: Bobbie Gentry records "Ode to Billie Joe."
1969: Major League Baseball's National League is divided up into two baseball divisions.
1972: Colombian actress Sofia Vergara ("Modern Family") is born.
1975: Cher files for divorce from Gregg Allman, just 10 days after the couple had married.
1979: Chuck Berry, seen here in a 1971 promotional image, is sentenced to four months in prison for income tax evasion.
1980: Singer-actress Jessica Simpson is born.
1984: Dwight Gooden of the New York Mets becomes the youngest player to appear in an All-Star Game as a pitcher at the age of 19 years, 7 months and 24 days old.
1985: Coca-Cola resumes selling the old formula of Coke, renaming it "Coca-Cola Classic." The company also announced it would continue to sell "New" Coke.
1989: Mel Blanc, best remembered for his work with Warner Bros. as the voice of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and other "Looney Tunes" and "Merrie Melodies" cartoon characters, dies at the age of 81.
1991: Boris Yeltsin takes the oath of office as the first elected president of the Russian republic. He's seen here with President George H.W. Bush in 1993.
1992: Former Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega is sentenced to 40 years in prison for drug and racketeering violations.
2002: Peter Paul Rubens' painting "The Massacre of the Innocents" is sold for $76.2 million to Lord Thomson at auction.
2005: Hurricane Dennis slams into the Florida Panhandle, causing billions of dollars in damage.
