Today is Friday, Aug. 7, the 219th day of 2009. There are 146 days left in the year.
On this date:
* In 1782, Gen. George Washington created the Order of the Purple Heart to recognize merit in enlisted men and noncommissioned officers.
* In 1882, the famous feud between the Hatfields, of West Virginia, and the McCoys, of Kentucky, erupted into full-scale violence as a member of the Hatfield clan was mortally wounded by three McCoy brothers, who ended up being slain in turn.
* In 1974, French stuntman Philippe Petit repeatedly walked a tightrope strung between the twin towers of New York's World Trade Center.
* In 1989, a plane carrying U.S. Rep. Mickey Leland, D-Texas, and 14 others disappeared over Ethiopia. (The wreckage was found six days later.)
* In 1998, terrorist bombs at U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania killed 224 people, including 12 Americans.
Today's Birthdays
Writer-producer Stan Freberg is 83. R&B singer Herb Reed (The Platters) is 81. Magician, author and lecturer James Randi is 81. Former baseball pitcher Don Larsen is 80. Bluesman Magic Slim is 72. Actress Verna Bloom is 70. Humorist Garrison Keillor is 67. Singer B.J. Thomas is 67. Singer Lana Cantrell is 66. Actor John Glover is 65. Actor David Rasche is 65. R&B singer Harold Hudson is 60. Former diplomat, talk show host and activist Alan Keyes is 59. Country singer Rodney Crowell is 59. Actress Caroline Aaron is 57. Comedian Alexei Sayle is 57. Actor Wayne Knight is 54. Rock singer Bruce Dickinson is 51. Marathon runner Alberto Salazar is 51. Actor David Duchovny is 49. Country musician Michael Mahler (Wild Horses) is 48. Actor Harold Perrineau is 46. Jazz musician Marcus Roberts is 46. Country singer Raul Malo is 44. Actress Charlotte Lewis is 42. Actress Sydney Penny is 38. Actor Michael Shannon is 35. Actress Charlize Theron is 34. Rock musician Barry Kerch (Shinedown) is 33. Oakland Raiders punter Shane Lechler is 33.
