Today in History: July 10th - Significant Events and Celebrity Birthdays
Today marks the 191st day of the year 2026, leaving 174 days remaining. On this day in history, significant events took place. The theologian John Calvin, known for his role in the Protestant Reformation, was born in Noyon, Picardy, France, in 1509. Wyoming became the 44th state of the United States in 1890. In 1925, the trial of John T. Scopes, who was charged with teaching Darwin's Theory of Evolution, began in Dayton, Tennessee. The Battle of Britain commenced in 1940 as the German Luftwaffe attacked southern England. Armistice talks to end the Korean War started in Kaesong in 1951. The first active communications satellite, Telstar 1, was launched by NASA in 1962. The Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior was sunk by French intelligence agents in Auckland, New Zealand, resulting in one activist's death in 1985. Boris N. Yeltsin was sworn in as the first elected president of the Russian republic in 1991. President George H.W. Bush lifted U.S. economic sanctions against South Africa in the same year. In 2002, the U.S. House approved a measure allowing airline pilots to carry guns in the cockpit for defense against terrorists, which was later signed into law by President George W. Bush. South Carolina removed the Confederate battle flag from the Statehouse after over 50 years in 2015.
Celebrating birthdays today are singer Mavis Staples (87), actor Robert Pine (85), International Tennis Hall of Famer Virginia Wade (81), folk singer Arlo Guthrie (79), Baseball Hall of Famer Andre Dawson (72), rock singer Neil Tennant of Pet Shop Boys (72), banjo player Bela Fleck (68), actor Fiona Shaw (68), singer/actor Jacky Cheung (65), actor Alec Mapa (61), country singer Gary LeVox of Rascal Flatts (56), actor Sofia Vergara (54), actor Adrian Grenier (50), actor Chiwetel Ejiofor (49), actor Thomas Ian Nicholas (46), singer/actor Jessica Simpson (46), actor Emily Skeggs (36), and pop singer Perrie Edwards of Little Mix (33).
In conclusion, today's historical events and birthdays highlight significant moments in history and the entertainment industry.