Datebook

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2021

Today is the 216th day of 2021 and the 46th day of summer.

TODAY’S HISTORY: In 1914, Germany invaded Belgium, prompting Great Britain to declare war on Germany.

In 1944, the Gestapo arrested diarist Anne Frank and the other inhabitants of the “Secret Annex” in Amsterdam.

In 1977, President Jimmy Carter signed legislation establishing the Department of Energy.

In 1993, two Los Angeles police officers were sentenced to 30 months in prison for violating motorist Rodney King’s civil rights.

In 2019, nine people were killed and 26 were injured in a mass shooting outside a bar in Dayton, Ohio.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822), poet; Louis Vuitton (18211892), fashion designer; Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (1900-2002), queen consort of the United Kingdom; Louis Armstrong (1901-1971), musician; Billy Bob Thornton (1955- ), director/actor; Barack Obama (1961), 44th U.S. president; Roger Clemens (1962), baseball player; Dennis Lehane (1965- ), author; Daniel Dae Kim (1968- ), actor; Jeff Gordon (1971- ), race car driver/announcer; Kurt Busch (1978- ), race car driver; Meghan Markle (1981- ), actress/duchess of Sussex; Greta Gerwig (1983- ), filmmaker.

TODAY’S FACT: “Poor Little Fool” by Ricky Nelson was the No. 1 song on the first Billboard Hot 100 chart, published on this day in 1958.

TODAY’S SPORTS: In 2007, 32-year-old Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees became the youngest player ever to hit 500 career home runs.

TODAY’S QUOTE: “Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. Because it’s only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential.” -- Barack Obama

TODAY’S NUMBER: 7 -- Cy Young Awards won by pitcher Roger Clemens, the most in MLB history.

TODAY’S MOON: Between last quarter moon (July 31) and new moon (Aug. 8).