AUGUST 7 | Birthdays and Events
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Notable Birthdays for August 7
Billie Burke (1884-1970) - Actress known for her role as Glinda the Good Witch of the North in The Wizard of Oz.
Louis Hazeltine (1886-1964) - Inventor of the Neutrodyne Circuit (a type of tuned radio frequency receiver).
Rudolf Ising (1903-1992) - Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoonist who helped create the characters Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner.
Clark Poling (1910-1943) - Army chaplain and Protestant minister who sacrificed his life to save soldiers on a sinking boat during WWII (Four Chaplains).
Kermit Love (1916-2008) - Puppeteer and costume designer for the Muppets and Sesame Street.
Carl Switzer (1927-1959) - Actor who played Alfalfa on Our Gang (commonly known as the Little Rascals).
Maurice Rabb Jr. (1932-Still Living) - Ophthalmologist who did pioneering work in the study of cornea and retinal vascular diseases.
Garrison Keillor (1942-Still Living) - Radio host for A Prairie Home Companion.
Jimmy Wales (1966-Still Living) - Co-founder of Wikipedia.
Memorable Events for August 7
1782 - Commander of the Continental Army, George Washington, creates two Honorary Badges of Distinction and a Badge of Military Merit (now the Purple Heart).
1786 - The first federal Indian Reservation is created by the U.S. in NJ.
1789 - The Department of War is established.
1794 - President Washington invokes the Militia Acts of 1792 to end the Whiskey Rebellion in western PA.
1909 - Alice Ramsey and three friends become the first women to complete a transcontinental auto trip from NY to CA.
1946 - Booker T. Washington becomes the first Black to be printed on a U.S. commemorative coin (half dollar).
1964 - Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution giving President Johnson powers to deal with North Vietnamese.
1978 - President Carter declares a federal emergency at Love Canal as a result of toxic waste that had been wrongly disposed of.
1990 - First American soldiers arrive in Saudi Arabia (Gulf War).