Today in history - July 28

By The Associated PressFri Jul 28, 7:00 AM ET

Today is Friday, July 28, the 209th day of 2006. There are 156 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On July 28, 1945, a U.S. Army bomber crashed into the 79th floor of New York's Empire State Building, killing 14 people.

On this date:

In 1540, King Henry VIII's chief minister, Thomas Cromwell, was executed, the same day Henry married his fifth wife, Catherine Howard.

In 1655, French dramatist and novelist Cyrano de Bergerac, the inspiration for a play by Edmond Rostand, died in Paris.

In 1821, Peru declared its independence from Spain.

In 1868, the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing due process of law, was declared in effect.

In 1896, the city of Miami was incorporated.

In 1932, federal troops forcibly dispersed the so-called "Bonus Army" of World War I veterans who had gathered in Washington to demand money they were not scheduled to receive until 1945.

In 1945, the U.S. Senate ratified the United Nations Charter by a vote of 89-2.

In 1965, President Johnson announced he was increasing the number of American troops in South Vietnam from 75,000 to 125,000.

In 1976, an earthquake devastated northern China, killing at least 242,000 people, according to an official estimate.

In 2002, nine coal miners trapped in the flooded Quecreek Mine in Somerset, Pa., were rescued after 77 hours underground.

Ten years ago: Federal investigators reported "very good leads" in the hunt for the Olympic bomber, a day after the explosion in Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta that killed a Georgia woman. President Clinton, addressing a veterans convention in New Orleans, called on Congress to pass expanded anti-terrorism measures.

Five years ago: Alejandro Toledo, Peru's first freely elected president of Indian descent, was sworn into office.

One year ago: NASA said space shuttle Discovery had escaped any serious damage from the potentially deadly piece of foam that broke off from the fuel tank during liftoff and looked safe to fly home in a week. The Irish Republican Army renounced the use of violence against British rule in Northern Ireland and said it would disarm. Lightning struck a group of Boy Scouts taking shelter from a storm in Sequoia National Park in California, killing an assistant troop leader and a teenage Scout.

Today's Birthdays: Movie director Andrew V. McLaglen is 86. Actor Darryl Hickman is 75. The former president of Peru, Alberto Fujimori, is 68. Former Sen. Bill Bradley, D-N.J., is 63. "Garfield" creator Jim Davis is 61. Rock musician Rick Wright (Pink Floyd) is 61. Singer Jonathan Edwards is 60. Actress Linda Kelsey is 60. TV producer Dick Ebersol is 59. Actress Sally Struthers is 58. Actress Georgia Engel is 58. Rock musician Simon Kirke (Bad Company) is 57. Rock musician Steve Morse (Deep Purple) is 52. Broadcast journalist Scott Pelley is 49. Actor Michael Hayden is 43. Jazz musician-producer Delfeayo Marsalis is 41. Actress Elizabeth Berkley is 34. Singer Afroman is 32. Country singer Carly Goodwin is 25. Actor Jonathan Osser is 17.

Thought for Today: "It is impossible to write ancient history because we lack source materials, and impossible to write modern history because we have far too many." — Charles Peguy, French poet and writer (1873-1914).