Daily Calendar for August 7th, 2017

The Old Farmer's Almanac daily calendar gives you quick reference for the significant events on any day throughout the year.

1670s

• 1679: La Salle's Le Griffon, first ship to sail upper Great Lakes, entered Lake Erie

1770s

• Born 1779: Carl Ritter (geographer)

1780s

• 1782: George Washington established the Badge of Military Merit for U.S. soldiers injured in action. It later became known as the Purple Heart

• 1789: The United States War Department established

1850s

• 1859: Service began at first deaf church in U.S., St. Ann's Church for Deaf Mutes, N.Y.C.

1900s

• 1903: Silver discovered in northern Ontario

• Born 1903: Rudolf C. Ising (co-creator of "Looney Tunes")

1920s

• 1927: Peace Bridge opened

1940s

• Born 1942: Garrison Keillor (radio host)

• Born 1942: B. J. Thomas (singer)

1950s

• Born 1955: Wayne Knight (actor)

• Died 1957: Oliver Hardy (comedian & actor)

• 1959: U.S. satellite Explorer VI launched

• 1959: The Don Messer Show premiered on CBC television

1960s

• Born 1960: David Duchovny (actor)

1970s

• Born 1975: Charlize Theron (actress)

• 1978: Love Canal, N.Y., was declared a disaster area

1980s

• 1982: Record-breaking flight around world by single-engine plane completed (6 days, 7 hours, 25 minutes, 47 seconds)

• Died 1989: Mickey Leland (U.S. congressman)

1990s

• 1990: President George Bush ordered the military buildup known as Operation Desert Shield in response to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait earlier in the month

2000s

• Died 2005: Peter Jennings (journalist)

2010s

• 2016: At the Summer Olympics, Katie Ledecky swam the 400m freestyle in 3:56.46, setting a world record

• 2017: Partial eclipse of the Moon.