Today in History: July 31, Lafayette becomes a major-general

Today in History Today is Sunday, July 31, the 212th day of 2022. There are 153 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On July 31, 1777, during the Revolutionary War, the Marquis de Lafayette, a 19-year-old French nobleman, was made a major-general in the American Continental Army. On this date: In 1715, a fleet of Spanish ships carrying gold, silver and jewelry sank during a hurricane off the east Florida coast; of some 2,500 crew members, more than 1,000 died. In 1919, Germany’s Weimar (VY’-mahr) Constitution was adopted by the republic’s National Assembly. In 1945, Pierre Laval, premier of the pro-Nazi Vichy government, surrendered to U.S. authorities in Austria; he was turned over to France, which later tried and executed him. In 1953, Sen. Robert A. Taft of Ohio, known as ‘œMr. Republican,’� died in New York at age 63. In 1957, the Distant Early Warning Line, a system of radar stations designed to detect Soviet bombers approaching North America, went into operation. In 1970, ‘œThe Huntley-Brinkley Report’� came to an end after nearly 14 years as co-anchor Chet Huntley signed off for the last time; the broadcast was renamed ‘œNBC Nightly News.’� In 1971, Apollo 15 crew members David Scott and James Irwin became the first astronauts to use a lunar rover on the surface of the moon. In 1972, Democratic vice-presidential candidate Thomas Eagleton withdrew from the ticket with George McGovern following disclosures that Eagleton had once undergone psychiatric treatment. In 1981, a seven-week-old Major League Baseball strike ended. In 1991, President George H.W. Bush and Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty in Moscow. In 2003, the Vatican launched a global campaign against gay marriages, warning Catholic politicians that support of same-sex unions was ‘œgravely immoral’� and urging non-Catholics to join the offensive. In 2020, a federal appeals court overturned the death sentence of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, saying the judge who oversaw the case didn’t adequately screen jurors for potential biases. (The Supreme Court later reimposed the sentence.) Mexico became the country with the third most COVID-19 deaths in the world, behind the United States and Brazil. Ten years ago: Three Indian electric grids collapsed in a cascade, cutting power to 620 million people in the world’s biggest blackout. At the London games, the team of Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman (AL’-ee RAYS’-mihn), Kyla Ross and Jordyn Wieber won the first U.S. Olympic team title in women’s gymnastics since 1996. Michael Phelps broke the Olympic medals record with his 19th as the United States romped to a dominating win in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. Author, playwright, politician and commentator Gore Vidal, 86, died in Los Angeles. Five years ago: Retired Marine Gen. John Kelly was sworn in as White House chief of staff, replacing Reince Priebus. Hours later, White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci was let go, just 11 days after he was appointed to the job. Former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio was convicted of a criminal charge for refusing to stop traffic patrols that targeted immigrants. (Arpaio was later pardoned by President Donald Trump.) The Trump administration slapped financial sanctions on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro after a weekend election that gave his ruling party virtually unlimited powers. Los Angeles reached a deal with international Olympic leaders to host the 2028 Summer Games.