Today is Friday, August 7, the 219th day of 2009. There are 146 days left in the year.
1498 _ Columbus arrives in Caribbean
1620 _ Kepler's mother arrested for witchcraft
1789 _ U.S. War Department established
1934 _ U.S. Court of Appeals upheld lower court ruling striking down government's attempt to ban controversial James Joyce novel ``Ulysses"
1940 _ Largest amount paid for a stamp ($45,000 for one 1856 British Guiana)
1960 _ Ivory Coast (Cote d'Ivoire) gains independence from France
1964 _ U.S. Congress approves Gulf of Tonkin resolution
1970 _ First computer chess tournament
1983 _ First World Track & Field Championships
1988 _ Writers' guild end their six-month strike