Today is Friday, Aug. 22, the 234th day of 2003. There are 131 days left in the year. On this date

Today is Friday, Aug. 22, the 234th day of 2003. There are 131 days left in the year. On this date in 1775, Britain's King George III proclaims the American colonies in a state of open rebellion.
In 1485, England's King Richard III is killed in the Battle of Bosworth Field, ending the War of the Roses. In 1787, inventor John Fitch demonstrates his steamboat on the Delaware River to delegates of the Continental Congress. In 1846, the United States annexes New Mexico. In 1851, the schooner "America" outraces the "Aurora" off the English coast to win a trophy that becomesw known as the America's Cup. In 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt becomes the first U.S. chief executive to ride in an automobile, in Hartford, Conn. In 1911, it is announced in Paris that Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" had been stolen from the Louvre Museum the night before. The painting turns up two years later, in Italy. In 1956, President Eisenhower and Vice President Nixon are nominated for second terms in office by the Republican national convention in San Francisco. In 1968, Pope Paul VI arrives in Bogota, Colombia, for the start of the first papal visit to Latin America. In 1978, President Jomo Kenyatta, a leading figure in Kenya's struggle for independence, dies; Vice President Daniel Arap Moi is sworn in as acting president. In 1989, Black Panther co-founder Huey P. Newton is shot to death in Oakland, Calif. Gunman Tyrone Robinson is later sentenced to 32 years to life in prison.
August 22, 1978: A $640,000 expansion for Salem Valve Division of Sperry Vickers, which will allow the firm to double the present workforce of 80, is announced.
Mary Jo. Douds, a Washington publicist/consultant who left Youngstown 10 years ago because there were few opportunities, returns to promote a plan for the city's renaissance, "Youngstown Youngagain."
Two local residents are promoted by Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & amp; Smith Inc. Robert S. Bagby is named assistant vice president, and Anthony J. LaRiccia is a senior account executive.
August 22, 1963: More than 1,000 Mahoning County employees and their families enjoy their annual picnic at Idora Park
John Bonace, 39, of Lowellville escapes a fiery death by leaping through a window after a spark from his electric welder causes an $8.000 fire at Evans Equipment Corp.
August Mirth, 70, of Centervale Ave., Youngstown, drowns while swimming alone in Lake Erie near Geneva-on-the-Lake.
August 22, 1953: The St. John and St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox churches in Youngstown open a week-long campaign to raise money for victims of devastating earthquakes in Greece.
More than 10,000 persons are expected to attend the fourth annual Trumbull County CIO Council's Labor Day celebration at the Trumbull County Fairgrounds.
Miss Carol Trigg of Hubbard, a vocalist, is winner in the final elimination broadcast over WFMJ from the Isaly Auditorium and will represent Youngstown in a coast-to-coast NBC broadcast. Miss Trigg won with her rendition of "I Believe."
August 22, 1928: Fifty workmen begin clearing trees and underbrush from the Mineral Ridge site of the Meander dam and what was once a quiet spot hums with activity. A. Guthrie & amp; Co. has built spur railway lines over which supplies can be hauled from the main line of the Erie Railroad.
Police are investigating an attempt to kidnap Helen Maropulakis, 9, from Chalmers Street, the same neighborhood from which Beatrice Rosenbaum disappeared in May. Beatrice's body was found two weeks later near Salem. The murder remains a mystery.
Beginning next season, bathers at Craig Beach at Lake Milton will have to pay 25 cents each, says A.E. Mallory, a representative of Manager M.E. Craig, during a tour of the beach by members of Youngstown City Council.