Years Ago

July 31, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Today is Saturday, July 31, the 212th day of 2010. There are 153 days left in the year.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

On this date in:

1777: The Marquis de Lafayette, a 19-year-old French nobleman, is made a major-general in the American Continental Army.

1875: The 17th president of the United States, Andrew Johnson, dies in Carter County, Tenn., at age 66.

1910: Dr. Hawley Harvey Crippen, whose wife, Cora, had disappeared from their London home, is arrested along with his mistress, Ethel Le Neve (posing as Crippen’s son), aboard the steamship SS Montrose upon its arrival in Quebec, Canada. (Crippen was later convicted by a British court of murdering his wife and executed; Le Neve was acquitted of any involvement.)

1964: The American space probe Ranger 7 reaches the moon, transmitting pictures back to Earth before crashing onto the lunar surface.

1969: The American space probe Mariner 6 flies by Mars, sending back images of the Red Planet.

1970: “The Huntley-Brinkley Report” comes to an end after nearly 14 years as co-anchor Chet Huntley signs off for the last time; the broadcast is renamed “NBC Nightly News.”

1972: Democratic vice-presidential candidate Thomas Eagleton withdraws from the ticket with George McGovern following disclosures that Eagleton had once undergone psychiatric treatment.

1989: A pro-Iranian group in Lebanon releases a grisly videotape showing the body of American hostage William R. Higgins, a Marine lieutenant-colonel, dangling from a rope.

1991: President George H.W. Bush and Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev sign the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty in Moscow.

VINDICATOR FILES

1985: A Justice Department lawyer and a top FBI official will go to Cleveland to explain to the grand jury why the department decided not to prosecute Teamster President Jackie Presser in an alleged payroll padding scheme, sources say.

Ruth Rulli, 77, is crowned Senior Queen of the Girard Homecoming.

The Mahoning Valley Economic Development Corp. accepts a $100,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Development to assist in the formation of a risk capital company to help new or expanding Valley industries.

1970: The Isaly Dairy Co. is closing its Youngstown production plant and shifting its home delivery business of dairy products to Superior Dairy Inc. and “Quality Chekd” of Canton.

A federal judge rules that Pvt. Albert Breinz, 22, of Youngstown must be returned to the United States by Aug. 20 for a hearing to determine the length of his enlistment unless the Army can show “a justifiable reason for keeping him in Vietnam.” Brienz spent 20 months of his enlistment in Youngstown without pay or orders until the Army ordered him sent to Vietnam.

1960: Youngstown police turn a 13-year-old girl over to juvenile authorities after finding her wandering the streets, afraid to go home because she said she would be beaten for not selling paper flowers and knick knacks on the instructions of her father.

Youngstown Park and Recreation Commission members say they will fight efforts to enlarge its membership, which would inject stronger political influence on the board.

Nine new records are written into the books, two each by Ross Wales, Ginny Salinsky and Janet Dunn, as a crowd of 2,500 watches 183 youngsters compete in the fifth annual Greater Youngstown Swimming Championships at Bort Pool. Also setting records: David Jones, Dick Baxter and Dick Burnett.

1935: Mahoning County will receive 52 Works Projects Administration projects valued at $719,500, which will provide work for 2,541 employable relief clients.

Burglars enter the Rendano jewelry store at 233 E. Federal St., by cutting a hole in the ceiling, but fail to open to safes to get their hands on the store’s jewelry stock and leave with a few dollars taken from a cash register.