On This Day: Monday July 24, 2006

This is the 205th day of the year, with 160 days remaining in 2006.

Fact of the Day: college and university

A university is an institution of higher education, usually comprising a liberal arts and sciences college and graduate and professional schools and having the authority to confer degrees in various fields of study. A university differs from a college in that it is usually larger, has a broader curriculum, and offers graduate and professional degrees in addition to undergraduate degrees. In Europe, the first modern-style universities were set up in Italy (Bologna) in the 11th century, and in France and England (University of Paris and University of Oxford respectively) in the 12th century.

Holidays

Feast day of St. Christina the Astonishing, St. Boris or Romanus, St. Declan, St. Christina of Bolsena, St. Lewinna, and St. Gleb or David.
Utah, western U.S. states: Pioneer Day.
Venezuela: Bolivar's Birthday.

Events

1701 - Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac established Fort Ponchartrain for France at present-day Detroit.
1847 - Brigham Young arrived with 148 Mormon pioneers at Utah's Valley of the Great Salt Lake.
1866 - Tennessee became the first state to be readmitted to the Union after the Civil War.
1911 - Machu Picchu was discovered by Hiram Bingham.
1974 - The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that President Richard Nixon had to turn over subpoenaed White House tape recordings to the Watergate special prosecutor.

Births

1783 - Simón Bolivar, Latin American revolutionary.
1802 - Alexander Dumas (Davy de La Pailleterie) (Dumas PÈre), French playwright, novelist.
1897 - Amelia Earhart, American aviator.
1920 - Bella Abzug, American feminist, U.S. Congresswoman.

Deaths

1862 - Martin van Buren, 8th President of the United States of America.
1980 - Peter Sellers, English comic actor.

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