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way for the Rev. V. Gene Robinson to become the church's first openly gay elected bishop, approving him on a 128-63 vote. Annika Sorenstam completed a career Grand Slam at the Women's British Open, beating Se Ri Pak by a stroke in a head-to-head showdown. Hank Stram, Marcus Allen, James Lofton, Elvin Bethea and Joe DeLamielleure were inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
• Five years ago: Nobel Prize-winning Russian author Alexander Solzhenitsyn died near Moscow at age 89. Al-Qaida confirmed the death of a top commander (Abu Khabab al-Masri), apparently in a U.S. airstrike in Pakistan; he was accused of training the suicide bombers who'd killed 17 American sailors on the USS Cole in 2000. At least 145 people were killed in a stampede of pilgrims at a remote mountaintop Hindu temple in India.
• One year ago: The U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly denounced Syria's crackdown on dissent in a symbolic effort meant to push the deadlocked Security Council and the world at large into action on stopping the country's civil war. Michael Phelps rallied to win the 100-meter butterfly for his third gold of the London Games and No. 17 of his career. Missy Franklin set a world record in the 200 backstroke for the 17-year-old's third gold in London. Falling at speeds of up to 220 mph, nearly 140 skydivers shattered the vertical skydiving world record as they flew heads-down in a massive snowflake formation in northern Illinois.
• Today's Birthdays: Author P.D. James is 93. Football Hall-of-Fame coach Marv Levy is 88. Singer Tony Bennett is 87. Actor Martin Sheen is 73. College and Pro Football Hall of Famer Lance Alworth is 73. Lifestyle guru Martha Stewart is 72. Singer Beverly Lee (The Shirelles) is 72. Rock musician B.B. Dickerson is 64. Movie director John Landis is 63. Actress JoMarie Payton is 63. Actor Jay North ("Dennis the Menace") is 62. Hockey Hall-of-Famer Marcel Dionne is 62. Country musician Randy Scruggs is 60. Actor Philip Casnoff is 59. Actor John C. McGinley is 54. Rock singer-musician Lee Rocker (The Stray Cats) is 52. Actress Lisa Ann Walter is 52. Rock singer James Hetfield (Metallica) is 50. Rock singer-musician Ed Roland (Collective Soul) is 50. Actor Isaiah Washington is 50. Country musician Dean Sams (Lonestar) is 47. Rock musician Stephen Carpenter (Deftones) is 43. Hip-hop artist Spinderella (Salt-N-Pepa) is 42. Actress Brigid Brannagh is 41. Country musician Jimmy De Martini (Zac Brown Band) is 37. NFL quarterback Tom Brady is 36. Actress Evangeline (ee-VAN'-gel-een) Lilly is 34. Actress Mamie Gummer is 30. Country singer Whitney Duncan is 29. Actor Jon Foster is 29. Singer Holly Arnstein (Dream) is 28. Actress Tanya Fischer is 28. Pop-rock musician Brent Kutzle (OneRepublic) is 28.
• Thought for Today: "The man who insists on seeing with perfect clearness before he decides, never decides." - Henri Frederic Amiel  Swiss critic (1821-1881).
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