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On This Day: German U-boat fires on Orleans, Mass.

On July 21, 1918, a German U-boat fired on the town of Orleans, Mass., on Cape Cod peninsula, damaging a tug boat and sinking four barges, and severely injuring one man.

By UPI Staff
On July 21, 1918, a German U-boat, similar to the one pictured, fired on the town of Orleans, Mass., on Cape Cod peninsula, damaging a tug boat and sinking four barges, and severely injuring one man. File Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
1 of 4 | On July 21, 1918, a German U-boat, similar to the one pictured, fired on the town of Orleans, Mass., on Cape Cod peninsula, damaging a tug boat and sinking four barges, and severely injuring one man. File Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

July 21 (UPI) -- On this date in history:

In 1861, the first major military engagement of the Civil War occurred at Bull Run Creek, Va.

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In 1918, a German U-boat fired on the town of Orleans, Mass., on Cape Cod peninsula, damaging a tug boat and sinking four barges, and severely injuring one man. It was the only place in the United States to receive an enemy attack during World War I.

In 1925, the so-called Monkey Trial, which pitted Clarence Darrow against William Jennings Bryan in Dayton, Tenn., in one of the great confrontations in legal history, ended with John Thomas Scopes convicted and fined $100 for teaching evolution in violation of state law.

In 1969, U.S. astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, lifted off from the moon in the Apollo 11 lunar module Eagle and docked with the command module Columbia piloted by Michael Collins.

In 1970, after 11 years of construction, the massive Aswan High Dam across the Nile River in Egypt was completed, ending the cycle of flood and drought in the Nile River region but triggering an environmental controversy.

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In 2000, a report from special counsel John Danforth cleared U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno and the government of wrongdoing in the April 19, 1993, fire that ended the Branch Davidian siege near Waco, Texas.

File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI

In 2007, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the seventh and final installment in the best-selling series, sold more than 8.3 million copies on its first day in bookstores.

In 2011, Greece continued efforts to climb out of a financial chasm with a second bailout pledge from other eurozone countries and the International Monetary Fund worth $157 billion. Earlier, the nation dealt with its debt crisis with the help of a $146 billion loan package.

In 2012, Staff Sgt. Luis A. Walker, a U.S. Air Force boot camp instructor convicted of sexual offenses, including rape, was sentenced to 20 years in prison. The victims were female trainees. Walker died in September 2014 of suicide.

In 2013, Phil Mickelson, five shots back starting the final round, birdied four of his last six holes, shot a 5-under-par 66 and won the British Open at Muirfield in Scotland -- his fifth Grand Slam title.

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In 2017, White House press secretary Sean Spicer resigned his post, telling President Donald Trump he opposed the hiring of Anthony Scaramucci as White House communications director.

File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI

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