Today in History: August 7, Twin Tower tightrope walk

Today is Friday, Aug. 7, the 219th day of 2026. There are 146 days left in the year.Today in history:On Aug. 7, 1974, French high-wire artist Philippe Petit performed an unapproved tightrope walk between the two towers of the World Trade Center in New York, over 1,300 feet above the ground; the event was chronicled in the Academy Award-winning documentary “Man on Wire.”Also on this date:In 1789, the U.S. Department of War was established by Congress.In 1942, U.S. and other allied forces landed at Guadalcanal, marking the start of the first major allied offensive in the Pacific during World War II.In 1960, Cote d’Ivoire gained independence from France.In 1964, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, giving President Lyndon B. Johnson broad powers in dealing with reported North Vietna