Today is Friday, July 3, the 184th day of 2009. There are 181 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On July 3, 1863, the three-day Civil War Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania ended in a major victory for the North as Confederate troops retreated.

On this date:

• In 1608, the city of Quebec was founded by Samuel de Champlain.

• In 1775, Gen. George Washington took command of the Continental Army at Cambridge, Mass.

• In 1890, Idaho became the 43rd state of the Union.

• In 1898, the U.S. Navy defeated a Spanish fleet outside Santiago Bay in Cuba during the Spanish-American War.

• In 1944, during World War II, Soviet forces recaptured Minsk.

• In 1962, Algeria became independent after 132 years of French rule.

• In 1989, a divided Supreme Court upheld abortion restrictions in the state of Missouri.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Tim O’Connor is 82. Movie director Ken Russell is 82. Jazz musician Pete Fountain is 79. Playwright Tom Stoppard is 72. Writer-producer Jay Tarses is 70. Writer Dave Barry is 62. Actress Betty Buckley is 62. Actor Tom Cruise is 47.

Thought for Today: “A timid person is frightened before a danger; a coward during the time; and a courageous person afterward.”—Jean Paul Richter, German author (1763-1825).