Today is Friday, July 27, the 209th day of 2024. There are 157 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On July 27, 1953, the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed at Panmunjom, ending three years of fighting on the Korean peninsula that killed an estimated 4 million people.

Also on this date:

In 1789, President George Washington signed a measure establishing the Department of Foreign Affairs, forerunner of the Department of State.

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Today in History: July 24, Apollo 11 returns home from the moon

Today in History: July 23, the 1967 Detroit riot begins

Today in History: July 22, First solo around-the-world flight

In 1866, Cyrus W. Field finished laying out the first successful underwater telegraph cable between North America and Europe.

In 1909, during the first official test of the U.S. Army’s first airplane, Orville Wright flew himself and a passenger, Lt. Frank Lahm, above Fort Myer, Virginia, for one hour and 12 minutes.

In 1940, Billboard magazine published its first “music popularity chart” listing best-selling retail records. In first place was “I’ll Never Smile Again” recorded by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra, with featured vocalist Frank Sinatra.

In 1974, the House Judiciary Committee voted 27-11 to adopt the first of three articles of impeachment against President Richard Nixon, charging he had personally engaged in a course of conduct designed to obstruct justice in the Watergate case.

In 1980, on day 267 of the Iranian hostage crisis, the deposed Shah of Iran died at a military hospital outside Cairo, Egypt, at age 60.

In 1981, 6-year-old Adam Walsh was abducted from a department store in Hollywood, Fla., and was later murdered (Adam’s father, John Walsh, subsequently became a victim’s rights activist and, in 1988, launched and hosted the television show “America’s Most Wanted”).

In 1996, terror struck the Atlanta Olympics as a pipe bomb exploded at Centennial Olympic Park, directly killing one person and injuring 111. (Anti-government extremist Eric Rudolph later pleaded guilty to the bombing, exonerating security guard Richard Jewell, who had been wrongly suspected.)

In 2012, Britain opened its Olympic Games in a celebration of Old England and new, even cheekily featuring a stunt double for Queen Elizabeth II parachuting with James Bond into Olympic Stadium.

In 2013, security forces and armed men clashed with supporters of Egypt’s ousted president, Mohammed Morsi, killing at least 80 people.

In 2015, the Boy Scouts of America ended its blanket ban on gay adult leaders while allowing church-sponsored Scout units to maintain the exclusion for religious reasons.

In 2018, the White House announced that North Korea had returned the remains of what were believed to be U.S. servicemen killed during the Korean War, with a U.S. military plane making a rare trip into North Korea to retrieve 55 cases of remains.

In 2020, the world’s biggest COVID-19 vaccine study began with the first of 30,000 planned volunteers helping to test shots created by the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc.

In 2021, American gymnast Simone Biles pulled out of the gymnastics team competition at the Tokyo Olympics to focus on her mental well-being, saying she realized following a shaky vault that she wasn’t in the right headspace to compete.

Today’s Birthdays:

Singer-songwriter Bobbie Gentry is 82.
Actor-director Betty Thomas is 77.
Olympic gold medal figure skater Peggy Fleming is 76.
Singer Maureen McGovern is 75.
Comedian-actor-writer Carol Leifer is 68.
Comedian Bill Engvall is 67.
Actor-martial artist Donnie Yen is 61.
Jazz singer Karrin Allyson is 61.
Rock musician Juliana Hatfield is 57.
Actor Julian McMahon is 56.
Former professional wrestler Triple H is 55.
Actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (NIH’-koh-lye KAH’-stur WAHL’-dah) is 54.
Comedian Maya Rudolph is 52.
Rock musician Abe Cunningham (Deftones) is 51.
Singer-songwriter Pete Yorn is 50.
Former MLB All-Star Alex Rodriguez is 49.
Actor Jonathan Rhys (rees) Meyers is 47.
Actor/comedian Heidi Gardner (TV: “Saturday Night Live”) is 41.
Actor Taylor Schilling is 40.
MLB All-Star pitcher Max Scherzer is 40.
Golfer Jordan Spieth is 31.

Minnesota United started Leagues Cup in a similar vein to how they paused MLS play last week — without several key players available.

For the Loons, it got worse in the 65th minute Friday when Hassani Dotson was sent off with a red card.

The 10-men Loons on held for 87 minutes, thanks in large part to goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair, but Seattle forward Jordan Morris and Paul Rothrock scored late to give the Sounders a 2-0 win in the Leagues Cup West Group 6 group play at Lumen Field on Friday.

MNUFC will play Mexican club Necaxa at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Allianz Field. Necaxa and Seattle will Aug. 4 in Washington. The top two teams advance to the knockout stages in the second week of August.

Despite St. Clair’s nine saves, including a denial of Albert Rusnak on a penalty kick in stoppage time, the Loons have lost all 10 matches in Seattle since 2017,

MNUFC started a back line with three inexperienced players, including rookie Hugo Bacharach getting his first start since April, converted central midfielder Carlos Harvey and MNUFC2 attacker Loic Mesanvi. Morris Duggan, another MLS rookie, replaced Bacharach at halftime.

That was a challenge against an experienced front line from Seattle, which included Jordan Morris, Albert Rusnak and Pedro de la Vega.

Both teams had scoring chances in the first half, with Dayne St. Clair stepping up to make four saves, while Minnesota’s attacks broke down before reaching a shot on target.

The Loons best chance came from the head of Bongi Hlongwane in the 25th minute. Off a cross from Joseph Rosales, Hlongwane’s header went off the bar.

Briefly

The Loons on Friday were nearing the finalization of two summer transfer window additions: forward Kervin Yeboah and defender Jefferson Diaz, a source told Pioneer Press. … Mesanvi, who was called up on short-term loan from MNUFC2, received his first start with the first team on Friday. The Lakeville South graduate hasn’t played for first team since March. … MNUFC came into Leagues Cup with an overall ranking of 32nd out of 47 clubs in the field. Seattle is 13th, Necaxa 44th. … Dotson’s red card came from a hard tackle of Seattle striker Raul Ruidiaz, who limped off the field four minutes later, while Dotson also will be suspended for Tuesday’s match in St. Paul. … MNUFC played without Robin Lod, Sang Bin Jeong, Michael Boxall, Wil Trapp and DJ Taylor.

St. Paul Saints infielder Rylan Bannon is a bit of an enigma, and it has to do with the numbers.

He’s a compact 5-foot-8, 180 pounds, yet possesses middle-of-the-lineup power. And, despite being one of the most productive hitters in the International League this season, he was
acquired from the New York Mets for cash on July 16.

Add it all up and the 28-year-old Bannon, whose resume includes seven major league games with three organizations, is an under-the-radar move by the Twins that could pay dividends.

“I’m excited to be here from an opportunity standpoint,” Bannon said prior to the Saints’ game with the Omaha Storm Chasers on Friday night at CHS Field. “It was tough leaving the Mets when I was having a good year, but I’m happy to be here; just keep building on what I was doing over there and keep rolling with it.”

Bannon walked twice while hitting second for St. Paul in Friday’s 6-1 win against Omaha, and he now owns an .854 OPS this season.

Playing for the Mets’ Triple-A team in Syracuse this season, Bannon hit 15 home runs and drove in 57 runs in 79 games. He has hit 105 home runs in less than six minor-league seasons.

“I think it’s more intent than anything,” Bannon said of his power. “Every time I go up there I’m trying to do damage — trying to get my pitch, trying to put my best swing on it. The name of the game now is to get your swing off and do damage.

“I’ve always tried to maintain that mindset, and it’s easier said than done. This year I kind of tapped back into that. I had some hitting coaches in Syracuse who were big on that, so it was fun to feed off of that with them.”

Bannon was an eighth-round pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2017 out of Xavier, where he was Big East Player of the Year. A year later, he was part of one of the biggest trades in recent years, as he was among the package of players the Dodgers sent to Baltimore for Manny Machado.

“That was probably one of the more pivotal moments of my career,” Bannon said. “Getting traded the first time is always the hardest; it was definitely a shock to the system. Baltimore was in the beginning of their rebuild phase, and I went through a lot there.”

Bannon remained in the Baltimore organization until 2022, and made his major-league debut with the Orioles that season.

“It happened really fast,” Bannon said. “I was on the taxi squad with Baltimore and I didn’t even know I was playing that day. They pulled me into the office an hour before the game and told me I was playing.”

Bannon returned to the Dodgers’ organization in August when he was picked up off waivers in what was the start of a baseball odyssey. Eight days later, he was claimed on waivers by
Atlanta.

Bannon grew up in Joliet, Illinois, just outside of Chicago, and for a couple weeks in November he was a member of the Cubs, the team he grew up rooting for.

“I remember calling my dad and getting kind of emotional,” Bannon said. “It would have been really cool, but baseball is a business, and it didn’t work out.”

This time it was Houston that claimed Bannon off waivers, and his stint with that organization included two games with the Astros last season.

Time will tell if Minnesota will provide Bannon’s next chance to establish himself as a major-league player.

“It’s hard everywhere,” Bannon said. “I’ve been in a lot of situations where you think the opportunities are great and they don’t pan out. That’s the case for a lot of guys. So it’s hard to
say that the situation is greater here than anywhere else.

“So you just keep your head down and keep grinding.”

Briefly

Patrick Winkel and Dalton Shuffield each hit two-run home runs in the fourth inning of Friday’s win. Winkel, Shuffield and Wynton Bernard each had two hits. … Adam Plutko ran his record to 6-1 this season with six scoreless innings. He allowed just one hit and one walk while striking out six. … Reliever Justin Topa, on rehab assignment from the Twins, pitched a scoreless seventh with a walk and strikeout.

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