On July 25, 1956, the Italian liner SS Andrea Doria collided with the Swedish passenger ship Stockholm off the New England coast late at night and began sinking; 51 people – 46 from the Andrea Doria, five from the Stockholm – were killed. (The Andrea Doria capsized and sank the following morning.)

Ten years ago

Israeli troops sealed off a Hezbollah stronghold and widened their control of southern Lebanon; an Israeli airstrike hit a U.N. border outpost, killing four observers. President George W. Bush was visited at the White House by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who said he and Bush agreed that training and better arming Iraqi forces as quickly as possible was central to efforts to stabilizing his country.

Five years ago

In a prime-time address to the nation, President Barack Obama made a last-ditch call for compromise on raising the government’s borrowing ability before an Aug. 2 deadline; in a rebuttal, House Speaker John Boehner said negotiations with the White House had been futile. The NFL Players Association executive board and 32 team reps voted unanimously to approve the terms of a deal to end a 4½-month lockout.

One year ago

First lady Michelle Obama opened the Special Olympics at a star-studded ceremony in Los Angeles. Cole Hamels became the first pitcher to throw a no-hitter against the Chicago Cubs in 50 years while leading the Philadelphia Phillies to a 5-0 win.

— By The Associated Press