Almanac
By The Associated Press
Today in History
Today is Friday, Sept. 30, the 274th day of 2016. There are 92 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Sept. 30, 1791, Mozart’s opera “The Magic Flute” premiered in Vienna, Austria.
On this date:
In 1777, the Continental Congress – forced to flee in the face of advancing British forces – moved to York, Pennsylvania.
In 1846, Boston dentist William Morton used ether as an anesthetic for the first time as he extracted an ulcerated tooth from merchant Eben Frost.
In 1915, the D.H. Lawrence novel “The Rainbow” was published in London by Methuen & Co.
In 1938, after co-signing the Munich Agreement allowing Nazi annexation of Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain said, “I believe it is peace for our time.”
In 1939, the first college football game to be televised was shown on experimental station W2XBS in New York as Fordham University defeated Waynesburg College, 34-7.
In 1949, the Berlin Airlift came to an end.
In 1955, actor James Dean, 24, was killed in a two-car collision near Cholame, California.
In 1962, James Meredith, a black student, was escorted by federal marshals to the campus of the University of Mississippi, where he enrolled for classes the next day; Meredith’s presence sparked rioting that claimed two lives.
In 1966, the Republic of Botswana became independent from Britain.
In 1972, Roberto Clemente hit a double against John Matlack of the New York Mets during Pittsburgh’s 5-0 victory at Three Rivers Stadium; the hit was the 3,000th and last for the Pirates star.
In 1986, the U.S. released accused Soviet spy Gennadiy Zakharov, one day after the Soviets released American journalist Nicholas Daniloff.
In 1997, France’s Roman Catholic Church apologized for its silence during the systematic persecution and deportation of Jews by the pro-Nazi Vichy regime.
Ten years ago: Five people were killed when an overpass near Montreal collapsed. Tony Award-winning actress Isabel Bigley died in Los Angeles at age 80.
Five years ago: A U.S. drone airstrike in Yemen killed two American members of al-Qaida, cleric Anwar al-Awlaki and recruiting magazine editor Samir Khan.
One year ago: Just hours before a midnight deadline, a bitterly divided Congress approved, and President Barack Obama signed, a stopgap spending bill to keep the federal government open. Kelly Renee Gissendaner, the only woman on Georgia’s death row, was executed by injection, making her the first woman put to death by the state in seven decades. (Gissendaner was convicted of murder in the 1997 slaying of her husband after she’d conspired with her lover, who stabbed Douglas Gissendaner to death.) Prosecutors declined to charge
Thought for Today: “Nothing you can’t spell will ever work.” – Will Rogers, American humorist (1879-1935).
Almanac
By The Associated Press
Today in History
Today is Wednesday, Sept. 28, the 272nd day of 2016. There are 94 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Sept. 28, 1066, William the Conqueror invaded England to claim the English throne.
On this date:
In 1542, Portuguese navigator Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo arrived at present-day San Diego.
In 1787, the Congress of the Confederation voted to send the just-completed Constitution of the United States to state legislatures for their approval.
In 1850, flogging was abolished as a form of punishment in the U.S. Navy.
In 1914, the First Battle of the Aisne (AYN) during World War I ended inconclusively.
In 1928, Scottish medical researcher Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, the first effective antibiotic. In 1939, during World War II, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed a treaty calling for the partitioning of Poland, which the two countries had invaded. In 1958, voters in the African country of Guinea overwhelmingly favored independence from France.
In 1976, Muhammad Ali kept his world heavyweight boxing championship with a close 15-round decision over Ken Norton at New York’s Yankee Stadium. In 1989, deposed Philippine President Ferdinand E. Marcos died in exile in Hawaii at age 72. In 1991, jazz great Miles Davis died in Santa Monica, California, at age 65.
In 1995, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO chairman Yasser Arafat signed an accord at the White House ending Israel’s military occupation of West Bank cities and laying the foundation for a Palestinian state.
Ten years ago: Al-Qaida in Iraq’s leader, in a chilling audiotape, called for nuclear scientists to join his group’s holy war and urged insurgents to kidnap Westerners so they could be traded for a blind Egyptian sheik serving a life sentence in a U.S. prison.
Five years ago: The Obama administration formally appealed a federal appeals court ruling striking down a key provision of President Barack Obama’s health care law requiring Americans to buy health insurance or pay a penalty. (The U.S. Supreme Court later upheld the individual mandate.)
One year ago: President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin, meeting at the United Nations, agreed to discuss a political transition in Syria but remained at odds about what that would mean for Syria leader Bashar Assad’s future.
Thought for Today: “Sometimes I think we Americans are the loneliest people in the world. To be sure, we hunger for the power of affection, the self-acceptance that gives life. It is the oldest and strongest hunger in the world. But hungering is not enough.” – Sherwood Anderson, American author and poet (1876-1941).
Almanac
By The Associated Press
Today in History
Today is Tuesday, Sept. 27, the 271st day of 2016. There are 95 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Sept. 27, 1964, the government publicly released the report of the Warren Commission, which concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald had acted alone in assassinating President John F. Kennedy.
On this date:
In 1540, Pope Paul III issued a papal bull establishing the Society of Jesus, or Jesuits, as a religious order.
In 1779, John Adams was named by Congress to negotiate the Revolutionary War’s peace terms with Britain.
In 1854, the first great disaster involving an Atlantic Ocean passenger vessel occurred when the steamship SS Arctic sank off Newfoundland; of the more than 400 people on board, only 86 survived.
In 1928, the United States said it was recognizing the Nationalist Chinese government.
In 1939, Warsaw, Poland, surrendered after weeks of resistance to invading forces from Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union during World War II.
In 1941, the United States launched the first 14 rapidly built “Liberty” military cargo vessels.
In 1956, Olympic track and field gold medalist and Hall of Fame golfer Babe Didrikson Zaharias died in Galveston, Texas, at age 45.
In 1962, “Silent Spring,” Rachel Carson’s study on the effects of pesticides on the environment, was published in book form by Houghton Mifflin.
In 1979, Congress gave its final approval to forming the U.S. Department of Education.
In 1989, Columbia Pictures Entertainment Inc. agreed to a $3.4 billion cash buyout by Sony Corp.
In 1991, President George H.W. Bush announced in a nationally broadcast address that he was eliminating all U.S. battlefield nuclear weapons, and called on the Soviet Union to match the gesture. The Senate Judiciary Committee deadlocked, 7-7, on the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the U.S. Supreme Court.
In 2001, an armed man went on a shooting rampage in the local parliament of Zug, Switzerland, killing 14 people before taking his own life. President George W. Bush asked the nation’s governors to post National Guard troops at airports as a first step toward federal control of airline security.
Ten years ago: President George W. Bush hosted a peacemaking dinner at the White House for the bickering leaders of Pakistan and Afghanistan, Gen. Pervez Musharraf (pur-VEHZ’ moo-SHAH’-ruhv) and Hamid Karzai (HAH’-mihd KAHR’-zeye). Republicans announced they would hold their 2008 presidential convention in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul. A gunman took six girls hostage at a high school in Bailey, Colorado; he molested some of them and killed one girl before committing suicide.
Five years ago: Opening statements in the Los Angeles trial of Michael Jackson’s personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, took place as prosecutors accused Murray of killing the superstar through irresponsible use of the anesthetic propofol, and the defense maintaining Jackson had caused his own death. (Murray was later convicted of felony involuntary manslaughter.) Israel gave the go-ahead for construction of 1,100 new Jewish housing units in east Jerusalem; the announcement met with swift criticism from the United States and the European Union.
One year ago: President Barack Obama committed the U.S. to a new blueprint to eliminate poverty and hunger around the world as he addressed a global summit at the United Nations. Pope Francis urged hundreds of thousands of faithful gathered in Philadelphia for the biggest event of his U.S. visit to be open to the “miracles of love,” closing out a six-day trip with a message of hope for families and consolation for victims of child sexual abuse.
Thought for Today: “God loved the birds and invented trees. Man loved the birds and invented cages.” – Jacques Deval, French writer, director and actor (1895-1972).
Almanac
By The Associated Press
Today in History
Today is Monday, Sept. 26, the 270th day of 2016. There are 96 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Sept. 26, 1789, Thomas Jefferson was confirmed by the Senate to be the first United States secretary of state; John Jay, the first chief justice; Edmund Randolph, the first attorney general.
On this date:
In 1777, British troops occupied Philadelphia during the American Revolution.
In 1892, John Philip Sousa and his newly formed band performed publicly for the first time at the Stillman Music Hall in Plainfield, New Jersey.
In 1914, the Federal Trade Commission was established.
In 1937, the radio drama “The Shadow,” starring Orson Welles, premiered on the Mutual Broadcasting System.
In 1945, Hungarian-born composer Bela Bartok, 64, died in New York City.
In 1957, the musical play “West Side Story” opened on Broadway.
In 1960, the first-ever debate between presidential nominees took place as Democrat John F. Kennedy and Republican Richard M. Nixon faced off before a national TV audience from Chicago.
In 1981, the twin-engine Boeing 767 made its official debut in Everett, Washington.
In 1986, William H. Rehnquist was sworn in as the 16th chief justice of the United States, while Antonin Scalia joined the Supreme Court as its 103rd member.
In 1991, four men and four women began a two-year stay inside a sealed-off structure in Oracle, Arizona, called Biosphere 2. (They emerged from Biosphere on this date in 1993.)
In 1996, President Bill Clinton signed a bill ensuring two-day hospital stays for new mothers and their babies. Richard Allen Davis, the killer of 12-year-old Polly Klaas, was formally sentenced to death in San Jose, California.
In 2014, 43 students from a rural teachers college in Guerrero state in Mexico who had commandeered buses to attend a rally in Mexico City were detained by police in the city of Iguala and turned over to a crime gang; their fate remains unknown.
Ten years ago: A declassified version of a government intelligence report ordered released by President George W. Bush said the war in Iraq had become a “cause celebre” for Islamic extremists, breeding deep resentment of the U.S. that was likely to get worse before it got better. Former Enron chief financial officer Andrew Fastow was sentenced by a federal judge in Houston to six years in prison for his role in the fallen energy company’s bankruptcy (Fastow was released in Dec. 2011).
Almanac
By The Associated Press
Today in History
Today is Saturday, Sept. 24, the 268th day of 2016. There are 98 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Sept. 24, 1996, the United States, represented by President Bill Clinton, and 70 other countries signed a treaty at the United Nations to end all testing and development of nuclear weapons. (To date, 183 countries have signed the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, but the agreement has yet to enter into force because of the refusal so far of eight nations – including the United States – to ratify it.)
On this date:
In 1789, President George Washington signed a Judiciary Act establishing America’s federal court system and creating the post of attorney general. In 1869, thousands of businessmen were ruined in a Wall Street panic known as “Black Friday” after financiers Jay Gould and James Fisk attempted to corner the gold market.
In 1890, the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Wilford Woodruff, wrote a manifesto renouncing the practice of plural marriage, or polygamy.
In 1929, Lt. James H. Doolittle guided a Consolidated NY-2 Biplane over Mitchel Field in New York in the first all-instrument flight.
In 1934, Babe Ruth made his farewell appearance as a player with the New York Yankees in a game against the Boston Red Sox. (The Sox won, 5-0.) In 1948, Mildred Gillars, accused of being Nazi wartime radio propagandist “Axis Sally,” pleaded not guilty in Washington D.C. to charges of treason.
In 1955, President Dwight D. Eisenhower suffered a heart attack while on vacation in Denver.
In 1957, the Los Angeles-bound Brooklyn Dodgers played their last game at Ebbets Field, defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-0.
In 1960, the USS Enterprise, the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, was launched at Newport News, Virginia. “The Howdy Doody Show” ended a nearly 13-year run with its final telecast on NBC.
In 1976, former hostage Patricia Hearst was sentenced to seven years in prison for her part in a 1974 bank robbery in San Francisco carried out by the Symbionese Liberation Army. (Hearst was released after 22 months after receiving clemency from President Jimmy Carter.)
In 1988, Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson won the men’s 100-meter dash at the Seoul (sohl) Summer Olympics – but he was disqualified three days later for using anabolic steroids. Members of the eastern Massachusetts Episcopal diocese elected Barbara C. Harris the first female bishop in the church’s history.
Thought for Today: “The easiest way to get a reputation is go outside the fold, shout around for a few years as a violent atheist or a dangerous radical, and then crawl back to the shelter.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald
Almanac
By The Associated Press
Today in History
Today is Friday, Sept. 23, the 267th day of 2016. There are 99 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Sept. 23, 1846, Neptune was identified as a planet by German astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle (GAH’-luh).
On this date:
In 1779, during the Revolutionary War, the American warship Bon Homme Richard, commanded by John Paul Jones, defeated the HMS Serapis in battle off Yorkshire, England; however, the seriously damaged Bon Homme Richard sank two days later.
In 1780, British spy John Andre was captured along with papers revealing Benedict Arnold’s plot to surrender West Point to the British.
In 1806, the Lewis and Clark expedition returned to St. Louis more than two years after setting out for the Pacific Northwest.
In 1926, Gene Tunney scored a ten-round decision over Jack Dempsey to win the world heavyweight boxing title in Philadelphia.
In 1939, Sigmund Freud (froyd), the founder of psychoanalysis, died in London at age 83.
In 1952, in what became known as the “Checkers” speech, Sen. Richard M. Nixon, R-Calif., salvaged his vice-presidential nomination by appearing on television to refute allegations of improper campaign fundraising.
In 1955, a jury in Sumner, Mississippi, acquitted two white men, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam, of murdering black teenager Emmett Till. (The two men later admitted to the crime in an interview with Look magazine.)
In 1957, nine black students who’d entered Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas were forced to withdraw because of a white mob outside. In 1962, New York’s Philharmonic Hall (later renamed Avery Fisher Hall) formally opened as the first unit of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. “The Jetsons,” an animated cartoon series about a Space Age family, premiered as the ABC television network’s first program in color.
In 1973, former Argentine president Juan Peron won a landslide election victory that returned him to power; his wife, Isabel, was elected vice president.
In 1987, Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., withdrew from the Democratic presidential race following questions about his use of borrowed quotations and the portrayal of his academic record.
In 1996, space shuttle Atlantis left Russia’s orbiting Mir station with astronaut Shannon Lucid, who ended her six-month visit with tender goodbyes to her Russian colleagues.
Ten years ago: Three young children were found dead in an East St. Louis, Illinois, apartment, hours after Tiffany Hall was charged with killing their pregnant mother and her fetus in a grisly attack. (Hall later pleaded guilty to four counts of murder and one count of intentional homicide in the death of the fetus and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.) Barry Bonds hit his 734th career home run in the Giants’ 10-8 loss to the Brewers, breaking Hank Aaron’s NL record.
Five years ago: Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas (mahk-MOOD’ ah-BAHS’) took his people’s quest for independence to the United Nations, seeking the world body’s recognition of Palestine and sidestepping negotiations that had foundered for nearly two decades.
Thought for Today: “Education is hanging around until you’ve caught on.” – Robert Frost, American poet (1874-1963).
Almanac
By The Associated Press
Today in History
Today is Thursday, Sept. 22, the 266th day of 2016. There are 100 days left in the year. Autumn arrives at 10:21 a.m. Eastern time.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Sept. 22, 1776, during the Revolutionary War, Capt. Nathan Hale, 21, was hanged as a spy by the British in New York.
On this date:
In 1792, the first French Republic was proclaimed.
In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, declaring all slaves in rebel states should be free as of Jan. 1, 1863.
In 1911, pitcher Cy Young, 44, gained his 511th and final career victory as he hurled a 1-0 shutout for the Boston Rustlers against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Forbes Field.
In 1927, Gene Tunney successfully defended his heavyweight boxing title against Jack Dempsey in the famous “long-count” fight in Chicago.
In 1938, the musical comedy revue “Hellzapoppin’,” starring Ole (OH’-lee) Olsen and Chic Johnson, began a three-year run on Broadway.
In 1949, the Soviet Union exploded its first atomic bomb.
In 1950, Omar N. Bradley was promoted to the rank of five-star general, joining an elite group that included Dwight D. Eisenhower, Douglas MacArthur, George C. Marshall and Henry H. “Hap” Arnold.
In 1964, the musical “Fiddler on the Roof,” starring Zero Mostel, opened on Broadway, beginning a run of 3,242 performances. The secret agent series “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,” starring Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, premiered on NBC-TV.
In 1975, Sara Jane Moore attempted to shoot President Gerald R. Ford outside a San Francisco hotel, but missed. (Moore served 32 years in prison before being paroled on Dec. 31, 2007.)
In 1985, rock and country music artists participated in “Farm Aid,” a concert staged in Champaign, Illinois, to help the nation’s farmers.
In 1991, the London newspaper The Mail published an interview with former intelligence agent John Cairncross, who admitted being the “fifth man” in the Soviet Union’s notorious British spy ring.
In 1996, actress-singer Dorothy Lamour died at her North Hollywood home at age 81.
Ten years ago: A high-speed maglev train crashed in northwestern Germany, killing 23 people in the first fatal wreck involving the high-tech system. Three Christian militants were executed in Indonesia for leading attacks on Muslims in May 2000 that left at least 70 people dead. Hewlett-Packard Co. Chairwoman Patricia Dunn resigned in the wake of the company’s ill-fated investigation of boardroom media leaks. Actor Edward Albert died in Malibu, California, at age 55.
Five years ago: A group of European researchers at the world’s biggest physics lab in Switzerland claimed to have measured a subatomic particle, a neutrino, traveling faster than the speed of light, a finding that challenged Einstein’s theory of relativity (however, the results were refuted by other scientists). American diplomats led a walkout at the U.N. General Assembly as Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad fiercely attacked the United States and major West European nations as “arrogant powers” ruled by greed and eager for military adventurism.
Almanac
By The Associated Press
Today in History
Today is Wednesday, Sept. 21, the 265th day of 2016. There are 101 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Sept. 21, 1996, President Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act denying federal recognition of same-sex marriages a day after saying the law should not be used as an excuse for discrimination, violence or intimidation against gays and lesbians. (Although never formally repealed, DoMA was effectively overturned by U.S. Supreme Court decisions in 2013 and 2015.)
On this date:
In 1792, the French National Convention voted to abolish the monarchy.
In 1866, English novelist H.G. Wells was born in Bromley, Kent.
In 1897, the New York Sun ran its famous editorial, written anonymously by Francis P. Church, which declared, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.”
In 1925, the Rudolf Friml operetta “The Vagabond King” opened on Broadway.
In 1938, a hurricane struck parts of New York and New England, causing widespread damage and claiming some 700 lives.
In 1948, Milton Berle made his debut as permanent host of “The Texaco Star Theater” on NBC-TV.
In 1957, Norway’s King Haakon VII died in Oslo at age 85. The legal mystery-drama “Perry Mason,” starring Raymond Burr, premiered on CBS-TV.
In 1964, Malta gained independence from Britain.
In 1970, “NFL Monday Night Football” made its debut on ABC-TV as the Cleveland Browns defeated the visiting New York Jets, 31-21.
In 1976, Orlando Letelier (leh-tel-YEHR’), onetime foreign minister to Chilean President Salvador Allende (ah-YEN’-day), was killed when a bomb exploded in his car in Washington D.C. (The bombing, which also killed Letelier’s assistant, Ronni Moffitt, was blamed on Chile’s secret police.)
In 1989, Hurricane Hugo crashed into Charleston, South Carolina (the storm was blamed for 56 deaths in the Caribbean and 29 in the United States). Twenty-one students in Alton, Texas, died when their school bus, hit by a soft-drink delivery truck, careened into a water-filled pit.
In 1996, John F. Kennedy Jr. married Carolyn Bessette in a secret ceremony on Cumberland Island, Georgia. The board of all-male Virginia Military Institute voted to admit women.
Ten years ago: The Bush White House and rebellious Senate Republicans, including John McCain of Arizona, announced agreement on rules for the interrogation and trial of suspects in the war on terror.
Almanac
By The Associated Press
Today in History
Today is Tuesday, Sept. 20, the 264th day of 2016. There are 102 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Sept. 20, 1946, the first Cannes Film Festival, lasting 16 days, opened in France. Among the films honored with the Golden Palm were “The Lost Weekend,” ”Brief Encounter,” ”Rome, Open City” and “Pastoral Symphony”; “The Battle of the Rails” won the International Jury Prize.
On this date:
In 1519, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his crew set out from Spain on five ships to find a western passage to the Spice Islands. (Magellan was killed en route, but one of his ships eventually circled the world.)
In 1870, Italian troops took control of the Papal States, leading to the unification of Italy.
In 1884, the National Equal Rights Party was formed during a convention of suffragists in San Francisco; the convention nominated Belva Ann Bennett Lockwood for president.
In 1911, the British liner RMS Olympic collided with the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Hawke off the Isle of Wight; although seriously damaged, the Olympic was able to return to Southampton under its own power.
In 1947, former New York City Mayor Fiorello La Guardia died.
Thought for Today: “A good film is when the price of the dinner, the theatre admission and the babysitter were worth it.” – Alfred Hitchcock, British-born movie director (1899-1980).
Almanac
By The Associated Press
Today in History
Today is Monday, Sept. 19, the 263rd day of 2016. There are 103 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Sept. 19th, 1796, President George Washington’s farewell address was published. In it, America’s first chief executive advised, “Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all.”
On this date:
In 1777, the first Battle of Saratoga was fought during the Revolutionary War; although British forces succeeded in driving out the American troops, the Americans prevailed in a second battle the following month. In 1881, the 20th president of the United States, James A. Garfield, died 2 1/2 months after being shot by Charles Guiteau; Chester Alan Arthur became president.
In 1906, addressing the annual dinner of The Associated Press in New York, Mark Twain said, “There are only two forces that can carry light to all the corners of the globe – only two – the sun in the heavens and The Associated Press down here.”
Thought for Today: “Start every day off with a smile and get it over with.” – W.C. Fields, American comedian (1880-1946).
Almanac
By The Associated Press
Today in History
Today is Saturday, Sept. 17, the 261st day of 2016. There are 105 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Sept. 17, 1978, after meeting at Camp David, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin (men-AH’-kem BAY’-gihn) and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat signed a framework for a peace treaty.
On this date:
In 1787, the Constitution of the United States was completed and signed by a majority of delegates attending the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.
In 1862, more than 3,600 men were killed in the Civil War Battle of Antietam (an-TEE’-tum) in Maryland.
In 1908, Lt. Thomas E. Selfridge of the U.S. Army Signal Corps became the first person to die in the crash of a powered aircraft, the Wright Flyer, at Fort Myer, Virginia, just outside Washington D.C.
In 1937, the likeness of President Abraham Lincoln’s head was dedicated at Mount Rushmore.
In 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Poland during World War II, more than two weeks after Nazi Germany had launched its assault.
In 1944, during World War II, Allied paratroopers launched Operation Market Garden, landing behind German lines in the Netherlands. (After initial success, the Allies were beaten back by the Germans.)
In 1955, Tennessee Ernie Ford recorded “Sixteen Tons” by Merle Travis for Capitol Records in Hollywood.
In 1966, “Mission: Impossible” premiered on CBS.
In 1971, citing health reasons, Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black, 85, retired. (Black, who was succeeded by Lewis F. Powell Jr., died eight days after making his announcement.)
In 1984, Progressive Conservative leader Brian Mulroney (muhl-ROO’-nee) took office as Canada’s 18th prime minister.
In 1986, the Senate confirmed the nomination of William H. Rehnquist to become the 16th chief justice of the United States.
In 1996, Former Vice President Spiro T. Agnew died in Berlin, Maryland, at age 77.
Ten years ago: Pope Benedict XVI said he was “deeply sorry” his recent remarks on Islam and violence had offended Muslims, but the unusual expression of papal regret drew a mixed reaction from Islamic leaders, some of whom said it wasn’t enough. Five Duquesne (doo-KAYN’) basketball players were shot and wounded during an apparent act of random violence on the Pittsburgh campus. (Four people later pleaded guilty in connection with the shootings; the two who wielded guns received prison sentences.) Patricia Kennedy Lawford, the sister of President John F. Kennedy and ex-wife of actor Peter Lawford, died in New York City at age 82.
Almanac
By The Associated Press
Today in History
Today is Friday, Sept. 16, the 260th day of 2016. There are 106 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Sept. 16, 1966, the Metropolitan Opera officially opened its new opera house at New York’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts with the world premiere of Samuel Barber’s “Antony and Cleopatra.”
On this date:
In 1498, Tomas de Torquemada, notorious for his role in the Spanish Inquisition, died in Avila, Spain.
In 1810, Mexicans were inspired to begin their successful revolt against Spanish rule by Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla and his “Grito de Dolores (Cry of Dolores).”
In 1893, more than 100,000 settlers swarmed onto a section of land in Oklahoma known as the “Cherokee Strip.”
In 1908, General Motors was founded in Flint, Michigan, by William C. Durant.
In 1919, the American Legion received a national charter from Congress. In 1925, the Irving Berlin song “Always” (written for his future wife, Ellin Mackay) was published.
In 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Selective Training and Service Act. Samuel T. Rayburn of Texas was elected Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
In 1953, “The Robe,” the first movie presented in the widescreen process CinemaScope, had its world premiere at the Roxy Theater in New York. In 1976, the Episcopal Church, at its General Convention in Minneapolis, formally approved the ordination of women as priests and bishops.
In 1982, the massacre of between 1,200 and 1,400 Palestinian men, women and children at the hands of Israeli-allied Christian Phalange militiamen began in west Beirut’s Sabra and Shatila refugee camps.
In 1994, a federal jury in Anchorage, Alaska, ordered Exxon Corp. to pay $5 billion in punitive damages for the 1989 Exxon Valdez (val-DEEZ’) oil spill (the U.S Supreme Court later reduced that amount to $507.5 million). Two astronauts from the space shuttle Discovery went on the first untethered spacewalk in ten years.
In 2007, O.J. Simpson was arrested in the alleged armed robbery of sports memorabilia collectors in Las Vegas. (Simpson was later convicted of kidnapping and armed robbery and sentenced to nine to 33 years in prison.)
Ten years ago: The Vatican said Pope Benedict XVI “sincerely” regretted offending Muslims with his reference to an obscure medieval text characterizing some of the teachings of Islam’s founder as “evil and inhuman,” but the statement stopped short of the apology demanded by Islamic leaders.
Thought for Today: “Stoicism is the wisdom of madness and cynicism the madness of wisdom.” – Bergen Evans, American lexicographer (1904-1978).
Almanac
By The Associated Press
Today in History
Today is Thursday, Sept. 15, the 259th day of 2016. There are 107 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Sept. 15, 1963, four black girls were killed when a bomb went off during Sunday services at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. (Three Ku Klux Klansmen were eventually convicted for their roles in the blast.)
On this date:
In 1789, the U.S. Department of Foreign Affairs was renamed the Department of State.
In 1807, former Vice President Aaron Burr was acquitted of a misdemeanor charge two weeks after he was found not guilty of treason.
In 1857, William Howard Taft – who served as President of the United States and as U.S. chief justice – was born in Cincinnati, Ohio.
In 1890, English mystery writer Agatha Christie was born in Torquay.
In 1935, the Nuremberg Laws deprived German Jews of their citizenship.
In 1940, during the World War II Battle of Britain, the tide turned as the Royal Air Force inflicted heavy losses upon the Luftwaffe.
In 1950, during the Korean conflict, United Nations forces landed at Incheon in the south and began their drive toward Seoul (sohl).
In 1955, the novel “Lolita,” by Vladimir Nabokov, was first published in Paris.
In 1972, a federal grand jury in Washington indicted seven men in connection with the Watergate break-in.
In 1981, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted unanimously to approve the Supreme Court nomination of Sandra Day O’Connor.
In 1994, a tape recording of John Lennon singing with his teen-age band, The Quarrymen, in a Liverpool club on July 6, 1957, was sold at Sotheby’s for $122,500 (it was at this gig that Lennon first met Paul McCartney).
In 2000, the 2000 Summer Olympics opened in Sydney, Australia, with a seemingly endless parade of athletes and coaches and a spectacular display; Aboriginal runner Cathy Freeman ignited an Olympic ring of fire.
Ten years ago: Ford Motor Co. took drastic steps to remold itself into a smaller, more competitive company, slashing thousands of jobs and closing down two additional plants. U.S. Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, agreed to plead guilty to two criminal charges in the congressional corruption probe spawned by disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. (Ney served nearly a year and a-half of a 2-1/2-year prison sentence.) Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci died in Florence at age 77.
Five years ago: President Barack Obama bestowed the Medal of Honor on Sgt. Dakota Meyer, a young and humble Marine who had defied orders and repeatedly barreled straight into a ferocious “killing zone” in Afghanistan to save 36 lives at extraordinary risk to himself. A single rogue trader at Swiss banking giant UBS was arrested after allegedly costing the storied institution an estimated $2 billion. (Kweku Adoboli was later convicted of fraud and served about half of a seven-year sentence.)
One year ago: Hungary sealed off its border with Serbia with massive coils of barbed wire and began detaining migrants trying to use the country as a gateway to Western Europe, harsh new measures that left thousands of frustrated asylum-seekers piled up on the Serbian side of the border. Malcolm Turnbull was sworn in as the new prime minister of Australia after his conservative Liberal Party colleagues voted for him to replace Tony Abbott as the nation’s leader.
Thought for Today: “I think the greatest curse of American society has been the idea of an easy millennialism – that some new drug, or the next election or the latest in social engineering will solve everything.” – Robert Penn Warren, American poet
Almanac
By The Associated Press
Today in History
Today is Wednesday, Sept. 14, the 258th day of 2016. There are 108 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Sept. 14, 1814, Francis Scott Key was inspired to write the poem “Defence of Fort McHenry” after witnessing the American flag flying over the Maryland fort following a night of British bombardment during the War of 1812; the poem later became the words to “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
On this date:
In 1715, Benedictine monk Dom Pierre Perignon, credited with advances in the production of champagne, died in Hautvillers, France, at age 76.
In 1829, the Treaty of Adrianople was signed, ending war between Russia and the Ottoman Empire.
In 1861, the first naval engagement of the Civil War took place as the USS Colorado attacked and sank the Confederate private schooner Judah off Pensacola, Florida.
In 1901, President William McKinley died in Buffalo, New York, of gunshot wounds inflicted by an assassin; Vice President Theodore Roosevelt succeeded him.
In 1927, modern dance pioneer Isadora Duncan died in Nice (nees), France, when her scarf became entangled in a wheel of the sports car she was riding in.
In 1941, Vermont passed a resolution enabling its servicemen to receive wartime bonuses by declaring the U.S. to be in a state of armed conflict, giving rise to headlines that Vermont had “declared war on Germany.”
In 1954, the Soviet Union detonated a 40-kiloton atomic test weapon.
In 1964, Pope Paul VI opened the third session of the Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, also known as “Vatican II.” (The session closed two months later.)
In 1975, Pope Paul VI declared Mother Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton the first U.S.-born saint.
In 1982, Princess Grace of Monaco, formerly actress Grace Kelly, died at age 52 of injuries from a car crash the day before; Lebanon’s president-elect, Bashir Gemayel (bah-SHEER’ jeh-MAY’-el), was killed by a bomb.
In 1986, President Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy, appeared together on radio and television to appeal for a “national crusade” against drug abuse. In 1991, the government of South Africa, the African National Congress and the Inkatha (in-KAH’-tah) Freedom Party signed a national peace pact.
Ten years ago: Authorities advised people to avoid eating bagged fresh spinach, the suspected (later confirmed) source of an outbreak of E. coli illnesses that killed three people. Three men became the first rabbis ordained in Germany since World War II during a ceremony in Dresden.
Almanac
By The Associated Press
Today in History
Today is Tuesday, Sept. 13, the 257th day of 2016. There are 109 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Sept. 13, 1971, a four-day inmates’ rebellion at the Attica Correctional Facility in western New York ended as police and guards stormed the prison; the ordeal and final assault claimed the lives of 32 inmates and 11 hostages.
On this date:
In 1515, during the Italian Wars, the two-day Battle of Marignano began as forces led by Francis I of France clashed with troops from the Old Swiss Confederacy. (The French succeeded in forcing the Swiss to abandon nearby Milan.)
In 1788, the Congress of the Confederation authorized the first national election, and declared New York City the temporary national capital.
In 1814, during the War of 1812, British naval forces began bombarding Fort McHenry in Baltimore but were driven back by American defenders in a battle that lasted until the following morning.
Thought for Today: “Injustice, poverty, slavery, ignorance – these may be cured by reform or revolution. But men do not live only by fighting evils. They live by positive goals, individual and collective, a vast variety of them, seldom predictable, at times incompatible.” – Isaiah Berlin, Russian-born British philosopher
Almanac
By The Associated Press
Today in History
Today is Monday, Sept. 12, the 256th day of 2016. There are 110 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Sept. 12, 1960, Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kennedy addressed questions about his Roman Catholic faith, telling the Greater Houston Ministerial Association, “I do not speak for my church on public matters, and the church does not speak for me.”
On this date:
In 1814, the Battle of North Point took place in Maryland during the War of 1812 as American forces slowed British troops advancing on Baltimore. In 1846, Elizabeth Barrett secretly married Robert Browning at St. Marylebone Church in London.
In 1914, during World War I, the First Battle of the Marne ended in an Allied victory against Germany.
In 1938, Adolf Hitler demanded the right of self-determination for the Sudeten (soo-DAYT’-un) Germans in Czechoslovakia.
In 1944, the Second Quebec Conference opened with President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in attendance.
In 1953, Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kennedy married Jacqueline Lee Bouvier (boo-vee-AY’) in Newport, Rhode Island.
In 1966, “The Monkees” debuted on NBC-TV; “Family Affair” premiered on CBS.
In 1974, Emperor Haile Selassie (HY’-lee sehl-AH’-see) was deposed by Ethiopia’s military after ruling for 58 years.
In 1977, South African black student leader Steve Biko (BEE’-koh) died while in police custody, triggering an international outcry.
In 1986, Joseph Cicippio (sih-SIHP’-ee-oh), the acting comptroller at the American University in Beirut, was kidnapped (he was released in December 1991).
In 1995, the Belarusian military shot down a hydrogen balloon during an international race, killing its two American pilots, John Stuart-Jervis and Alan Fraenckel.
In 2000, Hillary Rodham Clinton became the first first lady to win an election as she claimed victory in the New York Democratic Senate primary, defeating little-known opponent Dr. Mark McMahon.
Ten years ago: In a speech in his native Germany, Pope Benedict XVI said Islamic holy war was against God’s nature and quoted a 14th-century Byzantine emperor, Manuel II Paleologos, as characterizing some teachings of Islam’s founder as “evil and inhuman”; the pope’s comments unleashed a torrent of rage across the Islamic world, prompting him to say he sincerely regretted that Muslims were offended. Syrian guards foiled an attempt by suspected al-Qaida-linked militants to blow up the U.S. Embassy in Damascus.
Five years ago: Texas Gov. Rick Perry, the perceived front-runner in the Republican presidential contest, endured an onslaught from seven rivals during a fractious two-hour debate in Tampa, Florida. Texana Hollis, a 101-year-old woman, was evicted from the southwest Detroit home where she had lived for nearly six decades after her son failed to pay the mortgage. (Hollis was allowed to move back into the house in April 2012 through the efforts of Detroit Free Press columnist Mitch Albom and his charity; Hollis died on Dec. 31, 2013 at the age of 103.) A leaking gasoline pipeline in Kenya’s capital exploded, killing 119 people, according to the Kenya Red Cross.
Thought for Today: “Conscience without judgment is superstition.” – Benjamin Whichcote, English theologian
Almanac
By The Associated Press
Today in History
Today is Saturday, Sept. 10, the 254th day of 2016. There are 112 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Sept. 10, 1846, Elias Howe received a patent for his sewing machine.
On this date:
In 1608, John Smith was elected president of the Jamestown colony council in Virginia.
In 1813, an American naval force commanded by Oliver H. Perry defeated the British in the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812. (Afterward, Perry sent out the message, “We have met the enemy and they are ours.”)
In 1919, New York City welcomed home Gen. John J. Pershing and 25,000 soldiers who’d served in the U.S. First Division during World War I.
In 1935, Sen. Huey P. Long died in Baton Rouge two days after being shot in the Louisiana state Capitol, allegedly by Dr. Carl Weiss.
In 1939, Canada declared war on Germany.
In 1945, Vidkun Quisling was sentenced to death in Norway for collaborating with the Nazis (he was executed by firing squad in Oct. 1945).
In 1955, the Western series “Gunsmoke,” starring James Arness as Marshal Matt Dillon, began a 20-season run on CBS Television.
In 1963, 20 black students entered Alabama public schools following a standoff between federal authorities and Gov. George C. Wallace.
In 1974, the West African country of Guinea-Bissau became fully independent of Portugal.
In 1979, four Puerto Rican nationalists imprisoned for a 1954 attack on the U.S. House of Representatives and a 1950 attempt on the life of President Harry S. Truman were freed from prison after being granted clemency by President Jimmy Carter.
In 1987, Pope John Paul II arrived in Miami, where he was welcomed by President Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan as he began a 10-day tour of the United States.
In 1991, the Senate Judiciary Committee opened hearings on the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Ten years ago: On the eve of the anniversary of 9/11, President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, placed wreaths at ground zero in New York. Daniel Smith, the 20-year-old son of Anna Nicole Smith, died in the Bahamas of a lethal combination of drugs, five months before the death of his mother. World Golf Hall of Famer Patty Berg died in Fort Myers, Florida, at age 88. Roger Federer defeated Andy Roddick 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 in the U.S. Open final. Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts defeated Eli Manning and the New York Giants 26-21 in the first NFL game to feature brothers starting at quarterback.
Five years ago: On the eve of the 10th anniversary of 9/11, former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton paid tribute to the 40 passengers and crew who fought back against their hijackers aboard Flight 93 during a ceremony dedicating the first phase of a memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. A pair of NASA probes – named Grail-A and Grail-B – rocketed toward the moon on the first mission dedicated to measuring lunar gravity and determining what was inside Earth’s orbiting companion. Oscar- and Emmy-winning actor Cliff Robertson died in Stony Brook, New York, a day after turning 88.
One year ago: Senate Democrats voted to uphold the hard-fought nuclear accord with Iran, overcoming ferocious Republican opposition. New York State approved gradually raising the minimum wage for fast-food workers to $15 an hour, the first time any state had set the minimum that high.
Thought for Today: “The more one pleases everybody, the less one pleases profoundly.” – Stendhal, French author (1783-1842).
Almanac
By The Associated Press
Today in History
Today is Friday, Sept. 9, the 253rd day of 2016. There are 113 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Sept. 9, 1776, the second Continental Congress made the term “United States” official, replacing “United Colonies.”
On this date:
In 1543, Mary Stuart was crowned Queen of Scots at Stirling Castle, nine months after she was born.
In 1850, California became the 31st state of the union.
In 1893, Frances Cleveland, wife of President Grover Cleveland, gave birth to a daughter, Esther, in the White House; it was the first (and, to date, only) time a president’s child was born in the executive mansion.
In 1919, some 1,100 members of Boston’s 1,500-man police force went on strike. (The strike was broken by Massachusetts Gov. Calvin Coolidge with replacement officers.)
In 1926, the National Broadcasting Co. (NBC) was incorporated by the Radio Corp. of America.
In 1948, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) was declared.
In 1956, Elvis Presley made the first of three appearances on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”
In 1965, Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitched a perfect game against the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium. Final score: 1-0.
In 1971, prisoners seized control of the maximum-security Attica Correctional Facility near Buffalo, New York, beginning a siege that ended up claiming 43 lives.
In 1976, Communist Chinese leader Mao Zedong died in Beijing at age 82. JVC unveiled its new VHS videocassette recorder during a presentation in Tokyo.
In 1986, Frank Reed, director of a private school in Lebanon, was taken hostage; he was released 44 months later.
In 1997, Sinn Fein (shin fayn), the IRA’s political ally, formally renounced violence as it took its place in talks on Northern Ireland’s future. Actor Burgess Meredith died in Malibu, California, at age 89.
Ten years ago: After two frustrating weeks of delays, space shuttle Atlantis and its six astronauts blasted off on a 12-day mission to install a big new piece of the international space station. The Chinese movie “Still Life” won the top award at the Venice Film Festival. Third-seeded Maria Sharapova beat Justine Henin (EH’-nen)-Hardenne 6-4, 6-4 to win the U.S. Open. The Detroit Shock won their second WNBA championship in four years, beating the defending champion Sacramento Monarchs 80-75 in Game 5.
Five years ago: New Yorkers and Washingtonians shrugged off talk of a new terror threat as intelligence officials scrambled to nail down information on a possible al-Qaida strike timed to coincide with the 10th anniversary of 9/11.
Almanac
By The Associated Press
Today in History
Today is Thursday, Sept. 8, the 252nd day of 2016. There are 114 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlights in History:
On Sept. 8, 1966, the science-fiction series “Star Trek” premiered on NBC; the situation comedy “That Girl,” starring Marlo Thomas, debuted on ABC.
On this date:
In 1565, a Spanish expedition established the first permanent European settlement in North America at present-day St. Augustine, Florida.
In 1761, Britain’s King George III married Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz a few hours after meeting her for the first time.
In 1892, an early version of “The Pledge of Allegiance,” written by Francis Bellamy, appeared in “The Youth’s Companion.”
In 1900, Galveston, Texas, was struck by a hurricane that killed an estimated 8,000 people.
In 1921, Margaret Gorman, 16, of Washington, D.C., was crowned the first “Miss America” in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
In 1935, Sen. Huey P. Long, D-La., was shot and mortally wounded inside the Louisiana State Capitol; he died two days later. (The assailant was identified as Dr. Carl Weiss, who was gunned down by Long’s bodyguards.)
In 1941, the 900-day Siege of Leningrad by German forces began during World War II.
In 1951, a peace treaty with Japan was signed by 49 nations in San Francisco.
In 1974, President Gerald R. Ford granted a “full, free, and absolute pardon” to former President Richard Nixon covering his entire term in office.
In 1985, Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds tied Ty Cobb’s career record for hits, singling for hit number 4,191 during a game against the Cubs in Chicago.
In 1986, “The Oprah Winfrey Show” began the first of 25 seasons in national syndication.
In 1994, USAir Flight 427, a Boeing 737, crashed into a ravine as it was approaching Pittsburgh International Airport, killing all 132 people on board.
Ten years ago: A Senate report faulted intelligence gathering in the lead-up to the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, and said Saddam Hussein regarded al-Qaida as a threat rather than a possible ally, contradicting assertions President George W. Bush had used to build support for the war. A suicide car bomber struck a convoy of U.S. military vehicles in Kabul, Afghanistan, killing 16 people, including two American soldiers.
Five years ago: Addressing a joint session of Congress, President Barack Obama challenged a reluctant Congress to urgently pass a larger-than-expected $450 billion jobs plan to “jolt an economy that has stalled.” Ten oil workers were forced to abandon a crippled 94-foot research vessel in the Gulf of Mexico and pile into a life raft during Tropical Storm Nate; by the time rescuers arrived three days after, three of the men had died, and a fourth died later at a hospital.
Thought for Today: “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” – T.H. Huxley, English biologist and author (1825-1895).
Almanac
By The Associated Press
Today in History
Today is Wednesday, Sept. 7, the 251st day of 2016. There are 115 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Sept. 7, 1916, the Federal Employees Compensation Act, providing financial assistance to federal workers who suffer job-related injuries, was signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson.
On this date:
In 1533, England’s Queen Elizabeth I was born in Greenwich.
In 1812, the Battle of Borodino took place as French troops clashed with Russian forces outside Moscow. (The battle, ultimately won by Russia, was commemorated by composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky with his “1812 Overture.”)
In 1825, the Marquis de Lafayette, the French hero of the American Revolution, bade farewell to President John Quincy Adams at the White House.
In 1927, American television pioneer Philo T. Farnsworth, 21, succeeded in transmitting the image of a line through purely electronic means with a device called an “image dissector.”
In 1936, rock-and-roll legend Buddy Holly was born Charles Hardin Holley in Lubbock, Texas.
In 1940, Nazi Germany began its eight-month blitz of Britain during World War II with the first air attack on London.
In 1957, the original animated version of the NBC-TV peacock logo, used to denote programs “brought to you in living color,” made its debut at the beginning of “Your Hit Parade.”
In 1963, the National Professional Football Hall of Fame was dedicated in Canton, Ohio.
In 1968, feminists protested outside the Miss America pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
In 1977, the Panama Canal treaties, calling for the U.S. to eventually turn over control of the waterway to Panama, were signed in Washington by President Jimmy Carter and Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos (toh-REE’-hohs).
In 1986, Desmond Tutu was installed as the first black clergyman to lead the Anglican Church in southern Africa.
In 1996, rapper Tupac Shakur was shot and mortally wounded on the Las Vegas Strip; he died six days later.
Thought for Today: “When you have a great and difficult task, something perhaps almost impossible, if you only work a little at a time, every day a little, suddenly the work will finish itself.” – Karen Blixen (Isak Dinesen), Danish author (born 1885, died this date in 1962).
Almanac
By The Associated Press
Today in History
Today is Tuesday, Sept. 6, the 250th day of 2016. There are 116 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Sept. 6, 1916, the first self-serve grocery store, Piggly Wiggly, was opened in Memphis, Tennessee, by Clarence Saunders. (The store was set up to allow customers to hand-pick their groceries from shelves, rather than request them from a clerk standing behind a counter.)
On this date:
In 1861, Union forces led by Gen. Ulysses S. Grant occupied Paducah, Kentucky, during the Civil War.
In 1901, President William McKinley was shot and mortally wounded by anarchist Leon Czolgosz (CHAWL’-gawsh) at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. (McKinley died eight days later; Czolgosz was executed on October 29.)
In 1925, the silent film horror classic “The Phantom of the Opera,” starring Lon Chaney, had its world premiere at the Astor Theater in New York.
In 1939, the Union of South Africa declared war on Germany.
In 1943, 79 people were killed when a New York-bound Pennsylvania Railroad train derailed and crashed in Philadelphia.
In 1954, groundbreaking took place for the Shippingport Atomic Power Station in western Pennsylvania.
Almanac
By The Associated Press
Today in History
Today is Monday, Sept. 5, the 249th day of 2016. There are 117 days left in the year. This is Labor Day.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Sept. 5, 1882, the nation’s first Labor Day was celebrated with a parade in New York. (Although Labor Day now takes place on the first Monday of September, this initial celebration occurred on a Tuesday.)
On this date:
In 1774, the first Continental Congress assembled in Philadelphia.
In 1836, Sam Houston was elected president of the Republic of Texas.
In 1914, the First Battle of the Marne, resulting in a French-British victory over Germany, began during World War I.
In 1939, four days after war had broken out in Europe, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued a proclamation declaring U.S. neutrality in the conflict.
In 1945, Japanese-American Iva Toguri D’Aquino, suspected of being wartime broadcaster “Tokyo Rose,” was arrested in Yokohama. (D’Aquino was later convicted of treason and served six years in prison; she was pardoned in 1977 by President Gerald R. Ford.)
In 1957, the novel “On the Road,” by Jack Kerouac, was first published by Viking Press.
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy signed legislation making aircraft hijackings a federal crime.
In 1972, the Palestinian group Black September attacked the Israeli Olympic delegation at the Munich Games; 11 Israelis, five guerrillas and a police officer were killed in the resulting siege.
In 1975, President Gerald R. Ford escaped an attempt on his life by Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, a disciple of Charles Manson, in Sacramento, California.
In 1986, four hijackers who had seized a Pan Am jumbo jet on the ground in Karachi, Pakistan, opened fire when the lights inside the plane failed; a total of 20 people were killed before Pakistani commandos stormed the jetliner.
In 1991, the 35th annual Naval Aviation Symposium held by the Tailhook Association opened in Las Vegas; during the four-day gathering, there were reports that dozens of people, most of them women, were sexually assaulted or otherwise harassed. (The episode triggered the resignation of Navy Secretary H. Lawrence Garrett and the early retirement of Adm. Frank B. Kelso, then the chief of naval operations.)
In 1996, Hurricane Fran reached Cape Fear, North Carolina, hours before barreling ashore. (The National Weather Service says 26 deaths were caused by Fran, 14 of them in North Carolina.)
Ten years ago: A cook was charged with shooting and dismembering the owner of a Maine bed-and-breakfast and three other people in a Labor Day weekend rampage (Christian Nielsen was later sentenced to life in prison). Felipe Calderon was declared Mexico’s president-elect after two months of uncertainty over a disputed election. Boeing executive Alan Mulally was named president and CEO of Ford Motor Co., succeeding Bill Ford, the great-grandson of founder Henry Ford. Katie Couric began a five-year run as principal anchor of “The CBS Evening News.”
Five years ago: President Barack Obama used a boisterous Labor Day rally in Detroit to put congressional Republicans on the spot, challenging them to place the country’s interests above all else and vote to create jobs and put the economy back on a path toward growth. The prosecution’s first witness in the trial of ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Gen. Hussein Moussa, startled the court by testifying that police had not been ordered to fire on protesters in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, contradicting prosecutors’ central claim.
One year ago: Germans waving welcome signs in German, English and Arabic gathered at a train station to welcome the first group of a wave of migrants fleeing conflict in the Middle East, Afghanistan and Africa. Actress Setsuko Hara, 95, star of director Yasujiro Ozu’s “Tokyo Story” and many other Japanese classics, died in Kamakura.
Thought for Today: “Ideas are one thing, and what happens is another.” – John Cage, American avant-garde composer
Almanac
By The Associated Press
Today in History
Today is Saturday, Sept. 3, the 247th day of 2016. There are 119 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Sept. 3, 1976, America’s Viking 2 lander touched down on Mars to take the first close-up, color photographs of the red planet’s surface.
On this date:
In 1189, England’s King Richard I (the Lion-Hearted) was crowned in Westminster Abbey.
In 1658, Oliver Cromwell, the Lord Protector of England, died in London; he was succeeded by his son, Richard.
In 1783, representatives of the United States and Britain signed the Treaty of Paris, which officially ended the Revolutionary War.
In 1868, the Japanese city of Edo was renamed Tokyo.
In 1914, Cardinal Giacomo Della Chiesa became pope; he took the name Benedict XV.
In 1923, the United States and Mexico resumed diplomatic relations.
In 1939, Britain, France, Australia and New Zealand declared war on Germany, two days after the Nazi invasion of Poland,
In 1940, Artie Shaw and his Gramercy Five recorded “Summit Ridge Drive” and “Special Delivery Stomp” for RCA Victor.
In 1951, the television soap opera “Search for Tomorrow” made its debut on CBS.
In 1967, the original version of the television game show “What’s My Line?,” hosted by John Charles Daly, broadcast its final episode after more than 17 years on CBS.
In 1989, a Cubana de Aviacion jetliner crashed after takeoff in Havana, killing all 126 aboard and 45 people on the ground.
In 1991, Academy Award-winning director Frank Capra died in La Quinta, California, at age 94.
Ten years ago: Authorities announced the capture of al-Qaida in Iraq’s No. 2 leader (Hamed Jumaa Farid al-Saeedi). An apartment fire in Chicago killed six children ages 3 to 14. Andre Agassi retired from tennis after losing the third-round match at the U.S. Open to 112th-ranked Benjamin Becker, 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-5.
Five years ago: A judge in North Carolina sentenced Robert Stewart to spend the rest of his life behind bars for killing eight people at a rural nursing home in 2009. (Stewart had opened fire on his victims, seemingly at random, as he searched for his wife, Wanda Neal, an employee at the home.) The Vatican vigorously rejected accusations it had sabotaged efforts by Irish bishops to report priests who sexually abused children to police.
One year ago: A federal judge jailed Rowan County, Kentucky, Clerk Kim Davis for refusing to issue marriage licenses to gay couples, but five of her deputies agreed to issue the licenses themselves, potentially ending the church-state standoff. (Davis was freed five days later.) Tom Brady had his four-game “Deflategate” suspension lifted after U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman criticized NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for dispensing “his own brand of industrial justice.” Judy Carne, 76, a star of the comedy show “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In,” died at Northampton General Hospital in England.
Today’s Birthdays: “Beetle Bailey” cartoonist Mort Walker is 93. Actress Pauline Collins is 76. Rock singer-musician Al Jardine is 74. Actress Valerie Perrine is 73. Rock musician Donald Brewer (Grand Funk Railroad) is 68. Rock guitarist Steve Jones (The Sex Pistols) is 61. Actor Steve Schirripa is 59. Actor Holt McCallany is 52. Rock singer-musician Todd Lewis is 51. Actor Costas Mandylor is 51. Actor Charlie Sheen is 51. Singer Jennifer Paige is 43. Dance-rock musician Redfoo is 41. Actress Ashley Jones is 40. Actress Nichole Hiltz is 38. Actor Joel Johnstone is 38. Actor Nick Wechsler is 38.
Thought for Today: “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” – E.E. Cummings (born 1894, died this date in 1962).
Almanac
By The Associated Press
Today in History
Today is Friday, Sept. 2, the 246th day of 2016. There are 120 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Sept. 2, 1945, Japan formally surrendered in ceremonies aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, ending World War II.
On this date:
In 1666, the Great Fire of London broke out.
In 1789, the United States Treasury Department was established.
In 1864, during the Civil War, Union Gen. William T. Sherman’s forces occupied Atlanta.
In 1901, Vice President Theodore Roosevelt offered the advice, “Speak softly and carry a big stick” in a speech at the Minnesota State Fair.
In 1924, the Rudolf Friml operetta “Rose Marie” opened on Broadway.
In 1935, a Labor Day hurricane slammed into the Florida Keys, claiming more than 400 lives.
In 1945, Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam an independent republic. (Ho died on this date in 1969.)
In 1963, Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace prevented the integration of Tuskegee High School by encircling the building with state troopers. “The CBS Evening News” with Walter Cronkite was lengthened from 15 to 30 minutes, becoming network television’s first half-hour nightly newscast.
In 1969, in what some regard as the birth of the Internet, two connected computers at the University of California, Los Angeles, passed test data through a 15-foot cable.
In 1972, Dave Wottle of the United States won the men’s 800-meter race at the Munich Summer Olympics.
In 1986, a judge in Los Angeles sentenced Cathy Evelyn Smith to three years in prison for involuntary manslaughter for her role in the 1982 drug overdose death of comedian John Belushi. (Smith served 18 months.)
In 1998, a Swissair MD-11 jetliner crashed off Nova Scotia, killing all 229 people aboard.
Ten years ago: Afghan and NATO forces launched Operation Medusa, aimed at flushing out Taliban fighters in southern Afghanistan; 14 British servicemen were killed when their patrol plane crashed. Two-time Olympic decathlon champion and four-term California congressman Bob Mathias died in Fresno, California, at age 75.
Five years ago: In a dramatic reversal, President Barack Obama scrubbed a proposed clean-air regulation aimed at reducing smog, yielding to bitterly protesting businesses and congressional Republicans who complained the rule would kill jobs in America’s ailing economy. Turkey expelled Israel’s ambassador and cut military ties over Israel’s refusal to apologize for a deadly 2010 raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.
One year ago: Overcoming ferocious opposition, President Barack Obama secured a legacy-defining foreign policy victory as Senate Democrats clinched the necessary votes to ensure the Iran nuclear agreement survived in Congress. President Obama crossed the Arctic Circle in a first by a sitting U.S. president, telling residents in the far-flung Alaska village of Kotzebue (KAHT’-zih-byoo) that their plight resulting from climate change should be the world’s wake-up call on global warming. In one of the most haunting images from the Syrian migrant crisis, the lifeless body of 3-year-old Alan Kurdi was photographed lying on a Turkish beach after he, his 5-year-old brother and their mother died when their rubber boat capsized as it headed for Greece.
Thought for Today: “You can’t, in sound morals, condemn a man for taking care of his own integrity. It is his clear duty.” – Joseph Conrad, Polish-born writer (1857-1924).
Almanac
By The Associated Press
Today in History
Today is Thursday, Sept. 1, the 245th day of 2016. There are 121 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Sept. 1, 1939, World War II began as Nazi Germany invaded Poland.
On this date:
In 1715, following a reign of 72 years, King Louis XIV of France died four days before his 77th birthday.
In 1807, former Vice President Aaron Burr was found not guilty of treason. (Burr was then tried on a misdemeanor charge, but was again acquitted.)
In 1905, Alberta and Saskatchewan entered Confederation as the eighth and ninth provinces of Canada.
In 1914, the last passenger pigeon in captivity, “Martha,” died at the Cincinnati Zoo.
In 1923, the Japanese cities of Tokyo and Yokohama were devastated by an earthquake that claimed some 140,000 lives.
In 1941, the first municipally owned parking building in the United States opened in Welch, West Virginia.
In 1945, Americans received word of Japan’s formal surrender that ended World War II. (Because of the time difference, it was Sept. 2 in Tokyo Bay, where the ceremony took place.)
In 1951, the United States, Australia and New Zealand signed a mutual defense pact, the ANZUS treaty.
In 1969, a coup in Libya brought Moammar Gadhafi to power.
In 1976, U.S. Rep. Wayne L. Hays, D-Ohio, resigned in the wake of a scandal in which he admitted having an affair with “secretary” Elizabeth Ray.
In 1983, 269 people were killed when a Korean Air Lines Boeing 747 was shot down by a Soviet jet fighter after the airliner entered Soviet airspace.
In 1995, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland. (The hall opened to the public the next day.)
Ten years ago: Mexican President Vicente (vih-SEN’-tay) Fox was forced to forego delivering his final state-of-the-nation address in person after leftist lawmakers stormed the stage of Congress to protest disputed July elections; Fox instead gave his speech on television. An Iranian passenger plane caught fire on landing in Mashhad, killing 28 of the 148 people on board. Nellie Connally, the former Texas first lady who was riding in President John F. Kennedy’s limousine when he was assassinated, died in Austin, Texas, at age 87.
Five years ago: In a fiery broadcast from hiding, Libya’s Moammar Gadhafi warned that loyalist tribes in his main strongholds were armed and preparing for battle. Leaders and envoys from 60 countries and the U.N. met in Paris for talks with Libya’s rebel-led National Transitional Council to map the country’s future.
One year ago: President Barack Obama stared down a melting glacier in Alaska in a dramatic use of his presidential pulpit to sound the alarm on climate change. Invoking “God’s authority,” Rowan County, Kentucky, Clerk Kim Davis denied marriage licenses to gay couples again in direct defiance of the federal courts, and vowed not to resign, even under the pressure of steep fines or jail.
Thought for Today: “The most dangerous of all falsehoods is a slightly distorted truth.” – Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, German scientist
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