By The Associated Press

Today in History

Today is Saturday, Sept. 11, the 254th day of 2021. There are 111 days left in the year.

Todayís Highlight in History:

On Sept. 11, 2001, nearly 3,000 people were killed as 19 al-Qaida hijackers seized control of four jetliners, sending two of the planes into New York’s World Trade Center, one into the Pentagon and the fourth into a field in western Pennsylvania.

On this date:

In 1789, Alexander Hamilton was appointed the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury.

In 1814, an American fleet scored a decisive victory over the British in the Battle of Lake Champlain in the War of 1812.

In 1936, Boulder Dam (now Hoover Dam) began operation as President Franklin D. Roosevelt pressed a key in Washington to signal the startup of the damís first hydroelectric generator.

In 1941, groundbreaking took place for the Pentagon. In a speech that drew accusations of anti-Semitism, Charles A. Lindbergh told an America First rally in Des Moines, Iowa, that ìthe British, the Jewish and the Roosevelt administrationî were pushing the United States toward war.

In 1967, the comedy-variety program ìThe Carol Burnett Showî premiered on CBS.

In 1973, Chilean President Salvador Allende (ah-YENí-day) died during a violent military coup.

In 1985, Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds cracked career hit number 4,192 off Eric Show (rhymes with ìhowî) of the San Diego Padres, eclipsing the record held by Ty Cobb. (The Reds won the game, 2-0).

In 2003, actor John Ritter died six days before his 55th birthday at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California — the same hospital where he was born in 1948.

In 2006, in a prime-time address, President George W. Bush invoked the memory of the victims of the 9/11 attacks as he staunchly defended the war in Iraq, though he acknowledged that Saddam Hussein was not responsible for the attacks.

In 2008, presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama put aside politics as they visited ground zero together on the anniversary of 9/11 to honor its victims.

In 2012, a mob armed with guns and grenades launched a fiery nightlong attack on a U.S. diplomatic outpost and a CIA annex in Benghazi, Libya, killing U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.

In 2015, a crane collapsed onto the Grand Mosque in Mecca, killing 111 people ahead of the annual hajj pilgrimage. Roberta Vinci stunned Serena Williams to end her Grand Slam bid in one of the greatest upsets in tennis history; the 43rd-ranked Italian won 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the U.S. Open semifinals.

Ten years ago: The nation and the world marked the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In New York, a tree-covered memorial plaza at ground zero opened to the families of the victims for the first time. President Barack Obama, after visiting the sites where terrorists struck, declared: ìIt will be said of us that we kept that faith; that we took a painful blow, and emerged stronger.î

Five years ago: The U.S. marked the 15th anniversary of 9/11 with the solemn roll call of the dead at ground zero. Hillary Clinton abruptly left after feeling ìoverheated,î according to her campaign, and hours later her doctor disclosed that the Democratic presidential nominee had pneumonia.