Records

Today in History

Today is Tuesday, September 30, the 273rd day of 2014. There are 92 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On September 30, 1954, the first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, was commissioned by the U.S. Navy.

On this date:

In 1399, England’s King Richard II was deposed by Parliament; he was succeeded by his cousin, Henry of Bolingbroke, who was crowned as King Henry IV.

In 1777, the Continental Congress – forced to flee in the face of advancing British forces – moved to York, Pennsylvania.

In 1791, Mozart’s opera “The Magic Flute” premiered in Vienna, Austria.

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 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. The National Farm Workers Association, founded by Cesar Chavez and a forerunner of the United Farm Workers, held its first meeting in Fresno, California.

In 1984, the mystery series “Murder, She Wrote,” starring Angela Lansbury, premiered on CBS.

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: President George W. Bush and Sen. John Kerry met at the University of Miami for their first presidential debate, with Kerry accusing Bush of a “colossal error in judgment” in ordering the invasion of Iraq and the president noting that Kerry had voted to authorize the military action. Bombs killed some three dozen children in Baghdad as U.S. troops handed out candy at a government-sponsored celebration. The House followed the Senate in decisively rejecting a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. Vioxx, the heavily promoted arthritis drug, was pulled from the market by its maker after a study found it doubled the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Five years ago: A powerful earthquake rocked western Indonesia, killing 1,115 people. A Soyuz spacecraft carrying Canadian circus tycoon Guy Laliberte (ghee lah-lee-behr-TAY’) and two crew mates lifted off from Kazakhstan, headed for the International Space Station.

One year ago: Pope Francis announced during a meeting with cardinals that he would canonize two of his most influential predecessors, John Paul II and John XXIII, the following spring. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu implored President Barack Obama during a White House meeting to keep punishing sanctions in place against Iran over its nuclear programs.

Today’s Birthdays: Nobel Peace Laureate Elie Wiesel (EL’-ee vee-ZEHL’) is 86. Actress Angie Dickinson is 83. Singer Cissy Houston is 81. Singer Johnny Mathis is 79. Actor Len Cariou is 75. Singer Marilyn McCoo is 71. Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is 69. Pop singer Sylvia Peterson (The Chiffons) is 68. Actor Vondie Curtis-Hall is 64. Actress Victoria Tennant is 64. Actor John Finn is 62. Rock musician John Lombardo is 62. Singer Deborah Allen is 61. Actor Calvin Levels is 60. Actor Barry Williams is 60. Singer Patrice Rushen is 60. Actress Fran Drescher is 57. Country singer Marty Stuart is 56. Actress Debrah Farentino is 55. Rock musician Bill Rieflin (R.E.M.) is 54. Former Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., is 54. Actress Crystal Bernard is 53. Actor Eric Stoltz is 53. Rapper-producer Marley Marl is 52. Country singer Eddie Montgomery (Montgomery-Gentry) is 51. Rock singer Trey Anastasio is 50. Actress Monica Bellucci is 50. Rock musician Robby Takac (TAY’-kak) (Goo Goo Dolls) is 50. Actress Lisa Thornhill is 48. Actress Andrea Roth is 47. Actor Silas Weir Mitchell is 45. Actor Tony Hale is 44. Actress Jenna Elfman is 43. Actor Ashley Hamilton is 40. Actress Marion Cotillard (koh-tee-YAHR’) is 39. Actor Stark Sands is 36. Actor Mike Damus is 35. Tennis player Martina Hingis is 34. Olympic gold medal gymnast Dominique Moceanu (moh-chee-AH’-noo) is 33. Actress Lacey Chabert (shuh-BEHR’) is 32. Actor Kieran Culkin is 32. Singer-rapper T-Pain is 30.

Thought for Today: “If you can’t be a good example, then you’ll just have to be a horrible warning.” – Attributed to Catherine the Great, Russian empress (1729-1796).

Records

Today in History

Today is Monday, Sept. 22, the 265th day of 2014. There are 100 days left in the year. Autumn arrives at 10:29 p.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 1761, Britain’s King George III and his wife, Charlotte, were crowned in Westminster Abbey.

In 1792, the 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 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 1989, the Irish Republican Army bombed the Royal Marines School of Music in Deal, Kent, England, killing 11 band members. Songwriter Irving Berlin died in New York City at age 101.

In 1994, the situation comedy “Friends” debuted on NBC-TV.

Ten years ago: British hostage Kenneth Bigley, 62, appeared on a video posted on an Islamic Web site weeping and pleading for his life (Bigley was later beheaded by his captors). In Haiti, the death toll from Tropical Storm Jeanne topped 1,000. CBS-owned stations were fined a total of $550,000 by the Federal Communications Commission for Janet Jackson’s exposed right breast during the Super Bowl XXXVIII (38) halftime show (however, a federal appeals court twice threw out the fine, and the U.S. Supreme Court refused to consider reinstating it.) The TV series “Lost” premiered on ABC.

Five years ago: President Barack Obama, visiting New York, brought together Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for their first face-to-face meeting. Al-Qaida released a 106-minute-long video predicting President Obama’s downfall at the hands of the Muslim world.

One year ago: President Barack Obama spoke at a memorial service for the 12 men and women killed in the Washington Navy Yard shooting, calling on Americans to raise their voices against gun violence. A pair of Sunni militant suicide bombers blew themselves up inside a church in Peshawar, Pakistan, killing 85 Christian worshippers. German Chancellor Angela Merkel led her conservatives to a stunning election victory. “Breaking Bad” won best drama series while “Modern Family” was recognized as best comedy series at the 65th annual Primetime Emmy Awards.

Today’s Birthdays: Baseball Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda is 87. Former NBA Commissioner David Stern is 72. Musician King Sunny Ade is 68. Actor Paul Le Mat is 68. Capt. Mark Phillips is 66. Rock singer David Coverdale (Deep Purple, Whitesnake) is 63. Actress Shari Belafonte is 60. Singer Debby Boone is 58. Country singer June Forester (The Forester Sisters) is 58. Singer Nick Cave is 57. Rock singer Johnette Napolitano is 57. Actress Lynn Herring is 57. Classical crossover singer Andrea Bocelli is 56. Singer-musician Joan Jett is 56. Actor Scott Baio is 54. Actress Catherine Oxenberg is 53. Actress Bonnie Hunt is 53. Actor Rob Stone (TV: “Mr. Belvedere”) is 52. Musician Matt Sharp is 45. Rock musician Dave Hernandez is 44. Rhythm-and-blues singer Big Rube (Society of Soul) is 43. Actress Mireille Enos is 39. Actress Daniella Alonso is 36. Actor Michael Graziadei is 35.

Thought for Today: “I saw old Autumn in the misty morn/ Stand shadowless like silence, listening/ To silence.” – Thomas Hood, English author (1799-1845).

Records

Today in History

By The Associated Press

Today is Monday, September 15, the 258th day of 2014. There are 107 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlights in History:

On September 15, 1789, the U.S. Department of Foreign Affairs was renamed the Department of State. Author James Fenimore Cooper was born in Burlington, New Jersey.

On this date:

In 1776, British forces occupied New York City during the American Revolution.

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 1887, the city of Philadelphia launched a three-day celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Constitution of the United States.

In 1935, the Nuremberg Laws deprived German Jews of their citizenship.

In 1949, “The Lone Ranger” premiered on ABC-TV with Clayton Moore as the masked hero and Jay Silverheels as Tonto.

In 1950, during the Korean conflict, United Nations forces landed at Incheon in the south and began their drive toward Seoul (sohl).

In 1954, as raucous fans looked on, Marilyn Monroe filmed the famous billowing-skirt scene for “The Seven Year Itch” over a Lexington Ave. subway grate in Manhattan (however, little, if any, of the footage ended up in the movie; the scene was later reshot on a Hollywood set).

In 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.)

In 1964, the prime-time soap opera “Peyton Place” premiered on ABC-TV.

In 1972, a federal grand jury in Washington indicted seven men in connection with the Watergate break-in.

In 1989, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert Penn Warren, the first poet laureate of the United States, died in Stratton, Vermont, at age 84.

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).

Ten years ago: Three Americans were found guilty in Kabul, Afghanistan, of torturing Afghans in a private jail and were sentenced to prison. (Edward Caraballo, a freelance cameraman, was released in May 2006; Brent Bennett was freed in September 2006; Jack Idema, a former Green Beret, was pardoned in June 2007.) National Hockey League owners agreed to lock out the players.