Friday's 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.
President Barack Obama, speaking in Richmond, Virginia, urged Americans
to pressure their lawmakers to pass his $447 billion jobs plan. One
year ago: Queen Elizabeth II became the longest reigning monarch in
British history, serving as sovereign for 23,226 days (about 63 years
and 7 months), according to Buckingham Palace, surpassing Queen
Victoria, her great-great-grandmother. New York became the first U.S.
city to require salt warnings on chain-restaurant menus. Today's
Birthdays: Actress Sylvia Miles is 82. Actor Topol is 81.
Rhythm-and-blues singer Luther Simmons is 74. Singer Inez Foxx is 74.
Singer Dee Dee Sharp is 71. Rock singer-musician Doug Ingle is 70.
College Football Hall of Famer and former NFL player Joe Theismann is
67. Rock musician John McFee (The Doobie Brothers) is 66. Actor Tom
Wopat is 65. Actress Angela Cartwright is 64. Musician-producer Dave
Stewart is 64. Actor Hugh Grant is 56. Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., is 53.
Actor-comedian Charles Esten (formerly Chip) is 51. Actress Constance
Marie is 51. Actor David Bennent is 50. Actor Adam Sandler is 50. Rock
singer Paul Durham (Black Lab) is 48. Actress Julia Sawalha is 48.
Model Rachel Hunter is 47. Actor Eric Stonestreet is 45. Actor Henry
Thomas is 45. Actor Goran Visnjic (VEEZ'-nihch) is 44. Pop-jazz singer
Michael Buble' (boo-BLAY') is 41. Latin singer Maria Rita is 39.
Actress Michelle Williams is 36. Actress Julie Gonzalo is 35. Neo-soul
singer Paul Janeway (St. Paul & the Broken Bones) is 33. Actress Zoe
Kazan is 33. Contemporary Christian singer Lauren Daigle is 25. Country
singer-songwriter Hunter Hayes is 25. Thought for Today: "There are two
great days in a person's life the day we are born and the day we
discover why. William Barclay, Scottish theologian (1907-1978).
