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 two
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.
Today's Birthdays: World Golf Hall of Famer Arnold Palmer is 87. Actor
Philip Baker Hall is 85. Actor Greg Mullavey is 83. Jazz vibraphonist
Roy Ayers is 76. Actor Tom Ligon is 76. Singer Danny Hutton (Three Dog
Night) is 74. Singer Jose Feliciano is 71. Actress Judy Geeson is 68.
Former Canadian first lady Margaret Trudeau is 68. Political
commentator Bill O'Reilly is 67. Rock musician Joe Perry (Aerosmith) is
66. Actress Amy Irving is 63. Actor-director Clark Johnson is 62.
Country singer Rosie Flores is 60. Actress Kate Burton is 59. Movie
director Chris Columbus is 58. Actor Colin Firth is 56. Rock
singer-musician David Lowery (Cracker) is 56. Actor Sean O'Bryan is 53.
Actor Raymond Cruz is 52. Baseball Hall of Famer Randy Johnson is 53.
Rock musician Robin Goodridge (Bush) is 51. Rock musician Stevie D.
(Buckcherry) is 50. Rock singer-musician Miles Zuniga (Fastball) is 50.
Actress Nina Repeta (NY'-nuh ruh-PEHT'-ah) is 49. Rapper Big Daddy Kane
is 48. Movie director Guy Ritchie is 48. Actor Johnathan Schaech
(shehk) is 47. Contemporary Christian singer Sara Groves is 44. Actor
Ryan Phillippe (FIHL'-ih-pee) is 42. Actor Kyle Bornheimer is 41. Rock
musician Mikey Way (My Chemical Romance) is 36. Olympic bronze medal
figure skater Timothy Goebel is 36. Ballerina Misty Copeland is 34.
Rock musician Matthew Followill (Kings of Leon) is 32. Singer Ashley
Monroe (Pistol Annies) is 30. Singer Sanjaya Malakar ("American Idol")
is 27. Actor Chandler Massey is 26. Actress Hannah Hodson is 25. Actor
Gabriel Bateman (TV: "American Gothic") is 12. Thought for Today: "The
more one pleases everybody, the less one pleases profoundly. Stendhal,
French author (1783-1842).
