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. Pope Benedict XVI, visiting
his native Germany, met with victims of sexual abuse by priests and
expressed "deep compassion and regret," according to the Vatican. After
41 years, the soap opera "All My Children" broadcast its final episode
on ABC-TV. One year ago: In the first canonization on U.S. soil, Pope
Francis elevated to sainthood Junipero Serra, an 18th-century
missionary who's brought Catholicism to the American West Coast.
Earlier in the day, the pontiff met with President Barack Obama at the
White House and was greeted by adoring crowds during an outdoor
procession. Chinese President Xi Jinping (shee jihn-peeng), visiting
Seattle, addressed Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, billionaire investor
Warren Buffett and other top American and Chinese business leaders,
vowing his country would work to remove barriers to foreign investment
and improve intellectual property protections. Volkswagen CEO Martin
Winterkorn resigned, days after admitting that the world's top-selling
carmaker had rigged diesel emissions to pass U.S. tests during his
tenure; Winterkorn denied any personal wrongdoing. Today's Birthdays:
Singer Julio Iglesias is 73. Actor Paul Petersen (TV: "The Donna Reed
Show") is 71. Actress-singer Mary Kay Place is 69. Rock star Bruce
Springsteen is 67. Director/playwright George C. Wolfe (Film: "Nights
in Rodanthe") is 62. Rock musician Leon Taylor (The Ventures) is 61.
Actress Rosalind Chao is 59. Golfer Larry Mize is 58. Actor Jason
Alexander is 57. Actor Chi McBride is 55. Country musician Don Herron
(BR549) is 54. Actor Erik Todd Dellums is 52. Actress LisaRaye is 50.
Singer Ani (AH'-nee) DiFranco is 46. Rock singer Sarah Bettens (K's
Choice) is 44. Recording executive Jermaine Dupri is 44. Actor Kip
Pardue is 40. Actor Anthony Mackie is 38. Pop singer Erik-Michael
Estrada (TV: "Making the Band") is 37. Actress Aubrey Dollar is 36. Pop
singer Diana Ortiz (Dream) is 31. Tennis player Melanie Oudin (oo-DAN')
is 25. Thought for Today: "Education is hanging around until you've
caught on. Robert Frost, American poet (1874-1963).
