Tag: today in history

Today in History: September 6, President McKinley fatally shot
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Today is Saturday, Sept. 6, the 249th day of 2025. There are 116 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Sept. 6, 1901, President William McKinley was shot and mortally wounded by anarchist Leon Czolgosz (CHAWL’-gawsh) at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. (McKinley died eight days later and was succeeded by his vice president, Theodore Roosevelt.)

Also on this date:

In 1949, Howard Unruh, a resident of Camden, New Jersey, shot and killed 13 of his neighbors. (Unruh, who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, was incarcerated for 60 years until his death in 2009.)
In 1972, the Summer Olympics resumed in Munich, West Germany, a day after the deadly hostage crisis that left eleven Israelis, five Arab abductors and a West German police officer dead.

In 1975, 18-year-old tennis star Martina Navratilova of Czechoslovakia, in New York for the U.S. Open, requested political asylum in the United States.

In 1995, Baltimore Oriole Cal Ripken Jr. played in his 2,131st consecutive game, breaking Lou Gehrig’s 56 year-old MLB record; Ripken’s streak would ultimately reach a still-record 2,632 games.

In 1997, a public funeral was held for Princess Diana at Westminster Abbey in London, six days after her death in a car crash in Paris.

In 2006, President George W. Bush acknowledged for the first time that the CIA was running secret prisons overseas and said “tough” interrogation techniques had forced terrorist leaders to reveal plots to attack the United States and its allies.

In 2018, the Supreme Court of India decriminalized consensual sex between adults, legalizing homosexuality in the country.

In 2022, Liz Truss began her tenure as U.K. prime minister; she would resign just 49 days later.

Today’s Birthdays:

Comedian JoAnne Worley is 88.

Cartoonist Sergio Aragonés is 88.

Country singer-songwriter David Allan Coe is 86.

Rock singer-musician Roger Waters (Pink Floyd) is 82.

Comedian-actor Jane Curtin is 78.

Actor-comedian Jeff Foxworthy is 67.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is 63.

Television journalist Elizabeth Vargas is 63.

Country singer-songwriter Mark Chesnutt is 62.

Actor Rosie Perez is 61.

R&B singer Macy Gray is 58.

Actor Idris Elba is 53.

Actor Justina Machado is 53.

Actor Anika Noni Rose is 53.

Actor Naomie Harris is 49.

Rapper Foxy Brown is 47.

Actor/singer Deborah Joy Winans is 42.

Actor-comedian Lauren Lapkus is 40.

Actor Asher Angel is 23.
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September 6, 2025
Today in History: September 4, the 1949 Peekskill Riots
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Today is Thursday, Sept. 4, the 247th day of 2025. There are 118 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Sept. 4, 1949, more than 140 people were injured following a performance by singer Paul Robeson in Peekskill, New York, as an anti-Communist mob attacked departing concertgoers.

Also on this date:

In 1781, Los Angeles was founded by Spanish settlers under the leadership of Governor Felipe de Neve.
In 1944, during World War II, British troops liberated Antwerp, Belgium.

In 1957, Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus ordered Arkansas National Guardsmen to prevent nine Black students from entering all-white Central High School in Little Rock.

In 1972, U.S. swimmer Mark Spitz became the first to win seven medals at a single Olympic Games, winning a seventh gold at the Munich Olympics in the 400-meter medley relay.

In 1972, the longest-running game show in U.S. history, “The Price is Right,” debuted on CBS.

In 1974, the United States established diplomatic relations with East Germany.

In 1998, Google was founded by Stanford University Ph.D. students Sergey Brin and Larry Page.

In 2016, elevating the “saint of the gutters” to one of the Catholic Church’s highest honors, Pope Francis canonized Mother Teresa, praising her radical dedication to society’s outcasts and her courage in shaming world leaders for the “crimes of poverty they themselves created.”

In 2018, the Senate Judiciary Committee began confirmation hearings for future Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on a day that saw rancorous exchanges between Democrats and Republicans.

Today’s Birthdays:

Golf Hall of Famer Raymond Floyd is 83.

Golf Hall of Famer Tom Watson is 76.

Actor Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs is 72.

Actor Khandi Alexander is 68.

Actor-comedian Damon Wayans Sr. is 65.

Baseball Hall of Famer Mike Piazza is 57.

DJ-musician-producer Mark Ronson is 50.

Actor Wes Bentley is 47.

Actor Max Greenfield is 46.

Singer-actor Beyoncé is 44.

Actor-comedian Whitney Cummings is 43.

Actor-comedian Kyle Mooney (TV: “Saturday Night Live”) is 41.
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September 4, 2025
Today in History: September 2, Japan surrenders to end World War II
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Today is Tuesday, Sept. 2, the 245th day of 2025. There are 120 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Sept. 2, 1945, Japan formally surrendered in ceremonies aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, ending World War II.

Also on this date:

In 1666, the Great Fire of London began, which would destroy more than 13,000 homes and hundreds of additional structures, including St Paul’s Cathedral, over the ensuing three days.
In 1789, the United States Treasury Department was established.

In 1864, during the Civil War, Union Gen. William T. Sherman’s forces occupied Atlanta.

In 1935, a Category 5 hurricane slammed into the Florida Keys on Labor Day, claiming more than 400 lives.

In 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the National Defense Education Act, which provided aid to public and private education to promote learning in such fields as math and science.

In 1963, Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace prevented the integration of Tuskegee High School by encircling the building with state troopers.

In 1969, in what some regard as the birth of the Internet, two connected computers at the University of California, Los Angeles, passed test data through a 15-foot cable.

In 1998, a Swissair MD-11 jetliner crashed off Nova Scotia, killing all 229 people aboard.

In 2005, a National Guard convoy packed with food, water and medicine rolled into New Orleans four days after Hurricane Katrina.

In 2013, on her fifth attempt, U.S. endurance swimmer Diana Nyad became the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without the help of a shark cage.

In 2018, a huge fire engulfed Brazil’s 200-year-old National Museum in Rio de Janeiro, as firefighters and museum workers raced to save historical relics.

In 2019, a fire swept a vessel carrying recreational scuba divers that was anchored near an island off the Southern California coast; the captain and four other crew members were able to escape the flames, but 34 people who were trapped below died.

Today’s Birthdays:

Former United States Olympic Committee Chairman and former Major League Baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth is 88.

Football Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw is 77.

Basketball Hall of Famer Nate Archibald is 77.

Actor Mark Harmon is 74.

Tennis Hall of Famer Jimmy Connors is 73.

Football Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson is 65.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is 63.

Actor Keanu Reeves is 61.

Boxing Hall of Famer Lennox Lewis is 60.

Actor Salma Hayek is 59.

R&B singer K-Ci is 56.

Electronic music DJ/producer Zedd is 36.
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September 2, 2025
Today in History: September 1, World War II starts with invasion of Poland
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Today is Monday, Sept. 1, the 244th day of 2025. There are 121 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Sept. 1, 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland, an event regarded as the start of World War II.

Also on this date:

In 1715, following a reign of 72 years, King Louis XIV of France died four days before his 77th birthday; he was succeeded by his five year-old great-grandson, Louis XV.
In 1897, the first section of Boston’s new subway was opened, creating the first underground rapid transit system in North America.

In 1914, the passenger pigeon, once one of the most abundant bird species on earth, went extinct as the last known example, named Martha, died in captivity at the Cincinnati Zoo.

In 1923, the Japanese cities of Tokyo and Yokohama were devastated by an earthquake that claimed some 140,000 lives.

In 1964, pitcher Masanori Murakami of the San Francisco Giants became the first Japanese baseball player to play in a Major League Baseball game.

In 1969, a coup in Libya brought Moammar Gadhafi to power.

In 1972, American Bobby Fischer won the international chess crown in Reykjavik, Iceland, as Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union resigned before the resumption of their 21st and final game.

In 1983, 269 people were killed when a Korean Air Lines Boeing 747 was shot down by a Soviet jet fighter after the airliner entered Soviet airspace.

In 1985, a U.S.-French expedition located the wreckage of the Titanic on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean roughly 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland.

In 2004, Islamic terrorists took more than a thousand people hostage in a school in Beslan, North Ossetia, Russia; the siege would end three days later in gunfire and explosions, leaving 334 people dead — more than half of them children.

In 2015, invoking “God’s authority,” Rowan County, Kentucky, Clerk Kim Davis denied marriage licenses to gay couples again in direct defiance of the federal courts and vowed not to resign, even under the pressure of steep fines or jail. (Davis would spend five days in jail as a result, and is currently appealing a ruling ordering her to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in related legal fees.)

Today’s Birthdays:

Attorney and law professor Alan Dershowitz is 87.

Comedian-actor Lily Tomlin is 86.

Singer Barry Gibb is 79.

Talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw is 75.

Singer Gloria Estefan is 68.

TV host-author Padma Lakshmi is 55.

Actor Ricardo Antonio Chavira is 54.

Fashion designer Rachel Zoe is 54.

Actor Scott Speedman is 50.

Composer-producer Ludwig Göransson is 41.

Actor-singer Zendaya is 29.
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September 1, 2025
Today in History: August 31, Ruby Ridge standoff ends
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Today is Sunday, Aug. 31, the 243rd day of 2025. There are 122 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Aug. 31, 1992, white separatist Randy Weaver surrendered to authorities in Idaho, ending an 11-day siege by federal agents that had claimed the lives of Weaver’s wife, son and a deputy U.S. marshal.

Also on this date:

In 1881, the first U.S. tennis championships (for men only) began in Newport, Rhode Island.
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In 1886, an earthquake with an estimated magnitude of up to 7.3 devastated Charleston, South Carolina, killing at least 60 people.

In 1962, the Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago became independent of British colonial rule.

In 1980, Poland’s Solidarity labor movement was born with an agreement signed in Gdansk (guh-DANSK’) that ended a 17-day-old strike.

In 1994, Russia officially ended its military presence in the former East Germany and the Baltics after half a century.

In 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales, was killed after the car she was riding in crashed in Paris; her partner Dodi Fayed and driver Henri Paul (who was found to have been intoxicated at the time of the accident) also died.

In 2006, Edvard Munch’s painting “The Scream” was recovered by Norwegian authorities after being stolen nine days earlier.

In 2010, President Barack Obama announced the end of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq, declaring no victory after seven years of bloodshed and telling those divided over the war in his country and around the world: “it’s time to turn the page.”

In 2019, a gunman carried out a shooting rampage that stretched ten miles between the Texas communities of Midland and Odessa, leaving seven people dead before police killed the gunman outside a movie theater in Odessa.

Today’s Birthdays:
- World Golf Hall of Famer Isao Aoki is 83.
- Violinist Itzhak Perlman is 80.
- Singer Van Morrison is 80.
- Rock musician Rudolf Schenker (The Scorpions) is 77.
- Actor Richard Gere is 76.
- Actor Stephen McKinley Henderson is 76.
- Attorney and author Marcia Clark is 72.
- Olympic gold medal hurdler Edwin Moses is 70.
- Rock singer Glenn Tilbrook (Squeeze) is 68.
- Rock musician Gina Schock (The Go-Go’s) is 68.
- Singer-composer Deborah Gibson is 55.
- Queen Rania of Jordan is 55.
- Golfer Padraig (PAH’-drig) Harrington is 54.
- Actor Chris Tucker is 54.
- Actor Sara Ramirez is 50.
- Former NFL wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald is 42.
- NBA All-Star Jalen Brunson is 29.
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August 31, 2025
Today in History: August 28, Emmett Till’s brutalized body found
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Today is Thursday, Aug. 28, the 240th day of 2025. There are 125 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Aug. 28,1955, Emmett Till, a Black teenager from Chicago, was abducted from his uncle’s home in Money, Mississippi, by two white men after he had allegedly whistled at a white woman four days prior; he was found brutally slain three days later.

Also on this date:

In 1845, the first issue of “Scientific American” magazine was published; it remains the oldest continuously published magazine in the United States.
In 1862, the Second Battle of Bull Run began in Prince William County, Virginia, during the Civil War; the Union army retreated two days later after suffering 14,000 casualties.

In 1898, pharmacist Caleb Bradham of New Bern, North Carolina changed the name of the carbonated beverage he’d created five years earlier from “Brad’s Drink” to “Pepsi-Cola.”

In 1957, then U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond (D-South Carolina) began what remains the longest speaking filibuster in Senate history (24 hours and 18 minutes) seeking to stall the passage of the Civil Rights Act of that year.

In 1963, during the March on Washington, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech before an estimated 250,000 people in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

In 1968, police and anti-war demonstrators clashed in the streets of Chicago as the Democratic National Convention nominated Hubert H. Humphrey for president.

In 1988, 70 people were killed when three Italian Air Force stunt planes collided during an air show at the U.S. Air Base in Ramstein, West Germany.

In 2005, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin ordered a mandatory evacuation as Hurricane Katrina approached the city.

In 2013, a military jury sentenced Maj. Nidal Hasan to death for the 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood that claimed 13 lives and left 30 people injured.

In 2016, six scientists completed a yearlong Mars simulation on the big island of Hawaii, where they emerged after living in a dome in near isolation on Mauna Loa.

Today’s Birthdays:

Actor Ken Jenkins (TV: “Scrubs”) is 85.

Former MLB manager and player Lou Piniella (pih-NEHL’-uh) is 82.

Former MLB pitcher Ron Guidry (GIH’-dree) is 75.

Former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove is 73.

Artist Ai Weiwei is 68.

Actor Daniel Stern is 68.

Olympic gold medal figure skater Scott Hamilton is 67.

Actor Jennifer Coolidge is 64.

Film director David Fincher is 63.

Country singer Shania (shah-NY’-uh) Twain is 60.

“Pokemon” creator Satoshi Tajiri is 60.

Actor Billy Boyd is 57.

Actor Jack Black is 56.

Hockey Hall of Famer Pierre Turgeon is 56.

Actor Jason Priestley is 56.

Olympic gold medal swimmer Janet Evans is 54.

Actor Carly Pope is 44.

Country singer Jake Owen is 44.

Country singer LeAnn Rimes is 43.

Rock singer Florence Welch (Florence and the Machine) is 39.

Actor Quvenzhane (kwuh-VEHN’-zhah-nay) Wallis is 22.
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The Associated Press

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August 28, 2025
Today in History: August 28, Emmett Till’s brutalized body found
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Today is Thursday, Aug. 28, the 240th day of 2025. There are 125 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Aug. 28,1955, Emmett Till, a Black teenager from Chicago, was abducted from his uncle’s home in Money, Mississippi, by two white men after he had allegedly whistled at a white woman four days prior; he was found brutally slain three days later.

Also on this date:

In 1845, the first issue of “Scientific American” magazine was published; it remains the oldest continuously published magazine in the United States.
In 1862, the Second Battle of Bull Run began in Prince William County, Virginia, during the Civil War; the Union army retreated two days later after suffering 14,000 casualties.

In 1898, pharmacist Caleb Bradham of New Bern, North Carolina changed the name of the carbonated beverage he’d created five years earlier from “Brad’s Drink” to “Pepsi-Cola.”

In 1957, then U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond (D-South Carolina) began what remains the longest speaking filibuster in Senate history (24 hours and 18 minutes) seeking to stall the passage of the Civil Rights Act of that year.

In 1963, during the March on Washington, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech before an estimated 250,000 people in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

In 1968, police and anti-war demonstrators clashed in the streets of Chicago as the Democratic National Convention nominated Hubert H. Humphrey for president.

In 1988, 70 people were killed when three Italian Air Force stunt planes collided during an air show at the U.S. Air Base in Ramstein, West Germany.

In 2005, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin ordered a mandatory evacuation as Hurricane Katrina approached the city.

In 2013, a military jury sentenced Maj. Nidal Hasan to death for the 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood that claimed 13 lives and left 30 people injured.

In 2016, six scientists completed a yearlong Mars simulation on the big island of Hawaii, where they emerged after living in a dome in near isolation on Mauna Loa.

Today’s Birthdays:

Actor Ken Jenkins (TV: “Scrubs”) is 85.

Former MLB manager and player Lou Piniella (pih-NEHL’-uh) is 82.

Former MLB pitcher Ron Guidry (GIH’-dree) is 75.

Former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove is 73.

Artist Ai Weiwei is 68.

Actor Daniel Stern is 68.

Olympic gold medal figure skater Scott Hamilton is 67.

Actor Jennifer Coolidge is 64.

Film director David Fincher is 63.

Country singer Shania (shah-NY’-uh) Twain is 60.

“Pokemon” creator Satoshi Tajiri is 60.

Actor Billy Boyd is 57.

Actor Jack Black is 56.

Hockey Hall of Famer Pierre Turgeon is 56.

Actor Jason Priestley is 56.

Olympic gold medal swimmer Janet Evans is 54.

Actor Carly Pope is 44.

Country singer Jake Owen is 44.

Country singer LeAnn Rimes is 43.

Rock singer Florence Welch (Florence and the Machine) is 39.

Actor Quvenzhane (kwuh-VEHN’-zhah-nay) Wallis is 22.
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Associated Press

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August 28, 2025
Today in History: August 27, Hurricane Irene makes landfall
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Today is Wednesday, Aug. 27, the 239th day of 2025. There are 126 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Aug. 27, 2011, Hurricane Irene made landfall in the United States; the storm would be responsible for 49 total deaths and more than $14 billion in damage.

Also on this date:

In 1883, the island volcano Krakatoa erupted with a series of cataclysmic explosions. The explosions (which could be heard 3,000 miles away) and resulting tsunamis in Indonesia’s Sunda Strait claimed some 36,000 lives in Java and Sumatra.
In 1894, Congress passed the Wilson-Gorman Tariff Act, which contained a provision for a graduated income tax that was later struck down by the Supreme Court.

In 1964, the film “Mary Poppins” had its world premiere in Los Angeles, California.

In 1979, British war hero Lord Louis Mountbatten and three other people, including his 14-year-old grandson Nicholas, were killed off the coast of Ireland in a boat explosion claimed by the Irish Republican Army.

In 1982, Rickey Henderson of the Oakland A’s stole his 119th base of the season, breaking Lou Brock’s single-season stolen base record. (Henderson would finish the season with a still-unmatched 130 stolen bases.)

In 1990, blues musician Stevie Ray Vaughn and four others were killed in a helicopter crash near East Troy, Wisconsin.

In 2001, Israeli helicopters fired a pair of rockets through office windows, killing senior PLO leader Mustafa Zibri.

In 2005, coastal residents jammed freeways and gas stations as they rushed to avoid Hurricane Katrina, which was headed toward New Orleans.

In 2008, Barack Obama was nominated for president by the Democratic National Convention in Denver, becoming the first Black presidential nominee from a major political party.

Today’s Birthdays:

Author William Least Heat-Moon is 86.

Actor Tuesday Weld is 82.

Former U.S. Sen. Bob Kerrey, D-Neb., is 82.

Actor G.W. Bailey is 81.

Rock musician Alex Lifeson (Rush) is 72.

Actor Peter Stormare is 72.

Rock musician Glen Matlock (The Sex Pistols) is 68.

Golfer Bernhard Langer is 68.

Gospel singer Yolanda Adams is 64.

Fashion designer and filmmaker Tom Ford is 64.

Actor Chandra Wilson is 56.

Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Thome is 55.

Rapper Mase is 50.

Actor Sarah Chalke is 49.

Actor Aaron Paul is 46.

Actor Patrick J. Adams (TV: “Suits”) is 44.

Singer Mario is 39.

Actor Alexa PenaVega is 37.

Singer-songwriter Kim Petras is 33.

U.S. Olympic and WNBA basketball star Breanna Stewart is 31.

Rapper/singer-songwriter Rod Wave is 27.
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August 27, 2025
Today in History: August 23, Italian immigrants put to death in Boston
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Today is Saturday, Aug. 23, the 235th day of 2025. There are 130 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Aug 23, 1927, amid worldwide protests, Italian-born anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were executed in Boston for the murders of two men during a 1920 robbery. (On the 50th anniversary of their executions, then-Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis issued a proclamation that Sacco and Vanzetti had been unfairly tried and convicted.)

Also on this date:

In 1305, Scottish rebel leader Sir William Wallace was executed by the English for treason.
In 1775, Britain’s King George III proclaimed the American colonies to be in a state of “open and avowed rebellion.”

In 1914, Japan declared war against Germany in World War I.

In 1939, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union agreed to a non-aggression treaty, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, in Moscow.

In 1970, the Salad Bowl strike began, organized by farm labor leader Cesar Chavez; between 5,000 to 10,000 laborers walked off the job, leading to the largest farm worker strike in U.S. history.

In 2000, A Gulf Air Airbus crashed into the Persian Gulf near Bahrain, killing all 143 people aboard.

In 2003, former priest John Geoghan (GAY’-gun), the convicted child molester whose prosecution sparked the sex abuse scandal that shook the Roman Catholic Church nationwide, died after another inmate attacked him in a Massachusetts prison.

In 2011, a magnitude-5.8 earthquake centered near Mineral, Virginia, the strongest on the East Coast since 1944, caused cracks in the Washington Monument and damaged Washington National Cathedral.

In 2013, a military jury convicted Maj. Nidal Hasan in the deadly 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, that claimed 13 lives; the Army psychiatrist was later sentenced to death.

In 2020, a white police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin, shot a Black man, Jacob Blake, seven times as officers tried to arrest Blake on an outstanding warrant; the shooting left Blake partially paralyzed and triggered several nights of violent protests.

In 2022, a jury convicted two men of conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020, a victory for prosecutors in a plot that was broken up by the FBI and described as a rallying cry for a U.S. civil war by anti-government extremists.

Today’s Birthdays:

Actor Vera Miles is 96.

Actor Barbara Eden is 94.

Football Hall of Famer Sonny Jurgensen is 91.

Ballerina Patricia McBride is 83.

Former Surgeon General Antonia Novello is 81.

Singer-songwriter Linda Thompson is 78.

Author and motivational speaker Rudy Ruettiger is 77.

Actor Shelley Long is 76.

Actor-singer Rick Springfield is 76.

Noor al-Hussein (Queen Noor of Jordan) is 74.

Film composer Alexandre Desplat is 64.

Actor Jay Mohr is 55.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is 54.

Actor Ray Park is 51.

Actor Scott Caan is 49.

Rock singer Julian Casablancas (The Strokes) is 47.

Actor Joanne Froggatt is 45.

Olympic gold medal swimmer Natalie Coughlin Hall is 43.

Musician Lil Yachty is 28.
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August 23, 2025
Today in History: August 21, total solar eclipse captivates America
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Today is Thursday, Aug. 21, the 233rd day of 2025. There are 132 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Aug. 21, 2017, Americans witnessed their first full-blown coast-to-coast solar eclipse since World War I, with eclipse-watchers gathering along a path of totality extending 2,600 miles across the continent.

Also on this date:

In 1831, Nat Turner launched a violent slave rebellion in Virginia, resulting in the deaths of at least 55 white people; scores of Black people were killed in retribution in the aftermath of the rebellion, and Turner was later executed.
In 1858, the first of seven debates took place between Illinois senatorial contenders Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas.

In 1911, Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” was stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris. (It was recovered two years later in Italy.)

In 1944, the United States, Britain, the Soviet Union and China opened talks at Dumbarton Oaks in Washington that helped pave the way for establishment of the United Nations.

In 1959, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a proclamation officially declaring Hawaii the 50th state.

In 1983, Filipino politician Benigno Aquino Jr. was assassinated as he exited an aircraft at Manila International Airport. (His widow, Corazon Aquino, would become president of the Philippines three years later.)

In 1991, a hardline coup against Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev collapsed in the face of a popular uprising led by Russian Federation President Boris N. Yeltsin.

In 1992, an 11-day siege began at the cabin of white separatist Randy Weaver in Ruby Ridge, Idaho, as government agents tried to arrest Weaver for failing to appear in court on charges of selling two illegal sawed-off shotguns; on the first day of the siege, Weaver’s teenage son, Samuel, and Deputy U.S. Marshal William Degan were killed.

In 1993, in a serious setback for NASA, engineers lost contact with the Mars Observer spacecraft as it was about to reach the red planet on a $980 million mission.

In 2000, rescue efforts to reach the sunken Russian nuclear submarine Kursk ended with divers announcing none of the 118 sailors had survived.

In 2010, Iranian and Russian engineers began loading fuel into Iran’s first nuclear power plant, which Moscow promised to safeguard to prevent material at the site from being used in any potential weapons production.

In 2015, a trio of Americans, U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Spencer Stone, National Guardsman Alek Skarlatos and college student Anthony Sadler, and a British businessman, Chris Norman, tackled and disarmed a Moroccan gunman on a high-speed train between Amsterdam and Paris.

In 2018, Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer and fixer, pleaded guilty to campaign-finance violations and other charges; Cohen said Trump directed him to arrange the payment of hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal to fend off damage to his White House bid. (Trump was found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to the payments in May 2024.)

In 2020, a former police officer who became known as the Golden State Killer, Joseph James DeAngelo, told victims and family members in a Sacramento courtroom that he was “truly sorry” before he was sentenced to multiple life prison sentences for a decade-long string of rapes and murders.

Today’s Birthdays:

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer James Burton is 86.

Singer Jackie DeShannon is 84.

Film director Peter Weir is 81.

Football Hall of Famer Willie Lanier is 80.

Actor Loretta Devine is 76.

Two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin is 71.

Actor Kim Cattrall is 69.

Former NFL quarterback Jim McMahon is 66.

Rock musician Serj Tankian (System of a Down) is 58.

Actor Carrie-Anne Moss is 58.

Google co-founder Sergei Brin is 52.

Singer Kelis (kuh-LEES’) is 46.

TV personality Brody Jenner is 42.

Olympic gold medal sprinter Usain (yoo-SAYN’) Bolt is 39.

Country singer Kacey Musgraves is 37.

Soccer player Robert Lewandowski is 37.

Actor Hayden Panettiere (pan’-uh-tee-EHR’) is 36.

Comedian-singer-filmmaker Bo Burnham is 35.
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August 21, 2025
Today in History: August 21, total solar eclipse captivates America
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Today is Thursday, Aug. 21, the 233rd day of 2025. There are 132 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Aug. 21, 2017, Americans witnessed their first full-blown coast-to-coast solar eclipse since World War I, with eclipse-watchers gathering along a path of totality extending 2,600 miles across the continent.

Also on this date:

In 1831, Nat Turner launched a violent slave rebellion in Virginia, resulting in the deaths of at least 55 white people; scores of Black people were killed in retribution in the aftermath of the rebellion, and Turner was later executed.
In 1858, the first of seven debates took place between Illinois senatorial contenders Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas.

In 1911, Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” was stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris. (It was recovered two years later in Italy.)

In 1944, the United States, Britain, the Soviet Union and China opened talks at Dumbarton Oaks in Washington that helped pave the way for establishment of the United Nations.

In 1959, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a proclamation officially declaring Hawaii the 50th state.

In 1983, Filipino politician Benigno Aquino Jr. was assassinated as he exited an aircraft at Manila International Airport. (His widow, Corazon Aquino, would become president of the Philippines three years later.)

In 1991, a hardline coup against Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev collapsed in the face of a popular uprising led by Russian Federation President Boris N. Yeltsin.

In 1992, an 11-day siege began at the cabin of white separatist Randy Weaver in Ruby Ridge, Idaho, as government agents tried to arrest Weaver for failing to appear in court on charges of selling two illegal sawed-off shotguns; on the first day of the siege, Weaver’s teenage son, Samuel, and Deputy U.S. Marshal William Degan were killed.

In 1993, in a serious setback for NASA, engineers lost contact with the Mars Observer spacecraft as it was about to reach the red planet on a $980 million mission.

In 2000, rescue efforts to reach the sunken Russian nuclear submarine Kursk ended with divers announcing none of the 118 sailors had survived.

In 2010, Iranian and Russian engineers began loading fuel into Iran’s first nuclear power plant, which Moscow promised to safeguard to prevent material at the site from being used in any potential weapons production.

In 2015, a trio of Americans, U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Spencer Stone, National Guardsman Alek Skarlatos and college student Anthony Sadler, and a British businessman, Chris Norman, tackled and disarmed a Moroccan gunman on a high-speed train between Amsterdam and Paris.

In 2018, Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer and fixer, pleaded guilty to campaign-finance violations and other charges; Cohen said Trump directed him to arrange the payment of hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal to fend off damage to his White House bid. (Trump was found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to the payments in May 2024.)

In 2020, a former police officer who became known as the Golden State Killer, Joseph James DeAngelo, told victims and family members in a Sacramento courtroom that he was “truly sorry” before he was sentenced to multiple life prison sentences for a decade-long string of rapes and murders.

Today’s Birthdays:

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer James Burton is 86.

Singer Jackie DeShannon is 84.

Film director Peter Weir is 81.

Football Hall of Famer Willie Lanier is 80.

Actor Loretta Devine is 76.

Two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin is 71.

Actor Kim Cattrall is 69.

Former NFL quarterback Jim McMahon is 66.

Rock musician Serj Tankian (System of a Down) is 58.

Actor Carrie-Anne Moss is 58.

Google co-founder Sergei Brin is 52.

Singer Kelis (kuh-LEES’) is 46.

TV personality Brody Jenner is 42.

Olympic gold medal sprinter Usain (yoo-SAYN’) Bolt is 39.

Country singer Kacey Musgraves is 37.

Soccer player Robert Lewandowski is 37.

Actor Hayden Panettiere (pan’-uh-tee-EHR’) is 36.

Comedian-singer-filmmaker Bo Burnham is 35.
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August 21, 2025
Today in History: November 4, Obama wins presidency in historic election

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Today is Monday, Nov. 4, the 309th day of 2024. There are 57 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Nov. 4, 2008, Democratic Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois was elected the first Black president of the United States, defeating the Republican candidate, Sen. John McCain of Arizona.

Also on this date:

In 1922, the entrance to King Tutankhamen’s tomb was discovered in Egypt.

In 1979, the Iran hostage crisis began as militants stormed the United States Embassy in Tehran, seizing its occupants; for some of the hostages, it was the start of 444 days of captivity.

In 1980, Republican Ronald Reagan won election to the White House for the first time as he trounced President Jimmy Carter.

In 1991, Ronald Reagan opened his presidential library in Simi Valley, California; attending were President George H.W. Bush and former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Gerald R. Ford and Richard Nixon — the first-ever gathering of five past and present U.S. chief executives.

In 1995, Yitzhak Rabin, prime minister of Israel, was assassinated by a right-wing Israeli minutes after attending a peace rally.

In 2007, King Tutankhamen’s face was unveiled for the first time to the public more than 3,000 years after the pharaoh was buried in his Egyptian tomb.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Loretta Swit is 87. Blues musician Delbert McClinton is 84. Former first lady Laura Bush is 78. Author Charles Frazier is 74. Actor Ralph Macchio and “Survivor” host Jeff Probst are 63. Actor Matthew McConaughey is 55. TV personality Bethenny Frankel is 54. Football Hall of Famer Orlando Pace is 49. Football Hall of Hamer Devin Hester is 42.

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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November 3, 2024
Today in History: October 29, ‘Black Tuesday’ signals start of Great Depression

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Today is Tuesday, Oct. 29, the 303rd day of 2024. There are 63 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Oct. 29, 1929, “Black Tuesday’ descended on the New York Stock Exchange. Prices collapsed amid panicked selling and thousands of investors were wiped out as America’s Great Depression began.

Also on this date:

In 1618, Sir Walter Raleigh, the English courtier, military adventurer and poet, was executed in London for treason.

In 1940, a blindfolded Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson drew the first number — 158 — from a glass bowl in America’s first peacetime military draft.

In 1960, a chartered plane carrying the California Polytechnic State University football team crashed on takeoff from Toledo, Ohio, killing 22 of the 48 people on board.

In 1987, following the confirmation defeat of Robert H. Bork to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, President Ronald Reagan announced his next choice of Douglas H. Ginsburg, a nomination that fell apart over revelations of Ginsburg’s previous marijuana use.

In 1998, Sen. John Glenn, at age 77, returned to space aboard the shuttle Discovery, retracing the trail he had blazed as the first American to orbit the Earth 36 years earlier.

In 2012, Superstorm Sandy slammed ashore in New Jersey and slowly marched inland, devastating coastal communities and causing widespread power outages; the storm and its aftermath were blamed for at least 182 deaths in the U.S.

In 2015, China announced plans to abolish its one-child policy, allowing all families to have two children for the first time in more than 35 years.

In 2017, all but 10 members of the Houston Texans took a knee during the national anthem, reacting to a remark from team owner Bob McNair to other NFL owners that “we can’t have the inmates running the prison.”

In 2018, a Boeing jet operated by the Indonesian airline Lion Air crashed in the Java Sea minutes after takeoff from Jakarta, killing all 189 people on board.

In 2022, more than 150 people were killed and dozens more injured in South Korea after being crushed by a large crowd pushing forward on a narrow street during Halloween festivities in Seoul.

Today’s Birthdays: Former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is 86. Actor Richard Dreyfuss is 77. Actor Kate Jackson is 76. Hockey Hall of Famer Denis Potvin is 71. Actor Dan Castellaneta (TV: “The Simpsons”) is 67. Actors Joely Fisher and Rufus Sewell are 57. Actor Winona Ryder is 53. Actors Tracee Ellis Ross and Gabrielle Union are 52. Olympic gold medal bobsledder Vonetta Flowers is 51. Actor Ben Foster is 44. Olympic gold medal swimmer Amanda Beard is 43.

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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October 28, 2024
Today in History: October 22, Lance Armstrong stripped of Tour titles

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Today is Tuesday, Oct. 22, the 296th day of 2024. There are 70 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Oct. 22, 2012, cyclist Lance Armstrong was formally stripped of his seven Tour de France victories and received a lifetime ban from Olympic sports after the International Cycling Union chose not to appeal doping charges against Armstrong by the United States Anti-Doping Agency.

Also on this date:

In 1836, Sam Houston was inaugurated as the first constitutionally elected president of the Republic of Texas.

In 1928, Republican presidential nominee Herbert Hoover spoke of the “American system of rugged individualism” in a speech at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

In 1934, bank robber Charles “Pretty Boy” Floyd was shot to death by federal agents and local police at a farm near East Liverpool, Ohio.

In 1962, in a nationally broadcast address, President John F. Kennedy revealed the presence of Soviet-built missile bases under construction in Cuba and announced a naval blockade of all offensive military equipment being shipped to the Communist island nation.

In 1968, Apollo 7 returned safely from Earth orbit, splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean.

In 1995, the largest gathering of world leaders in history marked the 50th anniversary of the United Nations.

In 2014, a gunman shot and killed a soldier standing guard at a war memorial in Ottawa, then stormed the Canadian Parliament building before he himself was shot and killed.

In 2016, the Chicago Cubs won their first pennant since 1945, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series. (The Cubs would go on to beat Cleveland in the World Series in seven games.)

Today’s birthdays: Black Panthers co-founder Bobby Seale is 88. Actors Christopher Lloyd and Derek Jacobi are 86. Actor Tony Roberts is 85. Actor Catherine Deneuve is 81. Physician and author Deepak Chopra is 78. Actor Jeff Goldblum is 72. Actor-comedian Bob Odenkirk is 62. Olympic gold medal figure skater Brian Boitano is 61. Country singer Shelby Lynne and reggae deejay and singer Shaggy are 56. Film director Spike Jonze is 55. Argentine President Javier Milei is 54. Former MLB All-Star Ichiro Suzuki is 51. Actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson is 49. Actor Corey Hawkins is 36. Actor Jonathan Lipnicki is 34. Rapper 21 Savage is 32.

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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October 21, 2024
Today in History: September 29, Willie Mays makes “The Catch”

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Today is Sunday, Sept. 29, the 273rd day of 2024. There are 93 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Sept. 29, 1954, Willie Mays of the New York Giants made a running, over-the-shoulder catch of a ball hit by Vic Wirtz of the Cleveland Indians in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series; “The Catch” would become one of the most famous plays in baseball history.

Also on this date:

In 1789, Congress officially established a regular army under the U.S. Constitution.

In 1938, British, French, German and Italian leaders concluded the Munich Agreement, which was aimed at appeasing Adolf Hitler by allowing Nazi annexation of Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland.

In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed an act creating the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts.

In 1982, Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules laced with deadly cyanide claimed the first of seven victims in the Chicago area; the case, which led to legislation and packaging improvements to deter product tampering, remains unsolved.

In 1990, the construction of Washington National Cathedral concluded, 83 years to the day after its foundation stone was laid in a ceremony attended by President Theodore Roosevelt.

In 2005, John G. Roberts Jr. was sworn in as the nation’s 17th chief justice after winning Senate confirmation.

In 2017, Tom Price resigned as President Donald Trump’s secretary of Health and Human Services amid investigations into his use of costly charter flights for official travel at taxpayer expense.

In 2018, Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, agreed to pay a total of $40 million to settle a government lawsuit alleging that Musk had duped investors with misleading statements about a proposed buyout of the company.

In 2021, a judge in Los Angeles suspended Britney Spears’ father from the conservatorship that had controlled her life and money for 13 years, saying the arrangement reflected a “toxic environment.”

In 2022, rescue crews piloted boats and waded through flooded streets to save thousands of Floridians trapped after Hurricane Ian destroyed homes and businesses and left millions in the dark.

Today’s Birthdays: Writer-director Robert Benton is 92. NASA administrator and former Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., actor Ian McShane and jazz musician Jean-Luc Ponty are 82. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Lech Walesa is 81. TV journalist and sportscaster Bryant Gumbel is 76. Olympic gold medal runner Sebastian Coe is 68. Rock musician Les Claypool is 61. Actors Zachary Levi and Chrissy Metz (TV: “This Is Us”) are 44. Actor Kelly McCreary (TV: “Grey’s Anatomy”) is 43. Football Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson is 39. NBA All-Star Kevin Durant is 36. Pop singer Halsey is 30.

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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September 28, 2024
Today in History: September 23, Nixon’s ‘Checkers’ speech

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Today is Monday, Sept. 23, the 267th day of 2024. There are 99 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Sept. 23, 1952, Sen. Richard M. Nixon, R-Calif., salvaged his vice presidential nomination by appearing on television from Los Angeles to refute allegations of improper campaign fundraising in what became known as the “Checkers” speech for its reference to his family’s cocker spaniel.

Also on this date:

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 1955, a jury in Sumner, Mississippi, acquitted two white men, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam, of killing Black teenager Emmett Till. (The two later admitted to the crime in an interview with Look magazine.)

In 1957, nine Black students who entered Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas were forced to withdraw because of a white mob outside.

In 2002, Gov. Gray Davis signed a law making California the first state to offer workers paid family leave.

In 2018, capping a comeback from four back surgeries, Tiger Woods won the Tour Championship in Atlanta, the 80th victory of his PGA Tour career and his first in more than five years.

In 2022, Roger Federer played his final professional match after an illustrious career that included 20 Grand Slam titles.

Today’s Birthdays: Singer Julio Iglesias is 81. Actor/singer Mary Kay Place is 77. Rock star Bruce Springsteen is 75. Director/playwright George C. Wolfe is 70. Actor Rosalind Chao is 67. Actor Jason Alexander is 65. Actor Chi McBride is 63. Singer Ani DiFranco is 54. Producer-rapper Jermaine Dupri is 52. Filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos is 51. Actor Anthony Mackie is 46. Actor Skylar Astin is 37. Tennis player Juan Martín del Potro is 36.

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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September 22, 2024
Today in History: September 18, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg dies

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The Associated Press

Today is Wednesday, Sept. 18, the 262nd day of 2024. There are 104 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Sept. 18, 2020, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a towering champion of women’s rights who became the court’s second female justice, died at her home in Washington at age 87, of complications from pancreatic cancer.

Also on this date:

In 1793, President George Washington laid the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol.

In 1850, Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act, which created a force of federal commissioners charged with returning escaped slaves to their owners.

In 1851, the first edition of The New York Times was published.

In 1947, the National Security Act, which created a National Military Establishment and the position of Secretary of Defense, went into effect.

In 1961, United Nations Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold was killed in a plane crash in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia).

In 1970, rock star Jimi Hendrix died in London at age 27.

In 1975, newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst was captured by the FBI in San Francisco, 19 months after being kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army.

In 2014, voters in Scotland rejected independence, opting to remain part of the United Kingdom in a historic referendum.

Today’s Birthdays: Hockey Hall of Fame coach Scotty Bowman is 91. Singer Frankie Avalon is 84. Actor Anna Deavere Smith is 74. Neurosurgeon-author-politician Ben Carson is 73. Basketball Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino is 72. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., is 70. Hockey Hall of Famer Peter Šťastný is 68. Baseball Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg is 65. Actor Holly Robinson Peete is 60. R&B singer Ricky Bell (Bell Biv Devoe, New Edition) is 57. Basketball Hall of Famer Toni Kukoč is 56. Actor Aisha Tyler is 54. Actor Jada Pinkett Smith is 53. Actor James Marsden is 51. Rapper-TV host Xzibit is 50. Comedian-actor Jason Sudeikis is 49. Former soccer player Ronaldo is 48. TV host Sara Haines is 47. Actor/comedian Billy Eichner is 46. Rapper Dizzee Rascal is 40. Country singer Tae Kerr (Maddie and Tae) is 29. Soccer player Christian Pulisic is 26.

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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September 17, 2024
Today in History: September 13, Rabin and Arafat sign Oslo Accord

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The Associated Press

Today is Friday, Sept. 13, the 257th day of 2024. There are 109 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Sept. 13, 1993, at the White House, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO chairman Yasser Arafat shook hands after signing an accord granting limited Palestinian autonomy.

Also on this date:

In 1788, the Congress of the Confederation authorized the first national election and declared New York City the temporary national capital.

In 1948, Republican Margaret Chase Smith of Maine was elected to the U.S. Senate; she became the first woman to serve in both houses of Congress.

In 1971, a four-day inmate rebellion at the Attica Correctional Facility in western New York ended as police and guards stormed the prison; the ordeal and final assault claimed the lives of 32 inmates and 11 hostages.

In 1997, a funeral was held in Calcutta, India, for Nobel peace laureate Mother Teresa.

In 2008, crews rescued people from their homes in an all-out search for thousands of Texans who had stayed behind overnight to face Hurricane Ike.

In 2010, Rafael Nadal beat Novak Djokovic to win his first U.S. Open title and complete a career Grand Slam.

In 2021, school resumed for New York City public school students in the nation’s largest experiment of in-person learning during the coronavirus pandemic.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Barbara Bain is 93. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Óscar Arias is 84. Singer David Clayton-Thomas (Blood, Sweat & Tears) is 83. Actor Jacqueline Bisset and singer Peter Cetera are 80. Actor Jean Smart is 73. Record producer Don Was is 72. Chef Alain Ducasse is 68. Singer-musician Dave Mustaine (Megadeth) is 63. Olympic gold medal sprinter Michael Johnson is 57. Filmmaker Tyler Perry is 55. Fashion designer Stella McCartney and former tennis player Goran Ivanisevic are 53. Musician Joe Don Rooney (Rascal Flatts) is 49. Singer-songwriter Fiona Apple is 47. Actor Ben Savage is 44. Soccer player Thomas Müller is 35. Rock singer Niall Horan (One Direction) is 31. Actor Lili Reinhart (TV: “Riverdale”) is 28.

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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September 12, 2024
Today in History: September 2, Japan surrenders to end World War II

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Today is Monday, Sept. 2, the 246th day of 2024. There are 120 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Sept. 2, 1945, Japan formally surrendered in ceremonies aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, ending World War II.

Also on this date:

In 1666, the Great Fire of London began, which would destroy more than 13,000 homes and hundreds of additional structures, including St Paul’s Cathedral, over the ensuing three days.

In 1789, the United States Treasury Department was established.

In 1864, during the Civil War, Union Gen. William T. Sherman’s forces occupied Atlanta.

In 1935, a Category 5 hurricane slammed into the Florida Keys on Labor Day, claiming more than 400 lives.

In 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the National Defense Education Act, which provided aid to public and private education to promote learning in such fields as math and science.

In 1963, Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace prevented the integration of Tuskegee High School by encircling the building with state troopers.

In 1969, in what some regard as the birth of the Internet, two connected computers at the University of California, Los Angeles, passed test data through a 15-foot cable.

In 1998, a Swissair MD-11 jetliner crashed off Nova Scotia, killing all 229 people aboard.

In 2005, a National Guard convoy packed with food, water and medicine rolled into New Orleans four days after Hurricane Katrina.

In 2013, on her fifth attempt, U.S. endurance swimmer Diana Nyad became the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without the help of a shark cage.

In 2018, a huge fire engulfed Brazil’s 200-year-old National Museum in Rio de Janeiro, as firefighters and museum workers raced to save historical relics.

In 2019, a fire swept a boat carrying recreational scuba divers that was anchored near an island off the Southern California coast; the captain and four other crew members were able to escape the flames, but 34 people who were trapped below died.

Today’s Birthdays: Former Sen. Alan K. Simpson, R-Wyo., is 93. Horse trainer D. Wayne Lukas is 89. Former United States Olympic Committee Chairman and former Major League Baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth is 87. Football Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw and Basketball Hall of Famer Nate Archibald are 76. Actor Mark Harmon is 73. Tennis Hall of Famer Jimmy Connors is 72. Football Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson is 64. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is 62. Actor Keanu Reeves is 60. Boxing Hall of Famer Lennox Lewis is 59. Actor Salma Hayek is 58. R&B singer K-Ci is 55. Electronic music DJ/producer Zedd is 35.

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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September 1, 2024
Today in History: August 7, Twin Tower tightrope walk

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The Associated Press

Today is Wednesday, Aug. 7, the 220th day of 2024. There are 146 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Aug. 7, 1974, French highwire artist Philippe Petit performed an unapproved tightrope walk between the two towers of the World Trade Center in New York, over 1,300 feet above the ground; the event would be chronicled in the Academy Award-winning documentary film “Man on Wire.”

Also on this date:

In 1789, the U.S. Department of War was established by Congress.

In 1942, U.S. and other allied forces landed at Guadalcanal, marking the start of the first major allied offensive in the Pacific during World War II.

In 1960, Cote d’Ivoire gained independence from France.

In 1964, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, giving President Lyndon B. Johnson broad powers in dealing with reported North Vietnamese attacks on U.S. forces.

In 1971, the Apollo 15 moon mission ended successfully as its command module splashed down in the Pacific Ocean.

In 1978, President Jimmy Carter declared the Love Canal environmental disaster in Niagara Falls, N.Y. a federal health emergency; it would later top the initial list of Superfund cleanup sites.

In 1989, a plane carrying U.S. Rep. Mickey Leland, D-Texas, and 15 others disappeared over Ethiopia. (The wreckage of the plane was found six days later; there were no survivors.)

In 1990, President George H.W. Bush ordered U.S. troops and warplanes to Saudi Arabia to guard the oil-rich desert kingdom against a possible invasion by Iraq.

In 1998, terrorist bombs at U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania killed 224 people, including 12 Americans.

In 2007, San Francisco’s Barry Bonds hit home run No. 756 to break Hank Aaron’s storied record with one out in the fifth inning of a game against the Washington Nationals, who won, 8-6.

In 2012, to avoid a possible death penalty, Jared Lee Loughner agreed to spend the rest of his life in prison, accepting that he went on a deadly shooting rampage at an Arizona political gathering in 2011 that left six people dead and 13 injured, including U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords.

In 2015, Colorado theater shooter James Holmes was spared the death penalty in favor of life in prison after a jury in Centennial failed to agree on whether he should be executed for his murderous attack on a packed movie premiere that left 12 people dead.

Today’s birthdays: Singer Lana Cantrell is 81. Former FBI Director Robert Mueller and actors John Glover and David Rasche are 80. Former diplomat, talk show host and activist Alan Keyes and country singer Rodney Crowell are 74. Actor Caroline Aaron and comedian Alexei Sayle are 72. Actor Wayne Knight is 69. Rock singer Bruce Dickinson and marathon runner Alberto Salazar are 66. Actor David Duchovny is 64. Actor Delane Matthews is 63. Actor Harold Perrineau and jazz musician Marcus Roberts are 61. Country singer Raul Malo is 59. Actor David Mann is 58.

Actor Charlotte Lewis is 57. Actor Sydney Penny is 53. Actor Greg Serano is 52. Actor Michael Shannon is 50. Actor Charlize Theron is 49. Rock musician Barry Kerch is 48. Actor Eric Johnson is 45. Actor Randy Wayne is 43. Actor-writer Brit Marling is 42. NHL center Sidney Crosby is 37. MLB All-Star Mike Trout is 33. Actor Liam James is 28.

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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August 6, 2024