Thursday, September 17, 2009

17 September: Big Night For The Rock On CBS; Somoza Gets His, Good; Agnew Too, But Not As Good, Damnit!

Today is Thursday, Sept. 17, the 260th day of 2009. There are 105 days left in the year. UPI Almanac.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Sept. 17, 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Poland during World War II, more than two weeks after Nazi Germany had launched its assault. [They said they'd had the idea first, though. — Ed.]

On this date:

In 1787, the Constitution of the United States was completed and signed by a majority of delegates attending the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. In 1862, Union forces fought Confederate invaders in the Civil War Battle of Antietam at Sharpsburg, Md. With 23,100 killed, wounded or captured, it remains the bloodiest day in U.S. military history.In 1907, Warren Burger, the 15th chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, was born in St. Paul, Minn. One hundred years ago, in 1909, the first trolley crossed New York City's recently opened Queensboro Bridge in a test run. (Regular service began Oct. 4; the trolley was shut down in 1957.) In 1920, the American Professional Football Association — a precursor of the NFL — was formed in Canton, Ohio. In 1944, Allied paratroopers launched Operation Market Garden, landing behind German lines in the Netherlands. (After initial success, the Allies were beaten back by the Germans.) In 1947, James V. Forrestal was sworn in as the first U.S. secretary of defense. In 1948, the United Nations mediator for Palestine, Count Folke Bernadotte, was assassinated in Jerusalem by Jewish extremists. Sixty years ago, in 1949, more than 120 people died when fire gutted the Canadian passenger steamship SS Noronic at a pier in Toronto. Fifty years ago, in 1959, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev traveled by train from Washington to New York City, where he received a low-key welcome from New Yorkers. In 1976, NASA unveiled the space shuttle Enterprise. In 1978, after meeting at Camp David, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat signed a framework for a peace treaty. In 1984, Progressive Conservative leader Brian Mulroney took office as Canada's 18th prime minister. In 1986, the Senate confirmed the nomination of William H. Rehnquist as the 16th chief justice of the United States.
In 1991, North Korea, South Korea, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were admitted to the United Nations. In 1992, special prosecutor Lawrence Walsh called a halt to his five-and-a-half-year probe of the Iran-Contra scandal. In 1994, Heather Whitestone of Alabama became the first deaf woman to be crowned Miss America. [What? — Ed.] In 1996, former Vice President Spiro T. Agnew died at age 77. In 1997, Northern Ireland's main Protestant party joined peace talks, bringing the major players together for first time. Ten years ago: President Bill Clinton lifted restrictions on trade, travel and banking imposed on North Korea a half-century earlier, rewarding it for agreeing to curb missile tests. In 2001, Wall Street trading resumed for the first time since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks - its longest shutdown since the Depression; the Dow lost 684.81 points, its worst one-day point drop to date. Pro sporting events resumed after a six-day hiatus following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.In 2003, New York Stock Exchange chairman Dick Grasso resigned amid a furor over his $139.5 million pay package. Five years ago: President Vladimir Putin said Russia was "seriously preparing" for pre-emptive strikes against terrorists, as Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev took responsibility for a school hostage-taking and other attacks that had claimed more than 430 lives. San Francisco's Barry Bonds hit the 700th home run of his career, joining Babe Ruth (714) and Hank Aaron (755) as the only players to reach the milestone. One year ago: Defense Secretary Robert Gates met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and offered the people of Afghanistan his "personal regrets" for U.S. airstrikes that had killed civilians and said he would try to improve the accuracy of air warfare. A suicide attack on the U.S. Embassy in San'a, Yemen killed 19 people, including an American woman and six militants.

Today's Birthdays:

Pro Football Hall of Famer George Blanda is 82. Actor David Huddleston is 79. Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, is 76. Retired Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter is 70. Singer LaMonte McLemore (The Fifth Dimension) is 70. Retired Marine Gen. Anthony Zinni is 66. Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson is 64. Singer Fee Waybill is 59. Actress Cassandra Peterson ("Elvira, Mistress of the Dark") is 58. Comedian Rita Rudner is 56. Muppeteer Kevin Clash is 49. Movie director Baz Luhrmann is 47. Singer BeBe Winans is 47. Actor Kyle Chandler is 44. Director-producer Bryan Singer ("X-Men') is 44. Rapper Doug E. Fresh is 43. Actor Malik Yoba is 42. Rock musician Keith Flint (Prodigy) is 40. Actor Matthew Settle is 40. Rapper Vinnie (Naughty By Nature) is 39. New Orleans Saints quarterback Mark Brunell is 39. Rock singer Anastacia is 36. R&B singer Marcus Sanders (Hi-Five) is 36. Actress-singer Nona Gaye is 35. Singer-actor Constantine Maroulis is 34. NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson is 34. Pop singer Maile Misajon (Eden's Crush) is 33. Country singer-songwriter Stephen Cochran is 30. Rock musician Chuck Comeau (Simple Plan) is 30.

Today In Entertainment History September 17

In 1931, RCA Victor demonstrated the first 33-and-a-third RPM long-playing record in New York. In 1963, "The Fugitive" began its run on ABC, starring David Janssen as Dr. Richard Kimble. In 1964, "Bewitched," starring Elizabeth Montgomery, made its debut on ABC. In 1967, The Doors performed "Light My Fire" on "The Ed Sullivan Show." Jim Morrison had been asked to change the line "Girl, we couldn't get much higher," but Morrison sang it anyway. The Who appeared on "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour." Drummer Keith Moon had set a flash powder explosion in his drum kit, not knowing technicians had already done so. The resulting explosion sent a cymbal into Moon's leg and singed Pete Townshend's hair. In 1972, "MASH" premiered on CBS. It stayed on the air for 11 years. In 1978, ABC's expensive sci-fi show "Battlestar Galactica" made its debut. In 1980, Bette Midler's concert film, "Divine Madness," premiered. In 1983, Vanessa Williams of New York became the first black contestant to be crowned "Miss America." The following July, she also became the first Miss America to resign in the wake of her "Penthouse" magazine scandal. In 1991, Geffen Records released "Use Your Illusion One" and "Use Your Illusion Two" by Guns N' Roses. The two albums went on sale at many stores nationwide just after midnight. Also in 1991, Hank Williams Jr. unveiled a statue of his father in Montgomery, Alabama, where his funeral was held in 1953. [You'd think they'd mention Hank Sr. was born on this date in 1923. — Ed.] In 1996, The Cranberries canceled the last nine shows of their US tour because singer Dolores O'Riordan was suffering from a combination of exhaustion and the flu. London police intercepted and destroyed a booby-trapped book that an obsessed fan sent to singer Bjork (BYORK)[sic]. The fan shot himself to death hours after mailing the package. The package never reached Bjork's home. In 1997, comedian Red Skelton died at a hospital near his home in Palm Springs, Calif., after a long illness. He was 84. In 2001, David Letterman hosted the first late-night talk show since the terrorist attacks on September eleventh. Letterman opened the show with no jokes, just his thoughts on the matter. Dan Rather was his first guest and broke into tears.

Thought for Today:

"One of these days is none of these days." — Anonymous.

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