31 August: Ripper On Loose; Planes Drop Like Flies; R. M. Busted; R. M. Dies In Plane Crash; Divorces For B. S., B. S., & E. T.

Today In History August 31

Today is Monday, Aug. 31, the 243rd day of 2009. There are 122 days left in the year. UPI Almanac. AP A/V.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Aug. 31, 1803, explorer Meriwether Lewis departed Pittsburgh, sailing down the Ohio River; he joined William Clark in Louisville, Ky., the following October. (The next year, Lewis and Clark began their famous expedition toward the Pacific coast.)

On this date:

In 1886, an earthquake rocked Charleston, S.C., killing 60 people, according to the US Geological Survey. In 1888, Mary Ann Nichols, the apparent first victim of "Jack the Ripper," was found slain in London's East End. In 1897, Thomas Edison was awarded a patent for his movie camera, the Kinetograph. In 1903, a Packard automobile completed a 52-day journey from San Francisco to New York, becoming the first car to cross the nation under its own power. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an act prohibiting the export of US arms to belligerents. In 1954, Hurricane Carol hit the northeastern Atlantic states. Connecticut, Rhode Island and part of Massachusetts bore the brunt of the storm, which resulted in nearly 70 deaths. In 1962, the Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago became independent within the British Commonwealth. Forty years ago, in 1969, boxer Rocky Marciano died in a light airplane crash in Iowa, a day before his 46th birthday. In 1980, Poland's Solidarity labor movement was born with an agreement signed in Gdansk that ended a 17-day-old strike. In 1985, California's "Night Stalker" killer Richard Ramirez was captured by residents of an East Los Angeles neighborhood. In 1986, 82 people were killed when an Aeromexico jetliner and a small private plane collided over Cerritos, Calif. The Soviet passenger ship Admiral Nakhimov collided with a merchant vessel in the Black Sea, causing both to sink; up to 448 people reportedly died. In 1988, 14 people were killed when a Delta Boeing 727 crashed during takeoff from Dallas-Fort Worth Airport. Twenty years ago, in 1989, Britain's Princess Anne and husband Mark Phillips announced they were separating. In 1992, white separatist Randy Weaver surrendered to authorities in Naples, Idaho, ending an 11-day siege by federal agents that claimed the lives of Weaver's wife and son and a deputy U.S. marshal.In 1994, Russia officially ended its military presence in the former East Germany and the Baltics after half a century. In 1997, Britain's Princess Diana died in a car crash in Paris at age 36. Ten years ago: Detroit's teachers went on strike, wiping out the first day of class for 172,000 students in one of the largest teachers' strikes in years. (The walkout lasted nine days.) An LAPA Boeing 737 crashed on takeoff from Buenos Aires, Argentina, killing 64 people. Five years ago: At the Republican National Convention in New York, first lady Laura Bush and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger praised President George W. Bush as a man of strength and compassion. Palestinian suicide bombers blew up two buses in Beersheba, Israel, killing 16 passengers. A woman strapped with explosives blew herself up outside a busy Moscow subway station, killing 10 people. In 2005, some 1,000 people were killed when a religious procession across a Baghdad bridge was engulfed in panic over rumors of a suicide bomber. In 2006, Iran defied a U.N. deadline to stop enriching uranium. Norwegian authorities recovered the world famous painting "The Scream" by Edvard Munch, stolen at gunpoint, along with Munch's "Madonna," from an Oslo museum nine days earlier. One year ago: With Hurricane Gustav approaching New Orleans, Mayor Ray Nagin pleaded with the last of its residents to get out, imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew on those who were staying and warned looters they would be sent directly to prison. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Edwin O. Guthman, who served as press secretary to Robert F. Kennedy, died in Los Angeles at age 89. Former CBS newsman Ike Pappas died in Arlington, Va., at age 75.

Today's Birthdays August 31

Broadcast journalist Daniel Schorr is 93. Baseball Hall-of-Famer Frank Robinson is 74. Actor Warren Berlinger is 72. Rock musician Jerry Allison (Buddy Holly and the Crickets) is 70. Actor Jack Thompson is 69. Violinist Itzhak Perlman is 64. Singer Van Morrison is 64. Rock musician Rudolf Schenker (The Scorpions) is 61. Actor Richard Gere is 60. Olympic gold medal track and field athlete Edwin Moses is 54. Rock singer Glenn Tilbrook (Squeeze) is 52. Rock musician Gina Schock (The Go-Go's) is 52. Singer Tony DeFranco (The DeFranco Family) is 50. Rhythm-and-blues musician Larry Waddell (Mint Condition) is 46. Actor Jaime P. Gomez is 44. Baseball pitcher Hideo Nomo is 41. Rock musician Jeff Russo (Tonic) is 40. Singer-composer Deborah Gibson is 39. Rock musician Greg Richling (Wallflowers) is 39. Actor Zack Ward is 39. Golfer Padraig Harrington is 38. Actor Chris Tucker is 37. Actress Sara Ramirez is 34. Rhythm-and-blues singer Tamara (Trina & Tamara) is 32. NFL player Larry Fitzgerald is 26.

Today In Entertainment History August 31

In 1941, the radio program "The Great Gildersleeve" debuted on NBC. In 1948, actor Robert Mitchum was arrested during a Hollywood drug raid. The next year, he was found guilty of criminal conspiracy to possess marijuana and was sentenced to 60 days in jail. In 1963, Walter Cronkite began as anchor on the "CBS Evening News." Thirty boring years ago, in 1979, INXS played its first gig in Sydney, Australia. In 1980, singer Karen Carpenter married real-estate developer Thomas Burris in Beverly Hills, California. In 1987, the album "Bad" by Michael Jackson was released in North America. In 1988, actress-model Julianne Phillips filed for divorce from singer Bruce Springsteen, citing irreconcilable differences. On that same day, singer Bob Seger and actress Annette Sinclair filed for divorce. Twenty damn years ago, in 1989, the Rolling Stones' "Steel Wheels" tour kicked off in Philadelphia. In 1991, singer Jan Berry of Jan and Dean married waitress Gertie Filip between concerts in Las Vegas. Dean Torrence was his best man. In 1994, R. Kelly married Aaliyah in Rosemont, Illinois. He was 25, but she was 15 -- a year under the state legal age for marriage. The marriage was later annulled. In 1995, Elizabeth Taylor and Larry Fortensky, her eighth husband, announced a trial separation. In 2002, jazz musician and bandleader Lionel Hampton died at age 94.