Today's Highlight in History:
On Sept. 14, 1814, Francis Scott Key was inspired to write a poem after witnessing how Fort McHenry in Maryland had endured a night of British bombardment during the War of 1812; that poem, originally called "Defence of Fort McHenry," later became the lyrics to "The Star-Spangled Banner," the American national anthem.
On this date:
In 1628, Salem, Mass., focal point of the notorious witch trials of the late 1700's, was founded. In 1776, the British army entered New York City after defeating the Americans, under Gen. George Washington, at the Battle of Long Island. In 1812, the Russians set fire to Moscow in the face of an invasion by Napoleon Bonaparte's troops. In 1836, former Vice President Aaron Burr died in Staten Island, N.Y., at age 80. In 1847, during the Mexican-American War, U.S. forces under Gen. Winfield Scott took control of Mexico City. In 1901, President William McKinley died in Buffalo, N.Y., of gunshot wounds inflicted by an assassin. Vice President Theodore Roosevelt succeeded him. In 1927, modern dance pioneer Isadora Duncan died in Nice, France, when her scarf became entangled in a wheel of the sports car she was riding in. In 1940, Congress passed the Selective Training and Service Act, providing for the first peacetime draft in U.S. history. In 1948, a groundbreaking ceremony took place in New York at the site of the United Nations' world headquarters. Fifty years ago, in 1959, the Soviet space probe Luna 2 became the first man-made object to reach the moon as it crashed onto the lunar surface. In 1964, Pope Paul VI opened the third session of the Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, also known as "Vatican II." (The session closed two months later.) In 1975, Pope Paul VI declared Mother Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton the first U.S.-born saint. In 1982, Princess Grace of Monaco, formerly actress Grace Kelly, died at age 52 of injuries from a car crash the day before; Lebanon's president-elect, Bashir Gemayel, was killed by a bomb. In 1988, Hurricane Gilbert slammed into Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula as a Category 5 storm after forcing thousands of residents to flee. Fifteen years ago, in 1994, acting commissioner Bud Selig announced the cancellation of the rest of the baseball season on the 34th day of a strike by players. Ten years ago: Indonesian soldiers looted the abandoned U.N. mission in East Timor, just hours after 110 U.N. personnel and 1,300 East Timorese were evacuated and flown to safety to end a 10-day siege. Hurricane Floyd clobbered the Bahamas, toppling power lines, ripping roofs off homes and pushing a roiling sea into streets before heading toward the southeastern United States.[Alternate universe] AP Highlight in History:
On Sept. 14, 2001, the FBI released the names of the 19 hijackers who took part in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks; President George W. Bush toured the ruins of the World Trade Center and addressed rescue workers over a bullhorn.
Sound Bite: President Bush: "I can hear you". [Best day of his horrid life: Got his numbers up tp 90% on the bodies of almost three thousand people he'd pretty much allowed to die. How'd the rest of that work out for ya, George? — Ed.]
Five years ago: Guerrillas bombed a Baghdad shopping street full of police recruits and fired on a police van north of the capital, killing some 60 people. President George W. Bush told veterans in Las Vegas he was proud of his time in the Texas Air National Guard as he sought to deflect questions about his Vietnam-era service.
In 2005, a federal judge in San Francisco declared the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools unconstitutional, & Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
One year ago: Losing its devastating punch as a major hurricane, Ike nevertheless drubbed the Midwest with powerful winds and floodwaters. Carlos Zambrano pitched the first no-hitter for the Chicago Cubs in 36 years, striking out 10 in a 5-0 win over Houston in a game relocated to Milwaukee because of Hurricane Ike.Today's Birthdays:
Actress Zoe Caldwell is 76. Feminist author Kate Millett is 75. Actor Walter Koenig is 73. Charlotte Bobcats coach Larry Brown is 69. Singer-actress Joey Heatherton is 65. Actor Sam Neill is 62. Singer Jon "Bowzer" Bauman (Sha Na Na) is 62. Rock musician Ed King is 60. Rock musician Steve Berlin (Los Lobos) is 54. Country singer-songwriter Beth Nielsen Chapman is 53. Actress Mary Crosby is 50. Singer Morten Harket (a-ha) is 50. Country singer John Berry is 50. Actress Melissa Leo is 49. Actress Faith Ford is 45. Actor Jamie Kaler is 45. Actress Michelle Stafford is 44. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is 44. Rock musician Mike Cooley (Drive-By Truckers) is 43. Actor Dan Cortese is 41. Contemporary Christian singer Mark Hall is 40. Actor Ben Garant is 39. Rock musician Craig Montoya (Tri Polar) is 39. Actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley is 38. Rapper Nas is 36. Country singer Danielle Peck is 31. Pop singer Ayo is 29. Singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse is 26.
Today In Entertainment History September 14
In 1920, the first live radio dance music was broadcast, carried by a Detroit station and featuring Paul Specht and his orchestra. In 1955, Little Richard recorded "Tutti Frutti." In 1967, "Ironside," starring Raymond Burr, premiered on NBC. In 1968, Pete Townshend of The Who announced his plans to write a rock opera called "Tommy" about a "deaf, dumb and blind boy." In 1972, "The Waltons" TV series debuted on CBS. In 1978, the TV sitcom "Mork and Mindy," starring Pam Dawber and Robin Williams, premiered on ABC. Twenty-five years ago, in 1984, the first MTV Video Music Awards were held in New York. Herbie Hancock was the big winner, winning five awards for his "Rockit" video. However, Madonna stole the show with her performance of "Like A Virgin" in which she rolled around on the stage in a wedding dress. In 1985, "The Golden Girls" sitcom debuted on NBC. In 1988, "Unsolved Mysteries," hosted by Robert Stack, premiered on NBC. In 1989, Sting made his stage debut in "The Three Penny Opera" in Washington. He was pummelled by critics, including one who wrote "prepare to be stung." In 1991, comedian Jay Leno was slightly injured when his motorcycle was hit by another biker. In 1996, the first Ozzfest tour began in Columbia, Maryland. In 2002, singer Gwen Stefani of No Doubt married singer Gavin Rossdale of Bush in London.Thoughts for Today:
"America has been called a melting pot, but it seems better to call it a mosaic, for in it each nation, people or race which has come to its shores has been privileged to keep its individuality, contributing at the same time its share to the unified pattern of a new nation." — King Baudouin I of Belgium (1930-1993).John Kenneth Galbraith wrote: "The (large) salary of the chief executive of a large corporation is not a market award for achievement. It is frequently in the nature of a warm personal gesture by the individual to himself."
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