3 September: Popery Afoot; Revolutionary War Done; Dow 381.17! Blind Owl Passes Over; Tonya Harding Rocks

Today is Thursday, Sept. 3, the 246th day of 2009. There are 119 days left in the year. UPI Almanac.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Sept. 3, 1939, Britain, France, Australia and New Zealand declared war on Germany, two days after the Nazi invasion of Poland. Sound Bite: British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. A German U-boat torpedoed and sank the Montreal-bound British liner SS Athenia some 250 miles off the Irish coast, killing more than 100 people, including 28 Americans, out of the 1,400 or so on board. President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered a radio address in which he said the U.S. was preparing a proclamation of neutrality in the European conflict.

On this date:

In 590, Pope St. Gregory I was consecrated as the successor to Pope Pelagius II. In 1189, England's King Richard I (the Lion-Hearted) was crowned in Westminster Abbey. Four hundred years ago, in 1609, English explorer Henry Hudson and his crew aboard the Half Moon entered present-day New York Harbor and began sailing up the river that now bears his name. (They reached present-day Albany before turning back.) In 1658, Oliver Cromwell, the Lord Protector of England, died in London. In 1777, the U.S. flag was flown in battle for the first time, during a Revolutionary War skirmish at Cooch's Bridge, Del. In 1783, representatives of the United States and Great Britain signed the Treaty of Paris, which officially ended the Revolutionary War. In 1916, the Allies turned back the Germans in the Battle of Verdun. In 1929, the Dow Jones industrial average closed at 381.17, it's [sic] pre-crash high. In 1936, Britain's Malcolm Campbell set a land-speed record on the Bonneville Salt Flats of Utah, averaging 301.129 mph in two runs. In 1943, the British Eighth Army invaded Italy, the same day Italy signed a secret armistice with the Allies. In 1967, Nguyen Van Thieu was elected president of South Vietnam under a new constitution. Motorists in Sweden began driving on the right-hand side of the road instead of the left. In 1976, America's Viking 2 lander touched down on Mars to take the first close-up, color photographs of the planet's surface.In 1978, Pope John Paul I was installed as the 264th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. [1,388 yrs. after Pope G 2 tha' First way back in 590. — Ed.] In 1994, China and Russia pledged they would no longer target nuclear missiles at or use force against each other. In 1997, Arizona Gov. Fife Symington was convicted of lying to get millions in loans to shore up his collapsing real estate empire. (The conviction was overturned in 1999.) Ten years ago: A French judge closed a two-year inquiry into the car crash that killed Princess Diana, dismissing all charges against nine photographers and a press motorcyclist, and concluding the accident was caused by an inebriated driver. NASA temporarily grounded its space shuttle fleet after inspections had uncovered damaged wires that could endanger a mission. Five years ago: The three-day hostage siege at a school in Beslan, Russia, ended in bloody chaos after Chechen militants set off bombs as Russian commandos stormed the building; more than 330 people, mostly children, were killed. Former President Bill Clinton was hospitalized in New York with chest pains and shortness of breath; he ended up undergoing heart bypass surgery. In 2005, President George W. Bush ordered more than 7,000 active duty forces to the Gulf Coast as his administration in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist died at age 80. In 2006, tennis player Andre Agassi announced his retirement. In 2007, millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett, 63, vanished after taking off in a single-engine plane in western Nevada. (His remains were discovered in October 2008 in California's Sierra Nevada mountains.) One year ago: Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, John McCain's choice for running mate, roused delegates at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., as she belittled Democrat Barack Obama and praised her new boss. Thousands of New Orleans residents who had fled Hurricane Gustav forced the city to reluctantly open its doors, while President George W. Bush returned to the scene to show that the government had turned a corner since its bungled response to Katrina. Baseball's first use of instant replay backed an onfield call of a home run for Alex Rodriguez during the ninth inning of a New York Yankees game against the Tampa Bay Rays. (The Yankees won the game, 8-4.)

Today's Birthdays September 3

Actress Helen Wagner ("As the World Turns") is 91. "Beetle Bailey" cartoonist Mort Walker is 86. (This is mean. Ha ha.)Actress Anne Jackson is 83. Actress Eileen Brennan is 77. Country singer Tompall Glaser is 76. Actress Pauline Collins is 69. Rock singer-musician Al Jardine is 67. Actress Valerie Perrine is 66. Rock musician Donald Brewer (Grand Funk Railroad) is 61. Rock guitarist Steve Jones (The Sex Pistols) is 54. Actor Steve Schirripa is 52. Rock singer-musician Todd Lewis is 44. Actor Charlie Sheen is 44. Baseball All-Star Luis Gonzalez is 42. Singer Jennifer Paige is 36. Actress Ashley Jones is 33. NFL player Casey Hampton is 32. Actress Nichole Hiltz is 31. Actor Nick Wechsler is 31. Olympic gold medal snowboarder Shaun White is 23.

Today In Entertainment History September 3

In 1942, Frank Sinatra began his solo singing career after leaving Tommy Dorsey's orchestra. In 1951, the soap opera "Search for Tomorrow" made its debut on CBS. (It ran on CBS until 1982, when it moved to NBC until its final episode, which aired in December 1986.) In 1955, Bill Haley and the Comets turned down their first invitation to tour outside the U. S., because they were afraid of flying. In 1967, the original version of the television game show "What's My Line?" -- hosted by John Charles Daly -- broadcast its final episode after more than 17 years on CBS. In 1970, singer-guitarist Al Wilson of Canned Heat was found dead of a drug overdose at the home of another band member. Wilson was 27. In 1982, the three-day "US" Festival opened in San Bernardino, California. More than 400,000 people turned out to see bands like The Cars, Fleetwood Mac and Talking Heads. The show was expected to bring in ten million dollars, but lost money because of [sic] artists like David Bowie and Van Halen demanded huge fees. In 1988, actor Kevin Bacon married actress Kyra Sedgwick. In 1991, director Frank Capra died at his home in California at the age of 94. Among his works: "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington" and "It's A Wonderful Life," which both starred Jimmy Stewart. In 1992, a spokesman for Prince announced that the musician had signed a deal worth up to $100 million, making him the highest paid pop star. Under the reported terms, Prince would receive $10 million per album, for six albums, plus royalties. In 1995, skater Tonya Harding made her singing debut with her band, the Golden Blades, in Portland, Oregon. The crowd booed her during her 15-minute set.

UPI's thought for the day:

Louis Sullivan said, "Form ever follows function."