TODAY IN HISTORY

TODAY IS SATURDAY, SEPT. 2, the 245th day of 2017. There are 120 days left in the year. TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT IN HISTORY: On this date in 1945, Japan formally surrendered in ceremonies aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, ending World War II.

In 1666, the Great Fire of London broke out.

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 1901, Vice President Theodore Roosevelt offered the advice “Speak softly and carry a big stick” in a speech at the Minnesota State Fair.

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

In 1945, Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam an independent republic. Ho died on this date in 1969.

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 1986, a judge in Los Angeles sentenced Cathy Evelyn Smith to three years in prison for involuntary manslaughter for her role in the 1982 drug overdose death of comedian John Belushi. Smith served 18 months.

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

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Dancer-actress Marge Champion is 98. Actor-comedian Chuck McCann is 83. Singer Jimmy Clanton is 79. Rhythm-and-blues singer Sam Gooden (The Impressions) is 78. Rhythm-and-blues singer Rosalind Ashford (Martha & the Vandellas) and singer Joe Simon are 74. Pro and College Football Hall-of-Famer Terry Bradshaw and Basketball Hall-of-Famer Nate Archibald are 69. Actor Mark Harmon is 66. International Tennis Hallof-Famer Jimmy Connors is 65. Actress Linda Purl is 62. Pro Football Hall-ofFamer Eric Dickerson is 57. Actor Keanu Reeves is 53. International Boxing Hallof-Famer Lennox Lewis is 52. Actress Salma Hayek and actor Tuc Watkins are 51. Actresses Kristen Cloke and Cynthia Watros are 49. Rhythm-and-blues singer K-Ci is 48. Actor-comedian Katt Williams is 44. Actor Michael Lombardi is 43. Actress Tiffany Hines and rock musician Sam Rivers (Limp Bizkit) are 40. Actor Jonathan Kite is 38. Actress Allison Miller is 32. Rock musician Spencer Smith is 30. Electronic music DJ/producer Zedd is 28.