TODAY IN HISTORY

TODAY IS FRIDAY, SEPT. 21, the 264th day of 2018. There are 101 days left in the year. TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT IN HISTORY:

On this date in 1981, the Senate unanimously confirmed the nomination of Sandra Day O’Connor to become the first female justice on the Supreme Court.

In 1893, one of America’s first horseless carriages was taken for a short test drive in Springfield, Mass., by Frank Duryea, who had designed the vehicle with his brother, Charles.

In 1937, “The Hobbit,” by J.R.R. Tolkien, was first published by George Allen & Unwin, Ltd. of London.

In 1938, a hurricane struck parts of New York and New England, causing widespread damage and claiming some 700 lives.

1985, in North Korea and South Korea, family members who had been separated for decades were allowed to visit one another when both countries opened their borders in an unprecedented family reunion program.

In 1987, NFL players called a strike, mainly over the issue of free agency. The 24-day walkout prompted football owners to hire replacement players.

In 1996, John F. Kennedy Jr. married Carolyn Bessette in a secret ceremony on Cumberland Island, Ga.

In 2001, Congress again opened the federal coffers to those harmed by terrorism, providing $15 billion to the airline industry, which was suffering mounting economic losses since the Sept. 11 attacks.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Authorcomedian Fannie Flagg is 77. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer is 75. Former Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear is 74. Musician Don Felder is 71. Basketball Hall-of-Famer Artis Gilmore is 69. Actor-comedian Bill Murray is 68. Actorcomedian Dave Coulier is 59. Actor David James Elliott is 58. Actresses Serena Scott-Thomas and Nancy Travis are 57. Actor Rob Morrow is 56. Actress Cheryl Hines is 53. Country singer Faith Hill and rock musician Tyler Stewart (Barenaked Ladies) are 51. Actor Bradford Anderson is 39.