TODAY IN HISTORY

On Sept. 26, 1892, John Philip Sousa and his newly formed band performed publicly for the first time at the Stillman Music Hall in Plainfield, New Jersey.

On this date:

In 1777, British troops occupied Philadelphia during the American Revolution.

In 1789, Thomas Jefferson was confirmed by the Senate to be the first United States secretary of state; John Jay, the first chief justice; Edmund Randolph, the first attorney general.

In 1835, the opera "Lucia di Lammermoor" by Gaetano Donizetti was first performed at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, Italy.

In 1907, New Zealand went from being a colony to a dominion within the British Empire.

In 1914, the Federal Trade Commission was established.

In 1937, the radio drama "The Shadow," starring Orson Welles, premiered on the Mutual Broadcasting System.

In 1957, the musical play "West Side Story" opened on Broadway.

In 1960, the first- ever debate between presidential nominees took place as Democrat John F. Kennedy and Republican Richard M. Nixon faced off before a national TV audience from Chicago.

In 1977, Sir Freddie Laker began his cut-rate "Skytrain" service from London to New York. (However, the carrier went out of business in 1982.)

In 1986, William H. Rehnquist was sworn in as the 16th chief justice of the United States, while Antonin Scalia joined the Supreme Court as its 103rd member.

In 1991, four men and four women began a two-year stay inside a sealed-off structure in Oracle, Arizona, called Biosphere 2. (They emerged from Biosphere on this date in 1993.)

In 1997, a Garuda Indonesia Airbus A-300 crashed while approaching Medan Airport in north Sumatra, killing all 234 people aboard.

Ten years ago: A judge in Los Angeles declared a mistrial in Phil Spector's murder trial after the jury deadlocked 10-2 in favor of convicting the music producer of killing actress Lana Clarkson. (Spector was convicted in a 2009 retrial.) Myanmar began a violent crackdown on protests, beating and dragging away dozens of monks.

Five years ago: Egypt's new President Mohammed Morsi, making his debut on the global stage at the United Nations, said he would not rest until the civil war in Syria was brought to an end.