Today In History

Today is Tuesday, Sept. 5, the 248th day of 2017. There are 117 days left in the year.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT

› 1774: The first Continental Congress assembled in Philadelphia.

ON THIS DATE

› 1836: Sam Houston was elected president of the Republic of Texas.

› 1882: The nation’s first Labor Day was celebrated with a parade in New York. (Although Labor Day now takes place on the first Monday of September, this first celebration occurred on a Tuesday.)

› 1957: The novel “On the Road,” by Jack Kerouac, was first published by Viking Press.

› 1972: The Palestinian group Black September attacked the Israeli Olympic delegation at the Munich Games; 11 Israelis, five guerrillas and a police officer were killed in the resulting siege.

› 1975: President Gerald R. Ford escaped an attempt on his life by Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, a disciple of Charles Manson, in Sacramento, California.

› 1977: The U.S. launched the Voyager 1 spacecraft two weeks after launching its twin, Voyager 2.

› 2005: President George W. Bush nominated John Roberts to succeed the late William Rehnquist as chief justice of the United States.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

Former Federal Reserve Board chairman Paul A. Volcker is 90. Comedian-actor Bob Newhart is 88. Actress-singer Carol Lawrence is 85. Actor William Devane is 78. Actor George Lazenby is 78. Actress Raquel Welch is 77. Movie director Werner Herzog is 75. Singer Al Stewart is 72. Actor-director Dennis Dugan is 71. College Football Hall of Famer Jerry LeVias is 71. Singer Loudon Wainwright III is 71. “Cathy” cartoonist Cathy Guisewite is 67. Actor Michael Keaton is 66. Country musician Jamie Oldaker (The Tractors) is 66. Actress Debbie Turner-Larson (Marta in “The Sound of Music”) is 61. Actress Kristian Alfonso is 54. Rhythm and blues singer Terry Ellis is 54. Rock musician Brad Wilk is 49. TV personality Dweezil Zappa is 48. Actress Rose McGowan is 44. Actress Carice Van Houten is 41. Actor Andrew Ducote is 31. Actress Kat Graham is 31. Olympic gold medal figure skater Yuna Kim is 27. Actor Skandar Keynes is 26.