Today In History

Today is Wednesday, Sept. 13, the 256th day of 2017. There are 109 days left in the year.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT

› 1788: Congress of the Confederation authorized the first national election, and declared New York City the temporary national capital.

ON THIS DATE

› 1814: During the War of 1812, British naval forces began bombarding Fort McHenry in Baltimore but were driven back by American defenders in a battle that lasted until the following morning.

› 1911: The song “Oh, You Beautiful Doll,” a romantic rag by Nat D. Ayer and Seymour Brown, was first published by Jerome H. Remick & Co.

› 1948: Republican Margaret Chase Smith of Maine was elected to the U.S. Senate; she became the first woman to serve in both houses of Congress.

› 2002: The earliest known online use of the term “selfie” (a photographic self-portrait, usually taken with a smartphone) occurred on an Australian Broadcasting Corp. website forum; it came from a man named Nathan Hope, who denied coining the term, saying it was “common slang.”

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

Actress Barbara Bain is 86. Actress Eileen Fulton (TV: “As the World Turns”) is 84. Actor Joe E. Tata is 81. TV producer Fred Silverman is

80. Rock singer David Clayton-Thomas (Blood, Sweat & Tears) is 76. Actress Jacqueline Bisset is 73. Singer Peter Cetera is 73. Actress Christine Estabrook is 67. Actress Jean Smart is 66. Singer Randy Jones (The Village People) is 65. Actress-comedian Geri Jewell is

61. Country singer Bobbie Cryner is 56. Rock singer-musician Dave Mustaine (Megadeth) is

56. Radio-TV personality Tavis Smiley is 53. Rock musician Zak Starkey is

52. Actor Louis Mandylor is 51. Olympic gold medal runner Michael Johnson is 50. Rock musician Steve Perkins is 50. Actor Roger Howarth is 49. Actor Dominic Fumusa is

48. Actress Louise Lombard is 47. Tennis player Goran Ivanisevic is 46. Country singer Aaron Benward (Blue County) is

44. Singer Fiona Apple is

40. Contemporary Christian musician Hector Cervantes (Casting Crowns) is 37. Former MLB pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka is 37. Actor Ben Savage is 37. Rock singer Niall Horan (One Direction) is 24. Actor Mitch Holleman is

22. Actress Lili Reinhart (TV: “Riverdale”) is 21.