Today In History

Today is Saturday, Sept. 16, the 259th day of 2017. There are 106 days left in the year.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT

› 1857: The song “Jingle Bells” by James Pierpont was copyrighted under its original title, “One Horse Open Sleigh.” (The song, while considered a Christmastime classic, was actually written for Thanksgiving.)

ON THIS DATE

› 1893: More than 100,000 settlers swarmed onto a section of land in Oklahoma known as the “Cherokee Strip.”

› 1908: General Motors was founded in Flint, Michigan, by William C. Durant.

› 1919: The American Legion received a national charter from Congress.

› 1953: “The Robe,” the first movie presented in the widescreen process CinemaScope, had its world premiere at the Roxy Theater in New York.

› 1967: The TV series “Mannix,” starring Mike Connors as a private investigator, premiered on CBS.

› 1987: Two dozen countries signed the Montreal Protocol, a treaty designed to save the Earth’s ozone layer by calling on nations to reduce emissions of harmful chemicals by the year 2000.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

Actress Janis Paige is

95. Actor George Chakiris is 85. Bluesman Billy Boy Arnold is 82. Rhythm and blues singer Betty Kelley (Martha & the Vandellas) is 73. Musician Kenney Jones (Small Faces; Faces; The Who) is 69. Actress Susan Ruttan is 69. Rock musician Ron Blair (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers; Mudcrutch) is 69. Actor Ed Begley Jr. is 68. Actor Kurt Fuller is 64. Jazz musician Earl Klugh is 64. Baseball Hall of Famer Robin Yount is 62. Actor Mickey Rourke is

61. Magician David Copperfield is 61. Country singer-songwriter Terry McBride is 59. Actress Jennifer Tilly is 59. Comedian Molly Shannon is 53. Singer Marc Anthony is 49. Comedian-actress Amy Poehler is 46. Actress Toks Olagundoye is 42. Country singer Matt Stillwell is

42. Singer Musiq is 40. Actor Michael Mosley is

39. Rapper Flo Rida is 38. Actress Alexis Bledel is

36. Actress Sabrina Bryan is 33. Actress Madeline Zima is 32. Rock singer Teddy Geiger is 29. Actress-dancer Bailey Buntain is 28. Rock singer-musician Nick Jonas (The Jonas Brothers) is

25. Actress Elena Kampouris is 20.