Today In History
Today is Friday, Sept. 14, the 257th day of 2018. There are 108 days left in the year.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT
› 1814: Francis Scott Key was inspired to write the poem “Defence of Fort McHenry” (later “The Star-Spangled Banner”) after witnessing the American flag flying over the Maryland fort following a night of British naval bombardment during the War of 1812.
ON THIS DATE
› 1861: The first naval engagement of the Civil War took place as the USS Colorado attacked and sank the Confederate private schooner Judah off Pensacola, Fla.
› 1954: The Soviet Union detonated a 40-kiloton atomic test weapon.
› 1972: In 1972, the family drama series “The Waltons” premiered on CBS.
› 1975: Pope Paul VI declared Mother Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton the first U.S.-born saint.
› 1994: On the 34th day of a strike by players, Acting Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig announced the 1994 season was over.
› 2001: Americans packed churches and clogged public squares on a day of remembrance for the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS
Actress Zoe Caldwell is 85. Actor Walter Koenig is 82. Basketball Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown is 78. Singer-actress Joey Heatherton is 74. Actor Sam Neill is 71. Singer Jon “Bowzer” Bauman (Sha Na Na) is 71. Rock musician Steve Berlin (Los Lobos) is 63. Country singer-songwriter Beth Nielsen Chapman is 62. Actress Mary Crosby is
59. Singer Morten Harket (a-ha) is 59. Country singer John Berry is 59. Actress Melissa Leo is
58. Actress Faith Ford is
54. Actor Jamie Kaler is
54. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is
53. Rock musician Mike Cooley (Drive-By Truckers) is 52. Actor Dan Cortese is 51. Actor-writer-director-producer Tyler Perry is 49. Actor Ben Garant is 48. Rock musician Craig Montoya (Tri Polar) is 48. Actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley is 47. Country singer Danielle Peck is 40. Pop singer Ayo is 38. Actor Sebastian Sozzi is 36. Actor Adam Lamberg is
34. Singer Alex Clare is
33. Actor Chad Duell (TV: “General Hospital”) is
31. Actress Jessica Brown Findlay is 31. Actor-singer Logan Henderson is 29. Actress Emma Kenney is 19.