Today In History

Today is Thursday, Sept. 27, the 270th day of 2018. There are 95 days left in the year.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT

› 1825: The first locomotive to haul a passenger train was operated by George Stephenson in England.

ON THIS DATE

› 1854: The first great disaster involving an Atlantic Ocean passenger vessel occurred when the steamship SS Arctic sank off Newfoundland; of the more than 400 people on board, only 86 survived.

› 1928: The United States said it was recognizing the Nationalist Chinese government.

› 1964: The government publicly released the report of the Warren Commission, which concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald had acted alone in assassinating President John F. Kennedy.

› 1979: Congress gave its final approval to forming the U.S. Department of Education.

› 1991: The Senate Judiciary Committee deadlocked, 7-7, on the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the U.S. Supreme Court.

› 1994: More than 350 Republican congressional candidates gathered on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to sign the “Contract with America,” a 10-point platform they pledged to enact if voters sent a GOP majority to the House.

› 2004: NBC announced that “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno would be succeeded by “Late Night” host Conan O’Brien in 2009. (O’Brien’s stint on “The Tonight Show” lasted just over seven months.)

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

Actress Kathleen Nolan is 85. Actor Wilford Brimley is 84. Actor Claude Jarman Jr. is 84. Author Barbara Howar is 84. World Golf Hall of Famer Kathy Whitworth is 79. Singer-musician Randy Bachman (Bachman-Turner Overdrive) is

75. Rock singer Meat Loaf is 71. Singer Shaun Cassidy is 60. Comedian Marc Maron is 55. Rock singer Stephan Jenkins (Third Eye Blind) is 54. Former Democratic National Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz is 52. Actor Patrick Muldoon is 50. Singer Mark Calderon is 48. Actress Amanda Detmer is 47. Actress Gwyneth Paltrow is 46. Rock singer Brad Arnold (3 Doors Down) is 40. Christian rock musician Grant Brandell (Underoath) is

37. Rapper Lil Wayne is

36. Singer Avril Lavigne is 34. Bluegrass singer/ musician Sierra Hull is 27. Actor Ames McNamara is 11.