Today In History
Today is Wednesday, Sept. 2, the 246th day of 2020. There are 120 days left in the year.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT
› 1930: The first nonstop airplane flight from Europe to the U.S. was completed in 37 hours as Capt. Dieudonne Costes and Maurice Bellonte of France arrived in Valley Stream, New York.
ON THIS DATE
› 1864: During the Civil War, Union Gen. William T. Sherman’s forces occupied Atlanta.
› 1901: Vice President Theodore Roosevelt offered the advice, “Speak softly and carry a big stick” in a speech at the Minnesota State Fair.
› 1960: Wilma Rudolph of the United States won the first of her three gold medals at the Rome Summer Olympics as she finished the 100meter dash in 11 seconds.
› 1963: “The CBS Evening News” with Walter Cronkite was lengthened from 15 to 30 minutes, becoming network television’s first half-hour nightly newscast.
› 1969: In what some regard as the birth of the internet, two connected computers at the University of California, Los Angeles, passed test data through a 15-foot cable. The first automatic teller machine (ATM) to utilize magnetic-striped cards was opened to the public at Chemical Bank in New York. (Called a “Docuteller,” it was developed by Donald C. Wetzel.)
› 1993: The United States and Russia formally ended decades of competition in space by agreeing to a joint venture to build a space station.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS
Dancer-actor Marge Champion is 101. Former Sen. Alan K. Simpson, R-Wyo., is 89. Former United States Olympic Committee Chairman Peter Ueberroth is 83. Singer Joe Simon is 77. Pro and College Football Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw is 72. Basketball Hall of Famer Nate Archibald is 72. Actor Mark Harmon is 69. Former Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., is 69. International Tennis Hall of Famer Jimmy Connors is 68. Actor Linda Purl is 65. International Boxing Hall of Famer Lennox Lewis is
55. Actor Kristen Cloke is
52. Actor Cynthia Watros is 52. R&B singer K-Ci is
51. Actor-comedian Katt Williams is 47. Actor Actor Jonathan Kite is 41. Actor Joshua Henry is 36. Actor Allison Miller is 35. Rock musician Spencer Smith is 33. Electronic music DJ/producer Zedd is 31.