TODAY IN HISTORY
Today is Saturday, Sept. 4. Today’s highlight:
On Sept. 4, 1957, Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus used Arkansas National Guardsmen to prevent nine Black students from entering allwhite Central High School in Little Rock.
On this date:
In 1781, Los Angeles was founded by Spanish settlers under the leadership of Governor Felipe de Neve.
In 1862, during the Civil War, Confederate forces led by Gen. Robert E. Lee began invading Maryland.
In 1893, English author Beatrix Potter first told the story of Peter Rabbit in the form of a “picture letter” to Noel Moore, the son of Potter’s former governess.
In 1944, during World War II, British troops liberated Antwerp, Belgium.
In 1969, the Food and Drug Administration issued a report calling birth control pills “safe,” despite a slight risk of fatal blood-clotting disorders linked to the pills.
In 1972, U.S. swimmer Mark Spitz won a seventh gold medal at the Munich Olympics in the 400-meter medley relay.
In 1974, the United States established diplomatic relations with East Germany.
In 1998, Internet services company Google filed for incorporation in California.
In 1999, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat signed a breakthrough land-for-security agreement during a ceremony in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.
In 2006, “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin, 44, died after a stingray’s barb pierced his chest.
In 2014, comedian Joan Rivers died at a New York hospital at age 81, a week after going into cardiac arrest in a doctor’s office during a routine medical procedure.
In 2018, Amazon became the second publicly-traded company to reach $1 trillion in market value, following closely behind Apple.
Ten years ago: Jerry Lewis was conspicuously absent from the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s 46th annual Labor Day weekend telethon, having hosted the previous 45 broadcasts; the MDA had announced earlier that Lewis had “completed his run” as national chairman and that he would not be appearing on the telethon.
Five years ago: Elevating the “saint of the gutters” to one of the Catholic Church’s highest honors, Pope Francis canonized Mother Teresa, praising her radical dedication to society’s outcasts and her courage in shaming world leaders for the “crimes of poverty they themselves created.”