Today’s highlight in history
On Sept. 19, 1881, President James A. Garfield died 21⁄2 months after being shot; Chester Alan Arthur became president.
On this date
In 1783, Jacques Etienne Montgolfier launched a duck, a sheep and a rooster aboard a hot-air balloon at Versailles in France.
In 1796, President George Washington’s farewell address was published: “Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all.”
In 1934, Bruno Hauptmann was arrested in New York and charged with the kidnap-murder of 20month-old Charles A. Lindbergh Jr.
In 1959, while on a U.S. tour, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev reacted angrily upon being told that, for security reasons, he wouldn’t get to visit Disneyland.
In 1982, the smiley emoticon was invented by Carnegie Mellon University professor Scott E. Fahlman, who suggested punctuating humorous computer messages with a sideways “smiley face”: a colon followed by a hyphen and a parenthesis.
In 1986, federal health officials announced that the experimental drug AZT would be made available to thousands of AIDS patients.
In 2004, Hu Jintao became China’s undisputed leader with the departure of former President Jiang Zemin from his top military post.
Ten years ago: Baseball’s instant replay system produced its first reversal when Tampa Bay’s Carlos Pena had a two-run double changed to a three-run homer during a game against Minnesota. (The Rays beat the Twins, 11-1.)
Five years ago: Pope Francis said in a published interview that the Roman Catholic church had become obsessed by “small-minded rules” about how to be faithful and that pastors instead should emphasize compassion over condemnation when discussing divisive issues such as abortion and gays.
One year ago: At the U.N. General Assembly, President Donald Trump vowed to “totally destroy North Korea” if the U.S. were forced to defend itself or its allies against the North’s nuclear weapons program.