On this day, Sept. 10

1813 An American naval force commanded by Oliver H. Perry defeated the British in the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812. (Afterward, Perry sent the message, “We have met the enemy and they are ours.”)

1869 Pennsylvania Female College, now Chatham University, opened.

1919 New York City welcomed home Gen. John J. Pershing and 25,000 soldiers who’d served in the U.S. First Division during World War I.

1950 More than 130,000 Catholic men filled Forbes Field for a Holy Name rally in one of the city’s largest religious demonstrations in history.

1979 Four Puerto Rican nationalists imprisoned for a 1954 attack on the U.S. House of Representatives and a 1950 attempt on the life of President Harry S. Truman were freed from prison after being granted clemency by President Jimmy Carter.

2010 Carnegie Mellon University organized an art exhibit for Steelers fans, “Whatever It Takes: Steelers Fan Collections, Rituals and Obsessions.” Some items are from Stefan Lorant’s “Pittsburgh: The Story of an American City” (digital.library.pitt.edu/chronology). — Compiled by Rick Nowlin

Today’s birthdays: Actor Philip Baker Hall, 86. Actor Greg Mullavey, 84. Jazz vibraphonist Roy Ayers, 77. Actor Tom Ligon, 77. Singer Danny Hutton (Three Dog Night), 75 . Singer Sanjaya Malakar (“American Idol”), 28. Thought for today: “History is the great dust-heap ... a pageant and not a philosophy.”