TODAY IN HISTORY

Today is Saturday, Sept. 16, the 259th day of 2017. There are 106 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlights in History:

On September 16, 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Selective Training and Service Act. Samuel T. Rayburn of Texas was elected Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

On this date:

In 1498, Tomas de Torquemada, notorious for his role in the Spanish Inquisition, died in Avila, Spain.

In 1857, the song “Jingle Bells” by James Pierpont was copyrighted under its original title, “One Horse Open Sleigh.” (The song, while considered a Christmastime classic, was actually written for Thanksgiving.)

In 1893, more than 100,000 settlers swarmed onto a section of land in Oklahoma known as the “Cherokee Strip.”

In 1908, General Motors

was founded in Flint, Mich., by

William C. Durant.

In 1919, the American Legion received a national charter from Congress.

Today’s Birthdays: Actress Janis Paige is 95. Bluesman Billy Boy Arnold is 82. Rhythm-and-blues singer Betty Kelley (Martha & the Vandellas) is 73. Actor Ed Begley Jr. is 68. Country singer David Bellamy (The Bellamy Brothers) is 67. Actor-comedian Lenny Clarke is 64. Jazz musician Earl Klugh is 64. Actor Mickey Rourke is 61. Magician David Copperfield is 61. Actress Jennifer Tilly is 59. Retired MLB All-Star pitcher Orel Hershiser is 59. Comedian Molly Shannon is 53. Comedian-actress Amy Poehler is 46.

Thought for Today: “Stoicism is the wisdom of madness and cynicism the madness of wisdom.” —Bergen Evans, American lexicographer (1904-1978).