TUESDAY INHISTORY

Today is Tuesday, Sept. 26, the 269th day of 2017. There are 96 days left in the year.

Highlight in History:

On Sept. 26, 1892, John Philip Sousa and his newly formed band performed publicly for the first time at the Stillman Music Hall in Plainfield, New Jersey.

On this date:

In 1777, British troops occupied Philadelphia during the American Revolution.

In 1789, Thomas Jefferson was confirmed by the Senate to be the first United States secretary of state; John Jay, the first chief justice; Edmund Randolph, the first attorney general.

In 1907, New Zealand went from being a colony to a dominion within the British Empire.

In 1914, the Federal Trade Commission was established.

In 1960, the first-ever debate between presidential nominees took place as Democrat John F. Kennedy and Republican Richard M. Nixon faced off before a national TV audience from Chicago.

In 1986, William H. Rehnquist was sworn in as the 16th chief justice of the United States, while Antonin Scalia joined the Supreme Court as its 103rd member.

In 1991, four men and four women began a two-year stay inside a sealed-off structure in Oracle, Arizona, called Biosphere 2. (They emerged from Biosphere on this date in 1993.)

Ten years ago: A judge in LosAngeles declared a mistrial in Phil Spector’s murder trial after the jury deadlocked 10-2 in favor of convicting the music producer of killing actress La na Clarkson. (Spector was convicted in a 2009 retrial.)

Five years ago: President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney both campaigned in the battleground state of Ohio.

One year ago: Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton participated in their first debate of the presidential campaign at Hofstra University in New York.

Today’s Birthdays: Retired baseball All-Star Bobby Shantz is 92. Actor Philip Bosco is 87. South African nationalist WinnieMadikizela-Mandelais 81. Television host Anne Robinson is 73. Actress Mary Beth Hurt is 71. Singer Olivia Newton-John is 69. Actress LindaHamilton is 61. TV personality Jillian Barberie is 51. Singer Shawn Stockman is 45. Tennis player Serena Williams is 36.

Thought for Today: “Whatever you think, be sure it is what you think; whatever you want, be sure that is what you want; whatever you feel, be sure that is what you feel.” — T.S. Eliot, AmericanAnglo poet (born on this date in 1888, died 1965).