Today in history
Today is Saturday, Aug. 29, the 242nd day of 2020. There are 124 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Aug. 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast near Buras, Louisiana, bringing floods that devastated New Orleans. More than 1,800 people in the region died.
On this date:
In 1862, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing began operations at the United States Treasury.
In 1877, the second president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Brigham Young, died in Salt Lake City, Utah, at age 76.
In 1943, responding to a clampdown by Nazi occupiers during World War II, Denmark managed to scuttle most of its naval ships.
In 1944, 15,000 American troops of the 28th Infantry Division marched down the Champs Elysees (shahms ay-lee-ZAY’) in Paris as the French capital continued to celebrate its liberation from the Nazis.
In 1957, the Senate gave final congressional approval to a Civil Rights Act after South Carolina Sen. Strom Thurmond (then a Democrat) ended a filibuster that had lasted 24 hours.
In 1964, Roy Orbison’s single “Oh, Pretty Woman” was released on the Monument label.
In 1966, the Beatles concluded their fourth American tour with their last public concert, held at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.
In 1982, Academy Awardwinning actor Ingrid Bergman died in London on her 67th birthday.
In 2008, Republican presidential nominee John McCain picked Sarah Palin, a maverick conservative who had been governor of Alaska for less than two years, to be his running mate.
In 2009, funeral services were held in Boston for Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, who was eulogized by President Barack Obama; hours later, Kennedy’s remains were buried at Arlington National Cemetery outside Washington.
In 2012, the NFL announced it would open the regular season with replacement officials.
In 2018, Sen. John McCain was remembered as a “true American hero” at a crowded service at the North Phoenix Baptist Church after a motorcade carried McCain’s body from the state Capitol. Kanye West apologized on a Chicago radio station ( WGCI) for calling slavery a “choice.”