Today in history
Today is Sunday, Sept. 9, the 252nd day of 2018. There are 113 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Sept. 9, 1850, California became the 31st state of the union. On this date: In 1543, Mary Stuart was crowned Queen of Scots at Stirling Castle, nine months after she was born.
In 1776, the second Continental Congress made the term “United States” official, replacing “United Colonies.”
In 1919, some 1,100 members of Boston’s 1,500-man police force went on strike. (The strike was broken by Massachusetts Gov. Calvin Coolidge with replacement officers.)
In 1942, during World War II, a Japanese plane launched from a submarine off the Oregon coast dropped a pair of incendiary bombs in a failed attempt at igniting a massive forest fire; it was the first aerial bombing of the U.S. mainland by a foreign power.
In 1948, the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea (North Korea) was declared.
In 1956, Elvis Presley made the first of three appearances on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”
In 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the first civil rights bill to pass Congress since Reconstruction, a measure primarily concerned with protecting voting rights and which also established a Civil Rights Division in the U.S. Department of Justice.
In 1971, prisoners seized control of the maximum-security Attica Correctional Facility near Buffalo, New York, beginning a siege that ended up claiming 43 lives.
In 1976, Communist Chinese leader Mao Zedong died in Beijing at age 82. JVC unveiled its new VHS videocassette recorder during a presentation in Tokyo.
In 1991, boxer Mike Tyson was indicted in Indianapolis on a charge of raping Desiree Washington, a beauty pageant contestant. (Tyson was convicted and ended up serving three years of a sixyear prison sentence.)
In 1997, Sinn Fein (shin fayn), the IRA’s political ally, formally renounced violence as it took its place in talks on Northern Ireland’s future. Actor Burgess Meredith died in Malibu, California, at age 89.
Five years ago: Four days of vehicular gridlock began near the George Washington Bridge when two of three approach lanes from Fort Lee, New Jersey, were blocked off; the traffic jam was later blamed on loyalists to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie over the refusal of Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich to endorse Christie for re-election. (Christie denied any prior knowledge of the lane closures.) Rafael Nadal won his 13th Grand Slam title and second at the U.S. Open by withstanding Novak Djokovic with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory.
Today’s Birthdays: Actress Sylvia Miles is 84. Actor Topol is 83. Rhythmand-blues singer Luther Simmons is 76. Singer Inez Foxx is 76. Singer Dee Dee Sharp is 73. Rock singermusician Doug Ingle is 72. College Football Hall of Famer and former NFL player Joe Theismann is 69. Rock musician John McFee (The Doobie Brothers) is 68. Actor Tom Wopat is 67. Actress Angela Cartwright is 66. Musician-producer Dave Stewart is 66. Actor Hugh Grant is 58. Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., is 55. Actor-comedian Charles Esten (formerly Chip) is 53. Actress Constance Marie is 53. Actor David Bennent is 52. Actor Adam Sandler is 52. Rock singer Paul Durham (Black Lab) is 50. Actress Julia Sawalha is 50. Model Rachel Hunter is 49. Actor Eric Stonestreet is 47. Actor Henry Thomas is 47. Actor Goran Visnjic (VEEZ’nihch) is 46. Pop-jazz singer Michael Buble’ (boo-BLAY’) is 43. Latin singer Maria Rita is 41. Actress Michelle Williams is 38. Actress Julie Gonzalo is 37. Neo-soul singer Paul Janeway (St. Paul & the Broken Bones) is 35. Actress Zoe Kazan is 35. Author-motivational speaker-businessman Farrah Gray is 34.