TODAY IN HISTORY: Don’t Worry Be Happy

In 1741, after working for 23 uninterrupted days, composer George Frideric Handel completed his famed “Messiah.”

In 1812, the Russians set fire to Moscow before Napoleon’s triumphant march into the city. Three-fourths of the city was destroyed in the next few days. Napoleon remained in Moscow for about a month while cold and hunger decimated the Grande Armee.

In 1814, the poem “Defence of Fort McHenry” (later becoming the lyrics to “The Star-Spangled Banner”) was written by Francis Scott Key following the British shelling of Fort McHenry in Maryland. The morning after, Key saw the American flag still flying over the fortress and wrote his poem. It was set to the tune of an English drinking song and it was designated as the U.S. national anthem in 1916 by President Woodrow Wilson, and his order was confirmed by an act of Congress in 1931.

In 1847, U.S. troops captured Mexico City during the Mexican War.

In 1868, golf’s first recorded hole-in-one was scored by Scotsman Tom Morris at Prestwick’s 166-yard 8th hole during the Open Championship (known in North America as the British Open).

In 1962, 29 people escaped to the West through a tunnel under the Berlin Wall.

In 1972, Pope Paul VI barred women from even the smallest formal role in the ministry of the Roman Catholic Church.

In 1982, Princess Grace of Monaco, formerly U.S. actress Grace Kelly, died of head injuries when the car she was driving plunged off a mountain road after the brakes failed. Her daughter, Stephanie, who was in the front passenger seat, escaped with minor injuries. Grace was 52. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for “The Country Girl” in 1955 but she retired from acting in 1956 after her marriage to Prince Rainier. The couple had three children.

In 1988, “Don’t Worry Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin topped the Billboard Hot 100, making it the first a cappella song to reach No. 1 in the history of the chart. Featured on the “Cocktail” soundtrack, McFerrin reportedly hated the song and never performed it live. It won Grammy Awards for song and record of the year as well as best pop male performance.

In 1994, with the Montreal Expos having the best record in baseball, the major league season was cancelled after 34 days of a players' strike. For the first time in 90 years, there was no World Series.

In 2009, Patrick Swayze, the hunky star of “Dirty Dancing,” “Road House” and “Ghost” died after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 57.