TODAY IN HISTORY
TODAY IS TUESDAY, SEPT. 19, the 262nd day of 2017. There are 103 days left in the year.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT IN HISTORY: On this date in 1777, the first Battle of Saratoga was fought during the Revolutionary War; although British forces succeeded in driving out the American troops, the Americans prevailed in a second battle the following month.
In 1796, President George Washington’s farewell address was published. In it, America’s first chief executive advised, “Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all.”
In 1881, the 20th president of the United States, James A. Garfield, died 2½ months after being shot by Charles Guiteau; Chester Alan Arthur became president.
In 1934, Bruno Hauptmann was arrested in New York and charged with the kidnap-murder of Charles A. Lindbergh Jr.
In 1945, Nazi radio propagandist William Joyce, known as “Lord HawHaw,” was convicted of treason and sentenced to death by a British court.
In 1957, the United States conducted its first contained underground nuclear test, code-named “Rainier,” in the Nevada desert.
In 1960, Cuban leader Fidel Castro, in New York to visit the United Nations, angrily checked out of the Shelburne Hotel in a dispute with the management; Castro ended up staying at the Hotel Theresa in Harlem.
In 1982, the smiley emoticon was invented by Carnegie Mellon University professor Scott E. Fahlman. :-)
In 1985, the Mexico City area was struck by a devastating earthquake that killed at least 9,500 people.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Author Roger Angell is 97. Host James Lipton (TV: “Inside the Actors Studio”) is 91. Actress Rosemary Harris and Former Defense Secretary Harold Brown are 90. Actor David McCallum is 84. Singersongwriter Paul Williams is 77. Singer Bill Medley is 77. Singer Sylvia Tyson (Ian and Sylvia) is 77. R&B singer Freda Payne is 75. Golfer Jane Blalock is 72, singer David Bromberg and actor Randolph Mantooth are 72. Rock singermusician Lol Creme (10cc) is 70. Actor Jeremy Irons is 69. Actress Twiggy Lawson is 68. TV personality Joan Lunden is 67. Singer-producer Daniel Lanois is 66. Actor Scott Colomby and musician-producer Nile Rodgers are 65. College Football Hall-of-Famer and former NFL player Reggie Williams is 63. Celebrity chef Mario Batali is 57. Country singer Trisha Yearwood is 53. News anchor Soledad O’Brien is 51. Celebrity chef Michael Symon is 48. “Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon is 43. TV personality Carter Oosterhouse and actress-TV host Alison Sweeney are 41. Rock musician Ryan Dusick is 40. Folk-rock singers-musicians Sara and Tegan Quin are 37. Actor Columbus Short is 35. Rapper Eamon and Christian rock musician JD Frazier are 34. Actor Kevin Zegers is 33. Actress Danielle Panabaker is 30.