TODAY IN HISTORY
TODAY IS SATURDAY, SEPT. 14, the 257th day of 2019. There are 108 days left in the year.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT IN HISTORY: On this date in 1814, Francis Scott Key was inspired to write the poem “Defence of Fort McHenry” (later “The Star-Spangled Banner”) after witnessing the American flag flying over the Maryland fort following a night of British naval bombardment during the War of 1812.
In 1812, Napoleon Bonaparte’s troops entered Moscow following the Battle of Borodino to find the Russian city largely abandoned and parts set ablaze.
In 1847, during the Mexican-American War, U.S. forces under Gen. Winfield Scott took control of Mexico City.
In 1901, President William McKinley died in Buffalo, New York, of gunshot wounds inflicted by an assassin; Vice President Theodore Roosevelt succeeded him.
In 1927, modern dance pioneer Isadora Duncan died in Nice, France, when her scarf became entangled in a wheel of the sports car she was riding in.
In 1954, the Soviet Union detonated a 40-kiloton atomic test weapon.
In 1963, Mary Ann Fischer of Aberdeen, South Dakota, gave birth to four girls and a boy, the first known surviving quintuplets in the United States.
In 1982, Princess Grace of Monaco, formerly actress Grace Kelly, died at age 52 of injuries from a car crash the day before. In 1994, on the 34th day of a strike by players, Acting Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig announced the 1994 season was over. In 2001, Americans packed churches and clogged public squares on a day of remembrance for the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks. President George W. Bush prayed with his Cabinet and attended services at Washington National Cathedral, then flew to New York, where he waded into the ruins of the World Trade Center and addressed rescue workers in a flag-waving, bullhornwielding show of resolve.
Actress Zoe Caldwell is 86. Actor Walter Koenig is 83. Basketball Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown is 79. Singer-actress Joey Heatherton is 75. Actor Sam Neill and singer Jon “Bowzer” Bauman (Sha Na Na) are 72. Actor Robert Wisdom is 66. Rock musician Steve Berlin (Los Lobos) is 64. Country singer-songwriter Beth Nielsen Chapman is 63. Actress Mary Crosby, singer Morten Harket (a-ha) and country singer John Berry are 60. Actress Melissa Leo is 59. Actress Faith Ford and actor Jamie Kaler are 55. Rock musician Mike Cooley (Drive-By Truckers) is 53. Actor Dan Cortese is 52. Contemporary Christian singer Mark Hall and actor-writer-director-producer Tyler Perry are 50. Actor Ben Garant and rock musician Craig Montoya (Tri Polar) are 49. Actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley is 48. Actor Austin Basis is 43. Country singer Danielle Peck is 41. Pop singer Ayo is 39. Chef/TV personality Katie Lee is 38. Actor Sebastian Sozzi is 37. Actor Adam Lamberg is 35. Singer Alex Clare is 34. Actor Chad Duell (TV: “General Hospital”) and actress Jessica Brown Findlay are 32. Actor-singer Logan Henderson is 30. Actress Emma Kenney is 20.
— Associated Press