TODAY IN HISTORY

On Sept. 21, 1792, the French National Convention voted to abolish the monarchy.

In 1937, “The Hobbit,” by J.R.R. Tolkien, was first published.

In 1957, the legal mysterydrama “Perry Mason,” starring Raymond Burr, premiered on CBS-TV.

In 1973, the U.S. Senate confirmed Henry Kissinger to be Secretary of State.

In 1985, in North Korea and South Korea, family members who had been separated for decades were allowed to visit each other

as both countries opened their borders in a family-reunion program.

In 1989, Hurricane Hugo crashed into Charleston, South Carolina.

In 2001, Congress again opened the federal coffers, providing $15 billion to the airline industry, which was suffering mounting economic losses since the Sept. 11 attacks.