Today In History

Today is Friday, Sept. 9, the 253rd day of 2016. There are 113 days left in the year.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT

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1776: The second Continental Congress made the term “United States” official, replacing “United Colonies.”

ON THIS DATE

› 1850: California became the 31st state of the union.

› 1893: Frances Cleveland, wife of President Grover Cleveland, gave birth to a daughter, Esther, in the White House; it was the first (and, to date, only) time a president’s child was born in the executive mansion. › 1926: The National Broadcasting Co. (NBC) was incorporated by the Radio Corp. of America.

› 1948: The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) was declared.

› 1956: Elvis Presley made the first of three appearances on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”

› 1965: Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitched a perfect game against the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium. Final score: 1-0.

› 1976: JVC unveiled its new VHS videocassette recorder during a presentation in Tokyo.

› 1997: Sinn Fein, the IRA’s political ally, formally renounced violence as it took its place in talks on Northern Ireland’s future.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

Actress Sylvia Miles is 82. Actor Topol is 81. Rhythm-and-blues singer Luther Simmons is 74. Singer Inez Foxx is 74. Singer Dee Dee Sharp is 71. Rock singer-musician Doug Ingle is 70. College Football Hall of Famer and former NFL player Joe Theismann is 67. Rock musician John McFee (The Doobie Brothers) is 66. Actor Tom Wopat is 65. Actress Angela Cartwright is 64. Actor Hugh Grant is 56. Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., is 53. Actor-comedian Charles Esten (formerly Chip) is 51. Actress Constance Marie is 51. Actor David Bennent is 50. Actor Adam Sandler is 50. Rock singer Paul Durham (Black Lab) is 48. Actress Julia Sawalha is 48. Model Rachel Hunter is 47. Actor Eric Stonestreet is 45. Latin singer Maria Rita is 39. Actress Michelle Williams is 36. Actress Julie Gonzalo is 35. Neo-soul singer Paul Janeway (St. Paul & the Broken Bones) is 33. Actress Zoe Kazan is 33. Contemporary Christian singer Lauren Daigle is 25. Country singer-songwriter Hunter Hayes is 25.