Today In History

Today is Thursday, Sept. 14, the 257th day of 2017. There are 108 days left in the year.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT

› 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.

ON THIS DATE

› 1861: The first naval engagement of the Civil War took place as the USS Colorado attacked and sank the Confederate private schooner Judah off Pensacola, Florida.

› 1867: The first volume of “Das Kapital” by Karl Marx was published in Hamburg, Germany.

› 1954: The Soviet Union detonated a 40-kiloton atomic test weapon.

› 1964: Pope Paul VI opened the third session of the Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, also known as “Vatican II.” (The session closed two months later.)

› 1975: Pope Paul VI declared Mother Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton the first U.S.-born saint.

› 1991: The government of South Africa, the African National Congress and the Inkatha Freedom Party signed a national peace pact.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

Actress Zoe Caldwell is 84. Actor Walter Koenig is 81. Basketball Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown is 77. Singer-actress Joey Heatherton is 73. Actor Sam Neill is

70. Singer Jon “Bowzer” Bauman (Sha Na Na) is 70. Rock musician Ed King is 68. Actor Robert Wisdom is 64. Singer Morten Harket (a-ha) is 58. Country singer John Berry is 58. Actress Melissa Leo is

57. Actress Faith Ford is 53. Actor Jamie Kaler is 53. Actress Michelle Stafford is 52. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is 52. Rock musician Mike Cooley (Drive-By Truckers) is

51. Actor Dan Cortese is 50. Contemporary Christian singer Mark Hall is 48. Actor-writer-director-producer Tyler Perry is 48. Actor Andrew Lincoln is 44. Rapper Nas is 44. Actor Austin Basis is 41. Country singer Danielle Peck is 39. Pop singer Ayo is

37. Actor Sebastian Sozzi is 35. Actor Adam Lamberg is 33. Singer Alex Clare is 32. Actor Chad Duell (TV: “General Hospital”) is 30. Actress Jessica Brown Findlay is

30. Actor-singer Logan Henderson is 28.