HIGHLIGHTS IN HISTORY

Today’s highlight:

On Sept. 2, 1864, during the Civil War, Union Gen. William T. Sherman’s forces occupied Atlanta.

On this date:

1935: A Labor Day hurricane slammed into the Florida Keys, claiming more than 400 lives. 1944: During World War II, Navy pilot Lt.) George Herbert

Walker Bush was shot down by Japanese forces as he completed a bombing run over the Bonin Islands. Bush was rescued by the crew of the submarine USS Finback; his two crew members, however, died.

1945: Japan formally surrendered in ceremonies aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, ending World War II. 1960: Wilma Rudolph of the United States won the first of her three gold medals at the Rome Summer Olympics as she finished the 100-meter dash in 11 seconds. 1963: Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace prevented the integration of Tuskegee High School by encircling the building with state troopers. “The CBS Evening News” with Walter Cronkite was lengthened from 15 to 30 minutes, becoming network television’s first half-hour nightly newscast.

1969: In what some regard as the birth of the internet, two connected computers at the University of California, Los Angeles, passed test data through a 15-foot cable. The first automatic teller machine (ATM) to utilize magnetic-striped cards was opened to the public at Chemical Bank in New York.

1996: Muslim rebels and the Philippine government signed a pact formally ending a 26-year insurgency that killed more than 120,000 people.

2004: President George W. Bush pledged “a safer world and a more hopeful America” as he accepted his party’s nomination for a second term at the Republican National Convention in New York. 2005: A National Guard convoy packed with food, water and medicine rolled into New Orleans four days after Hurricane Katrina. Scorched by criticism about sluggish federal help, President George W. Bush toured the Gulf Coast and met with state and local officials, including New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin; at one point, Bush praised FEMA Director Michael Brown, telling him, “Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job.”