TODAY IN HISTORY

MONDAY SEP 20,

2021 2001

During an address to a joint session of Congress, President George W. Bush announced a new Cabinetlevel office to fortify homeland security and named Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge its director.

1519

Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his crew set out from Spain on five ships to find a western passage to the Spice Islands.

1881

Chester A. Arthur was sworn in as the 21st president of the United States, succeeding the assassinated James A. Garfield.

1946

The first Cannes Film Festival, lasting 16days, opened in France.

1962

James Meredith, a Black student, was blocked from enrolling at the University of Mississippi by Democratic Gov. Ross R. Barnett.

1967

The Cunard liner RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 was christened by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II in Clydebank, Scotland.

1973

In their so-called “battle of the sexes,” tennis star Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, at the Houston Astrodome.

1976

Playboy magazine released an interview in which Democratic presidential nominee Jimmy Carter admitted he’d “looked on a lot of women with lust.”

1984

A suicide car bomber attacked the U.S. Embassy annex in north Beirut, killing at least 14people, including two Americans and 12Lebanese. The family sitcoms “The Cosby Show” and “Who’s the Boss?” premiered on NBC and ABC, respectively.

1995

In a move that stunned Wall Street, AT&T Corporation announced it was splitting into three companies.

2000

Independent Counsel Robert Ray announced the end of the Whitewater investigation, saying there was insufficient evidence to warrant charges against President and Mrs. Clinton.