Today in history

On September 17, 1967, The Doors appeared on “The Ed Sullivan Show” on CBS-TV for the first — and last — time. The group was banned from the program after Jim Morrison ignored a producer’s request to change the line, “Girl, we couldn’t get much higher” to “Girl, we couldn’t get much better” while singing “Light My Fire” during the live broadcast.

In 1787, the Constitution of the United States was completed and signed by a majority of delegates attending the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.

In 1862, more than 3,600 men were killed in the Civil War Battle of Antietam (an-TEE’-tum) in Maryland.

In 1937, the likeness of President Abraham Lincoln’s head was dedicated at Mount Rushmore.

In 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Poland during World War II, more than two weeks after Nazi Germany had launched its assault.

In 1947, James V. Forrestal was sworn in as the first U.S. Secretary of Defense.

In 1957, two male attorneys “stood in” as actress Sophia Loren and producer Carlo Ponti were married by proxy in Ciudad Juarez (see-yoo-DAHD’ wahr-EHZ’), Mexico. (Legal issues later forced an annulment; the couple wed in Sevres, France, in 1966.)

In 1971, citing health reasons, Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black, 85, retired. (Black, who was succeeded by Lewis F. Powell Jr., died eight days after making his announcement.)

In 1978, after meeting at Camp David, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin (menAH’-kem BAY’-gihn) and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat signed a framework for a peace treaty.

In 1987, the city of Philadelphia, birthplace of the U.S. Constitution, threw a big party to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the historic document; in a speech at Independence Hall, President Ronald Reagan acclaimed the framing of the Constitution as a milestone “that would profoundly and forever alter not just these United States but the world.”

In 1996, former Vice President Spiro T. Agnew died in Berlin, Maryland, at age 77.

In 1997, a U.N. helicopter slammed into a fog-shrouded mountain in central Bosnia and burst into flames, killing German diplomat Gerd Wagner, five Americans and six others. President Bill Clinton rejected a ban on land mines endorsed by 89 countries, saying the accord would jeopardize “the safety and security of our men in uniform.” Comedian Red Skelton died in Rancho Mirage, California, at age 84.

“I personally believe that each of us was put here for a purpose to build, not to destroy. If I can make people smile, then I have served my purpose for God.” — Red Skelton (1913-1997).