(Following Advance for Use Sunday, September 7th)


Today in History

Today is Sunday, September 7th, the 251st day of 2008. There are 115 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History: On September 7th, 1907, the British liner RMS Lusitania set out from Liverpool, England, on its maiden voyage, arriving six days later in New York. (Lusitania was sunk by a German submarine in 1915.)


On this date: In 1807, Denmark surrendered to British forces that had bombarded the city for four days.

In 1825, the Marquis de Lafayette, the French hero of the American Revolution, bade farewell to President John Quincy Adams at the White House.

In 1908, pioneering heart surgeon Dr. Michael DeBakey was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

In 1927, American television pioneer Philo T. Farnsworth, 21, succeeded in transmitting the image of a line through purely electronic means with a device called an "image dissector." In 1940, Nazi Germany began its initial blitz on London during World War II.

In 1968, feminists protesting outside the Miss America pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey, tossed articles including cosmetics, girdles and bras into a trash can ostensibly for burning, although nothing was actually set on fire. (The winner of the pageant was Miss Illinois Judith Ford.) In 1977, the Panama Canal treaties, calling for the U.S. to eventually turn over control of the waterway to Panama, were signed in Washington by President Carter and Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos (toh-REE'-hohs).

In 1978, Bulgarian defector Georgi Markov, living in London, was stabbed in the leg by a man carrying an umbrella; Markov died four days later, an apparent victim of the Bulgarian secret police.

In 1987, Erich Honecker became the first East German head of state to visit West Germany as he arrived for a five-day visit.

In 1996, rapper Tupac Shakur was shot and mortally wounded on the Las Vegas Strip; he died six days later.

Ten years ago: St. Louis Cardinal Mark McGwire equaled Roger Maris' single-season home run record as he hit number 61 during a game against the Chicago Cubs. Russian lawmakers rejected Boris Yeltsin's candidate for prime minister, Viktor Chernomyrdin, for a second time, throwing the country into even deeper political turmoil.

Five years ago: In a speech to the nation on Iraq, President Bush said he was asking Congress for 87 billion dollars to fight terrorism and cautioned Americans that the struggle would "take time and require sacrifice." Yasser Arafat tapped the Palestinian parliament speaker, Ahmed Qureia (AHK'-mehd kuh-RAY'-uh), to take over as prime minister following the resignation of Mahmoud Abbas (mahk-MOOD' ah-BAHS'). In the men's singles final at the U.S. Open, Andy Roddick beat Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-3, 7-6 (2), 6-3.

Britain-Ireland rallied to win the Walker Cup for an unprecedented third straight time. Singer-songwriter Warren Zevon died in Los Angeles at age 56.

One year ago: Osama bin Laden appeared in a video for the first time in three years, telling Americans they should convert to Islam if they wanted the war in Iraq to end. A federal judge ruled that Iran had to pay 2.65 billion dollars to the families of the 241 U.S. service members killed in the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut. A jury in St. Francisville, Louisiana, acquitted Sal and Mabel Mangano, the owners of a Nursing Home where 35 patients died after Hurricane Katrina, of negligent homicide and cruelty charges. Shawn Johnson won the women's all-around title at the world gymnastics championships in Stuttgart, Germany; among the men, China's Yang Wei won his second straight title.

Today's Birthdays: Pianist Arthur Ferrante is 87. Senator Daniel Inouye (in-OH'-way) (Democrat, Hawaii) is 84. Jazz musician Sonny Rollins is 78. Singer Alfa Anderson (Chic) is 62. Singer Gloria Gaynor is 59. Rock singer Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders) is 57.

Actress Julie Kavner is 57. Rock musician Benmont Tench (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers) is 55. Actor Corbin Bernsen is 54. Actor Michael Emerson (TV: "Lost") is 54. Pianist Michael Feinstein is 52. Singer Margot Chapman is 51. Actor W. Earl Brown is 45. Actor Toby Jones is 42. Model-actress Angie Everhart is 39. Actor Tom Everett Scott is 38. Rock musician Chad Sexton (311) is 38. Actress Diane Farr is 37. Actress Shannon Elizabeth is 35. Actor Oliver Hudson is 32. Actor Devon Sawa (SAH'-wuh) is 30. Singer-musician Wes Willis (Rush of Fools) is 22. Actress Evan Rachel Wood is 21.

Thought for Today: "My definition of an educated man is the fellow who knows the right thing to do at the time it has to be done." Charles F. Kettering, American inventor (1876-1958).

(Above Advance for Use Sunday, September 7th)


Copyright 2008, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 09-01-08 1041CDT | save this article / add to your favorites list