Today in History

Today is Monday, Sept. 3, the 247th day of 2012. There are 119 days left in the year. This is Labor Day.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Sept. 3, 1783, representatives of the United States and Britain signed the Treaty of Paris, which officially ended the Revolutionary War.

On this date:

In 1189, England's King Richard I (the Lion-Hearted) was crowned in Westminster Abbey.

In 1658, Oliver Cromwell, the Lord Protector of England, died in London; he was succeeded by his son, Richard.

In 1861, during the Civil War, Confederate forces invaded the border state of Kentucky, which had declared its neutrality in the conflict.

In 1868, the Japanese city of Edo was renamed Tokyo.

In 1923, the United States and Mexico resumed diplomatic relations.

In 1939, Britain, France, Australia and New Zealand declared war on Germany, two days after the Nazi invasion of Poland.

In 1943, the British Eighth Army invaded Italy during World War II, the same day Italy signed a secret armistice with the Allies.

In 1951, the television soap opera "Search for Tomorrow" made its debut on CBS.

In 1962, poet E.E. Cummings died in North Conway, N.H., at age 67.

In 1972, American swimmer Mark Spitz won the sixth of his seven gold medals at the Munich Olympics as he placed first in the 100-meter freestyle.

In 1976, America's Viking 2 lander touched down on Mars to take the first close-up, color photographs of the planet's surface.

In 1999, a French judge closed a two-year inquiry into the car crash that killed Princess Diana, dismissing all charges against nine photographers and a press motorcyclist, and concluding the accident was caused by an inebriated driver.

Ten years ago: Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said the Bush administration had secret information supporting its claims that Saddam Hussein was close to developing nuclear weapons. The Senate opened debate on legislation creating a new Homeland Security Department.

Five years ago: Millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett, 63, went missing after taking off in a single-engine plane in western Nevada. (The wreckage of the plane and traces of his remains were found more than a year later.) President George W. Bush, accompanied by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, paid a surprise visit to Iraq, where he was briefed by U.S. military commanders and Iraqi leaders. Panama blasted away part of a hillside next to the canal, marking the start of the waterway's biggest expansion since it opened in 1914. Jerry Lewis raised nearly $64 million during his annual Labor Day Telethon.

One year ago: A judge in North Carolina sentenced Robert Stewart to spend the rest of his life behind bars for killing eight people at a rural nursing home in 2009. The Vatican vigorously rejected accusations it had sabotaged efforts by Irish bishops to report priests who sexually abused children to police.

Today's Birthdays: "Beetle Bailey" cartoonist Mort Walker is 89. Actress Anne Jackson is 86. Actress Eileen Brennan is 80. Country singer Tompall Glaser is 79. Actress Pauline Collins is 72. Rock singer-musician Al Jardine is 70. Actress Valerie Perrine is 69. Rock musician Donald Brewer (Grand Funk Railroad) is 64. Rock guitarist Steve Jones (The Sex Pistols) is 57. Actor Steve Schirripa is 55. Actor Holt McCallany is 48. Rock singer-musician Todd Lewis is 47. Actor Charlie Sheen is 47. Singer Jennifer Paige is 39. Dance-rock musician Redfoo (LMFAO) is 37. Actress Ashley Jones is 36. Actress Nichole Hiltz is 34. Actor Nick Wechsler is 34. Actor Garrett Hedlund is 28. Olympic gold medal snowboarder Shaun White is 26.

Thought for Today: "It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are." -- E.E. Cummings (1894-1962).

Copyright 2012, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.