Today in History

Today is Friday, Sept. 7, the 251st day of 2012. There are 115 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Sept. 7, 1812, the Battle of Borodino took place during the Napoleonic Wars as French troops clashed with Russian forces outside Moscow; although France won a short-term victory, Russia was able to ultimately drive out Napoleon's invaders. (The battle was commemorated by composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky with his "1812 Overture.")

On this date:

In 1533, England's Queen Elizabeth I was born in Greenwich.

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 1892, James J. Corbett knocked out John L. Sullivan to win the world heavyweight crown in New Orleans in a fight conducted under the Marquess of Queensberry rules.

In 1907, the British liner RMS Lusitania set out from Liverpool, England, on its maiden voyage, arriving six days later in New York.

In 1940, Nazi Germany began its eight-month blitz of Britain during World War II with the first air attack on London.

In 1957, the original version of the animated NBC peacock logo, used to denote programs "brought to you in living color," made its debut at the beginning of "Your Hit Parade."

In 1962, author Karen Blixen, also known as Isak Dinesen, died in Rungstedlund, Denmark, at age 77.

In 1964, the controversial "Daisy" commercial, an ad for President Lyndon B. Johnson's election campaign featuring a girl plucking flower petals followed by a nuclear explosion, aired on NBC-TV.

In 1972, the International Olympic Committee banned Vince Matthews and Wayne Collett of the U.S. from further competition for talking to each other on the victory stand in Munich during the playing of the "Star-Spangled Banner" after winning the gold and silver medals in the 400-meter run.

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 Jimmy Carter and Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos.

In 1986, Desmond Tutu was installed as the first black to lead the Anglican Church in southern Africa.

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

Ten years ago: President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, meeting at Camp David, said the world had to act against Saddam Hussein, arguing that the Iraqi leader had defied the United Nations and reneged on promises to destroy weapons of mass destruction. Serena Williams easily beat Venus Williams 6-4, 6-3 to win the U.S. Open and a third straight Grand Slam title. Uzi Gal, the German-born inventor of the Uzi submachine gun, died in Philadelphia at age 79.

Five years 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 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, La., 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.

One year ago: The latest in a series of Republican presidential debates brought together Mitt Romney, Michelle Bachmann, Rick Perry, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman, Ron Paul, and Rick Santorum in Simi Valley, Calif. A private Russian jet carrying a top ice hockey team slammed into a riverbank moments after takeoff from the airport near the western city of Yaroslavl, killing at least 44 people. (Investigators blamed pilot error.) A powerful bomb hidden in a briefcase ripped through a crowd of people waiting to enter a New Delhi courthouse, killing 13 people.

Today's Birthdays: Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, is 88. Jazz musician Sonny Rollins is 82. Actor Bruce Gray is 76. Singer Alfa Anderson (Chic) is 66. Actress Susan Blakely is 64. Singer Gloria Gaynor is 63. Rock singer Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders) is 61. Actress Julie Kavner is 61. Rock musician Benmont Tench (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers) is 59. Actor Corbin Bernsen is 58. Actor Michael Emerson is 58. Pianist Michael Feinstein is 56. Singer Margot Chapman is 55. Actor W. Earl Brown is 49. Actor Toby Jones is 46. Model-actress Angie Everhart is 43. Actress Diane Farr is 43. Country singer Butter (Trailer Choir) is 42. Actress Monique Gabriela Curnen is 42. Actor Tom Everett Scott is 42. Rock musician Chad Sexton (311) is 42. Actress Shannon Elizabeth is 39. Actor Oliver Hudson is 36. Actor Devon Sawa is 34. Singer-musician Wes Willis (Rush of Fools) is 26. Actress Evan Rachel Wood is 25.

Thought for Today: "When you have a great and difficult task, something perhaps almost impossible, if you only work a little at a time, every day a little, suddenly the work will finish itself." -- Karen Blixen (Isak Dinesen) (1885-1962).

Copyright 2012, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.