Today in History

Today is Wednesday, Sept. 18, the 261st day of 2013. There are 104 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Sept. 18, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed a commission naming Rabbi Jacob Frankel of Rodeph Shalom Congregation in Philadelphia the first Jewish chaplain of the U.S. Army.

On this date:

In 1759, the French formally surrendered Quebec to the British.

In 1793, President George Washington laid the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol.

In 1810, Chile made its initial declaration of independence from Spain with the formation of a national junta.

In 1850, Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act, which created a force of federal commissioners charged with returning escaped slaves to their owners.

In 1927, the Columbia Phonograph Broadcasting System (later CBS) made its on-air debut with a basic network of 16 radio stations.

In 1931, an explosion in the Chinese city of Mukden damaged a section of Japanese-owned railway track; Japan, blaming Chinese nationalists, invaded Manchuria the next day.

In 1947, the National Security Act, which created a National Military Establishment, went into effect.

In 1961, United Nations Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold was killed in a plane crash in northern Rhodesia.

In 1970, rock star Jimi Hendrix died in London at age 27.

In 1975, newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst was captured by the FBI in San Francisco, 19 months after being kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army.

In 1981, a museum honoring former President Gerald R. Ford was dedicated in Grand Rapids, Mich.

In 1990, the city of Atlanta was named the site of the 1996 Summer Olympics. The organized crime drama "GoodFellas," directed by Martin Scorsese, had its U.S. premiere in New York.

Ten years ago: Hurricane Isabel plowed into North Carolina's Outer Banks with 100 mph winds and pushed its way up the Eastern Seaboard; the storm was later blamed for 30 deaths.

Five years ago: President George W. Bush told the country his administration was working feverishly to calm turmoil in the financial markets. The president met with Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, who then asked Congress to give the government power to rescue banks by buying up their bad assets. Stocks on Wall Street shot up more than 400 points on word a plan was in the works.

One year ago: Chicago teachers voted to suspend their strike and return to the classroom after more than a week on picket lines, ending a combative stalemate with Mayor Rahm Emanuel over evaluations and job security.

Today's Birthdays: Singer Jimmie Rodgers is 80. Actor Robert Blake is 80. Former Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah, is 80. Actor Fred Willard is 80. Actor Eddie Jones is 79. Gospel singer Bobby Jones is 75. Singer Frankie Avalon is 73. Actress Beth Grant ("The Mindy Project") is 64. Rock musician Kerry Livgren is 64. Actress Anna Deavere Smith is 63. Basketball coach Rick Pitino is 61. College Football Hall of Famer and retired NFL player Billy Sims is 58. Movie director Mark Romanek is 54. Baseball Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg is 54. Alt-country-rock musician Mark Olson is 52. Singer Joanne Catherall (Human League) is 51. Actress Holly Robinson Peete is 49. Rhythm-and-blues singer Ricky Bell (Bell Biv Devoe and New Edition) is 46. Actress Aisha Tyler is 43. Racing cyclist Lance Armstrong is 42. Opera singer Anna Netrebko is 42. Actress Jada Pinkett Smith is 42. Actor James Marsden is 40. Actress Emily Rutherfurd is 39. Actor Travis Schuldt is 39. Rapper Xzibit is 39. Comedian-actor Jason Sudeikis (TV: "Saturday Night Live") is 38. Actress Sophina Brown is 37. Actor Barrett Foa is 36. TV correspondent Sara Haines is 36. Actress Alison Lohman is 34. Actors Taylor and Brandon Porter are 20. Actor C.J. Sanders is 17.

Thought for Today: "We want the facts to fit the preconceptions. When they don't it is easier to ignore the facts than to change the preconceptions." -- Jessamyn West, American author (1902-1984).

Copyright 2013, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.