Today in History

Today is Friday, Sept. 27, the 270th day of 2013. There are 95 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Sept. 27, 1991, President George H.W. Bush announced in a nationally broadcast address that he was eliminating all U.S. battlefield nuclear weapons and called on the Soviet Union to match the gesture.

On this date:

In 1540, Pope Paul III issued a papal bull establishing the Society of Jesus, or Jesuits, as a religious order.

In 1779, John Adams was named by Congress to negotiate the Revolutionary War's peace terms with Britain.

In 1854, the first great disaster involving an Atlantic Ocean passenger vessel occurred when the steamship SS Arctic sank off Newfoundland; of the more than 400 people on board, only 86 survived.

In 1928, the United States said it was recognizing the Nationalist Chinese government.

In 1939, Warsaw, Poland, surrendered after weeks of resistance to invading forces from Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union during World War II.

In 1941, on "Liberty Fleet Day," the United States launched 14 rapidly built military cargo vessels, including the first Liberty ship, the SS Patrick Henry, which was personally launched by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in Baltimore.

In 1942, Glenn Miller and his orchestra performed together for the last time, at the Central Theater in Passaic, N.J., prior to Miller's entry into the Army.

In 1954, "Tonight!" hosted by Steve Allen made its network debut on NBC-TV.

In 1964, the government publicly released the report of the Warren Commission, which found that Lee Harvey Oswald had acted alone in assassinating President John F. Kennedy.

In 1988, three days after placing first in the men's 100-meter dash at the Seoul Summer Olympics, Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson left for home in disgrace, stripped of his gold medal by officials who said Johnson had used anabolic steroids.

In 1991, the Senate Judiciary Committee deadlocked, 7-7, on the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the U.S. Supreme Court.

In 1994, more than 350 Republican congressional candidates gathered on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to sign the "Contract with America," a 10-point platform they pledged to enact if voters sent a GOP majority to the House.

In 2001, President George W. Bush asked the nation's governors to post National Guard troops at airports as a first step toward federal control of airline security.

Ten years ago: President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin urged Iran and North Korea to abandon suspected nuclear-weapons programs but disagreed over how to deal with both countries; Putin also declined at the end of a two-day summit at Camp David to pledge any postwar help for Iraq. Entertainer Donald O'Connor died in Calabasas, Calif., at age 78.

Five years ago: China marked its first spacewalk as astronaut Zhai Zhigang floated outside the Shenzhou 7 for 13 minutes.

One year ago: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, holding a diagram of a cartoon-like bomb, told the U.N. General Assembly that the world had only a matter of months to stop Iran before it could build a nuclear bomb. NFL referees returned to the field, after a tentative deal with the league ended a lockout; games had been marred by controversy, blown calls and confusion as substitute referees officiated during the first three weeks of the season.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Jayne Meadows is 93. Actress Kathleen Nolan is 80. Actor Wilford Brimley is 79. Actor Claude Jarman Jr. is 79. Author Barbara Howar is 79. World Golf Hall of Famer Kathy Whitworth is 74. Singer-musician Randy Bachman (Bachman-Turner Overdrive) is 70. Rock singer Meat Loaf is 66. Actress Liz Torres is 66. Actor A Martinez is 65. Baseball Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt is 64. Actor Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is 63. Singer Shaun Cassidy is 55. Comedian Marc Maron is 50. Rock singer Stephan Jenkins (Third Eye Blind) is 49. Actor Patrick Muldoon is 45. Singer Mark Calderon is 43. Actress Amanda Detmer is 42. Actress Gwyneth Paltrow is 41. Rock singer Brad Arnold (3 Doors Down) is 35. Christian rock musician Grant Brandell (Underoath) is 32. Actress Anna Camp is 31. Rapper Lil' Wayne is 31. Singer Avril Lavigne is 29.

Thought for Today: "Life is like a coin. You can spend it any way you wish, but you only spend it once." -- Lillian Dickson, American missionary (1901-1983).

Copyright 2013, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.