Today in History

Today is Thursday, September 4, the 247th day of 2014. There are 118 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On September 4, 1944, during World War II, British troops liberated Antwerp, Belgium.

On this date:

In 1781, Los Angeles was founded by Spanish settlers under the leadership of Governor Felipe de Neve.

In 1886, a group of Apache Indians led by Geronimo (also known as Goyathlay, "One Who Yawns") surrendered to Gen. Nelson Miles at Skeleton Canyon in Arizona.

In 1917, the American Expeditionary Forces in France suffered their first fatalities during World War I when a German plane attacked a British-run base hospital.

In 1948, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands abdicated after nearly six decades of rule for health reasons.

In 1951, President Harry S. Truman addressed the nation from the Japanese peace treaty conference in San Francisco in the first live, coast-to-coast television broadcast.

In 1957, Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus used Arkansas National Guardsmen to prevent nine black students from entering all-white Central High School in Little Rock. Ford Motor Co. began selling its ill-fated Edsel.

In 1963, a Swissair Caravelle III carrying 80 people crashed shortly after takeoff from Zurich, killing all on board.

In 1971, an Alaska Airlines jet crashed near Juneau, killing all 111 people on board.

In 1972, U.S. swimmer Mark Spitz won a seventh gold medal at the Munich Olympics, in the 400-meter medley relay.

In 1974, the United States established diplomatic relations with East Germany.

In 1984, Canada's Progressive Conservatives, led by Brian Mulroney, won a landslide victory in general elections over the Liberal Party of Prime Minister John N. Turner and the New Democrats headed by Ed Broadbent.

In 1999, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat signed a breakthrough land-for-security agreement during a ceremony in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. Martin Frankel, a Connecticut money manager accused of cheating insurance companies in five states out of more than $200 million, was arrested in Germany. (Frankel was later sentenced to nearly 17 years in a federal prison.)

Ten years ago: Hurricane Frances snapped trees, tore apart houses and flooded neighborhoods as it churned through the Bahamas. A shaken President Vladimir Putin made a rare and candid admission of Russian weakness after more than 330 people were killed in a hostage-taking at a southern school.

Five years ago: A German army colonel called in a U.S. airstrike on a pair of hijacked tanker trucks in northern Afghanistan, resulting in civilian casualties. (German officials said up to 142 people were believed to have died or been injured; Afghan leaders estimated 30 to 40 civilians were killed.) Defense Secretary Robert Gates expressed disappointment at news outlets that had used a picture taken and distributed by The Associated Press depicting a U.S. Marine, Lance Cpl. Joshua "Bernie" Bernard, mortally wounded in combat in Afghanistan on August 14, 2009.

One year ago: Responding to President Barack Obama's request, a sharply divided Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 10-7 to authorize the "limited and specified use" of U.S. armed forces against Syria.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Mitzi Gaynor is 83. Actor Kenneth Kimmins is 73. Singer Merald "Bubba" Knight (Gladys Knight & The Pips) is 72. World Golf Hall of Famer Raymond Floyd is 72. Actress Jennifer Salt is 70. World Golf Hall of Famer Tom Watson is 65. Rhythm-and-blues musician Ronald LaPread is 64. Actress Judith Ivey is 63. Rock musician Martin Chambers (The Pretenders) is 63. Actress Khandi Alexander is 57. Actor-comedian Damon Wayans is 54. Rock musician Kim Thayil is 54. Actor Richard Speight Jr. is 45. Actor Noah Taylor is 45. Actress Ione Skye is 44. Actor-singer James Monroe Iglehart is 40. Rhythm-and-blues singer Richard Wingo (Jagged Edge) is 39. Actor Wes Bentley is 36. Actor Max Greenfield is 35. Singer Dan Miller (O Town) is 34. Singer Beyonce Knowles is 33. Country singer-musician Tom Gossin (Gloriana) is 33. Actress-comedian Whitney Cummings is 32. Actor-comedian Kyle Mooney (TV: "Saturday Night Live") is 30. Folk-rock musician Neyla Pekarek (The Lumineers) is 28. Actor Carter Jenkins is 23. Actor Trevor Gagnon is 19.

Thought for Today: "This moment contains all moments." -- C.S. Lewis, British author (1898-1963).

Copyright 2014, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.