Today in History

Today is Thursday, Sept. 25, the 268th day of 2014. There are 97 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Sept. 25, 1789, the first United States Congress adopted 12 amendments to the Constitution and sent them to the states for ratification. (Ten of the amendments became the Bill of Rights.)

On this date:

In 1513, Spanish explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Panama and sighted the Pacific Ocean.

In 1690, one of the earliest American newspapers, Publick Occurrences, published its first -- and last -- edition in Boston.

In 1775, American Revolutionary War hero Ethan Allen was captured by the British as he led an attack on Montreal. (Allen was released by the British in 1778.)

In 1904, a New York City police officer ordered a female automobile passenger on Fifth Avenue to stop smoking a cigarette. (A male companion was arrested and later fined $2 for "abusing" the officer.)

In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson collapsed after a speech in Pueblo, Colorado, during a national speaking tour in support of the Treaty of Versailles.

In 1932, the Spanish region of Catalonia received a Charter of Autonomy (however, the Charter was revoked by Francisco Franco at the end of the Spanish Civil War).

In 1957, nine black students who'd been forced to withdraw from Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, because of unruly white crowds were escorted to class by members of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division.

In 1964, the situation comedy "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.," starring Jim Nabors, premiered on CBS-TV.

In 1974, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tommy John underwent an experimental graft reconstruction of the ulnar collateral ligament in the elbow of his throwing arm to repair a career-ending injury; the procedure, which proved successful, is now referred to as "Tommy John surgery."

In 1978, 144 people were killed when a Pacific Southwest Airlines Boeing 727 and a private plane collided over San Diego.

In 1981, Sandra Day O'Connor was sworn in as the first female justice on the Supreme Court.

In 1994, Russian President Boris Yeltsin began a five-day swing through the United States as he arrived in New York, hoping to encourage American investment in his country's struggling economy.

Ten years ago: U.S. warplanes, tanks and artillery repeatedly hit at Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's terror network in the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah, Iraq. Billionaire oilman, philanthropist and onetime Fox studios owner Marvin Davis died in Beverly Hills, California, at age 79.

Five years ago: President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, in Pittsburgh for a G-20 summit, accused Iran of constructing a secret underground uranium enrichment facility and hiding its existence from international inspectors for years. Former Democratic Party chairman Paul G. Kirk Jr. stepped in as the temporary replacement in the Senate for his longtime friend, the late Edward Kennedy. Classical pianist Alicia de Larrocha, 86, died in Barcelona, Spain.

One year ago: Nearly a dozen of Syria's powerful rebel factions, including one linked to al-Qaida, formally broke with the main opposition group in exile and called for Islamic law in the country, dealing a severe blow to the Western-backed coalition. Skipper Jimmy Spithill and Oracle Team USA won the America's Cup with one of the greatest comebacks in sports history, speeding past Dean Barker and Emirates Team New Zealand in the winner-take-all Race 19 on San Francisco Bay.

Today's Birthdays: Broadcast journalist Barbara Walters is 85. Folk singer Ian Tyson is 81. Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates is 71. Actor Josh Taylor is 71. Actor Robert Walden is 71. Actor-producer Michael Douglas is 70. Model Cheryl Tiegs is 67. Actress Mimi Kennedy is 65. Actor-director Anson Williams is 65. Actor Mark Hamill is 63. Basketball Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo is 63. Polka bandleader Jimmy Sturr is 63. Actor Colin Friels is 62. Actor Michael Madsen is 56. Actress Heather Locklear is 53. Actress Aida Turturro is 52. Actor Tate Donovan is 51. TV personality Keely Shaye Smith is 51. Basketball Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen is 49. Actor Jason Flemyng is 48. Actor Will Smith is 46. Actor Hal Sparks is 45. Actress Catherine Zeta-Jones is 45. Rock musician Mike Luce (Drowning Pool) is 43. Actress Bridgette Wilson-Sampras is 41. Actress Clea DuVall is 37. Actor Robbie Jones is 37. Actor Joel David Moore is 37. Actor Chris Owen is 34. Rapper T. I. is 34. Actor Van Hansis is 33. Actor Lee Norris is 33. Actor/rapper Donald Glover (AKA Childish Gambino) is 31. Singer Diana Ortiz (Dream) is 29. Actress Emmy Clarke is 23.

Thought for Today: "The richer your friends, the more they will cost you." -- Elisabeth Marbury, American writer (1856-1933).

Copyright 2014, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.