Today in History

Today is Wednesday, August 26, the 238th day of 2015. There are 127 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On August 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing American women's right to vote, was certified in effect by Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby.

On this date:

In 1789, France's National Assembly adopted its Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.

In 1883, the island volcano Krakatoa began cataclysmic eruptions, leading to a massive explosion the following day.

In 1939, the first televised major league baseball games were shown on experimental station W2XBS: a double-header between the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field. (The Reds won the first game, 5-2, the Dodgers the second, 6-1.)

In 1944, French Gen. Charles de Gaulle braved the threat of German snipers as he led a victory march in Paris, which had just been liberated by the Allies from Nazi occupation.

In 1958, Alaskans went to the polls to overwhelmingly vote in favor of statehood.

In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson was nominated for a term of office in his own right at the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

In 1968, the Democratic National Convention opened in Chicago.

In 1972, the summer Olympics games opened in Munich, West Germany.

In 1978, Cardinal Albino Luciani of Venice was elected pope following the death of Paul VI. The new pontiff took the name Pope John Paul I. (However, he died just over a month later.)

In 1985, 13-year-old AIDS patient Ryan White began "attending" classes at Western Middle School in Kokomo, Indiana, via a telephone hook-up at his home after school officials had barred Ryan from participating in person.

In 1996, Democrats opened their 42nd national convention in Chicago.

In 2009, authorities in California solved the 18-year disappearance of Jaycee Lee Dugard after she appeared at a parole office with her children and the Antioch couple who'd kidnapped her when she was 11.

Ten years ago: Utility crews in South Florida scrambled to restore power to more than 1 million customers blacked out by Hurricane Katrina, which continued to churn in the Gulf of Mexico. A fire raced through a crowded, rundown Paris apartment building housing African immigrants, killing 17 people, mainly children.

Five years ago: The government of Chile released a video of the 33 miners trapped deep in a copper mine; the men appeared slim but healthy as they sang the national anthem and yelled, "Long live Chile, and long live the miners!"

One year ago: In a speech to the American Legion's national convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, President Barack Obama defended his administration's response to Veterans Affairs lapses that had delayed health care for thousands of former service members, but conceded more needed to be done to regain their trust. Burger King announced it would buy Canadian restaurant chain Tim Hortons in an $11 billion deal to create the world's third largest fast-food chain.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Francine York is 79. Former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge is 70. Rhythm-and-blues singer Valerie Simpson is 70. Pop singer Bob Cowsill is 66. Broadcast journalist Bill Whitaker is 64. Actor Brett Cullen is 59. NBA coach Stan Van Gundy is 56. Jazz musician Branford Marsalis is 55. Country musician Jimmy Olander (Diamond Rio) is 54. Actor Chris Burke is 50. Actress-singer Shirley Manson (Garbage) is 49. Rock musician Dan Vickrey (Counting Crowes) is 49. TV writer-actress Riley Weston is 49. Rock musician Adrian Young (No Doubt) is 46. Actress Melissa McCarthy is 45. Latin pop singer Thalia is 44. Rock singer-musician Tyler Connolly (Theory of a Deadman) is 40. Actor Mike Colter is 39. Actor Macaulay Culkin is 35. Actor Chris Pine is 35. Country singer Brian Kelley (Florida Georgia Line) is 30. Rhythm-and-blues singer Cassie Ventura is 29. Actor Dylan O'Brien is 24. Actress Keke Palmer is 22.

Thought for Today: "While we read history we make history." -- George William Curtis, American author-editor (1824-1892).

Copyright 2015, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.