Today in History

Today is Monday, Sept. 7, the 250th day of 2015. There are 115 days left in the year. This is Labor Day.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Sept. 7, 1940, Nazi Germany began its eight-month blitz of Britain during World War II with the first air attack on London.

On this date:

In 1533, England's Queen Elizabeth I was born in Greenwich.

In 1812, the Battle of Borodino took place as French troops clashed with Russian forces outside Moscow. (The battle, ultimately won by Russia, was commemorated by composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture.")

In 1825, the Marquis de Lafayette, the French hero of the American Revolution, bade farewell to President John Quincy Adams at the White House.

In 1927, American television pioneer Philo T. Farnsworth, 21, succeeded in transmitting the image of a line through purely electronic means with a device called an "image dissector."

In 1936, rock legend Buddy Holly was born Charles Hardin Holley in Lubbock, Texas.

In 1957, the original animated version of the NBC-TV peacock logo, used to denote programs "brought to you in living color," made its debut at the beginning of "Your Hit Parade."

In 1963, the National Professional Football Hall of Fame was dedicated in Canton, Ohio.

In 1964, the controversial "Daisy" commercial for President Lyndon Johnson's election campaign, featuring a girl plucking flower petals followed by footage of a nuclear explosion, aired on NBC-TV.

In 1977, the Panama Canal treaties, calling for the U.S. to eventually turn over control of the waterway to Panama, were signed in Washington by President Jimmy Carter and Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos.

In 1987, Erich Honecker became the first East German head of state to visit West Germany as he arrived for a five-day visit.

In 1990, Kimberly Bergalis of Fort Pierce, Florida, came forward to identify herself as the young woman who had been infected with AIDS, allegedly by her late dentist. (Bergalis died the following year.)

In 1996, rapper Tupac Shakur was shot and mortally wounded on the Las Vegas Strip; he died six days later.

Ten years ago: Police and soldiers went house to house in New Orleans to try to coax the last stubborn holdouts into leaving the storm-shattered city. President George W. Bush led the nation in a final tribute to William H. Rehnquist, remembering the late chief justice as the Supreme Court's steady leader and a man of lifetime integrity. U.S. troops in Iraq, acting on a tip, rescued American businessman Roy Hallums, who'd been held hostage ten months.

Five years ago: A Chinese fishing trawler and two Japanese patrol boats collided near disputed islands in the East China Sea, further straining relations between Beijing and Tokyo. Lucius Walker, 80, who'd led an annual pilgrimage of aid volunteers to Cuba in defiance of the nearly half century U.S. trade embargo, died in New York.

One year ago: The head of the Arab League, Nabil Elaraby, urged members to confront Islamic State extremists "militarily and politically." A star-studded funeral was held in New York for comedian Joan Rivers, who had died three days earlier at age 81. Serena Williams won her third consecutive U.S. Open championship and 18th major title overall, taking 75 minutes to beat good friend Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 6-3.

Today's Birthdays: Jazz musician Sonny Rollins is 85. Actor Bruce Gray is 79. Singer Gloria Gaynor is 72. Singer Alfa Anderson (Chic) is 69. Actress Susan Blakely is 67. Rock singer Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders) is 64. Actress Julie Kavner is 64. Rock musician Benmont Tench (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers) is 62. Actor Corbin Bernsen is 61. Actor Michael Emerson is 61. Pianist Michael Feinstein is 59. Singer Margot Chapman is 58. Actress J. Smith-Cameron is 58. Actor W. Earl Brown is 52. Actor Toby Jones is 49. Model-actress Angie Everhart is 46. Actress Diane Farr is 46. Country singer Butter (Trailer Choir) is 45. Actress Monique Gabriela Curnen is 45. Actor Tom Everett Scott is 45. Rock musician Chad Sexton (311) is 45. Actress Shannon Elizabeth is 42. Actor Oliver Hudson is 39. Actor Devon Sawa is 37. Actor JD Pardo is 36. Singer-musician Wes Willis (Rush of Fools) is 29. Actress Evan Rachel Wood is 28.

Thought for Today: "The theory seems to be that as long as a man is a failure he is one of God's children, but that as soon as he succeeds he is taken over by the devil." -- H.L. Mencken, American journalist-author (1880-1956).

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