Today in History

Today is Wednesday, Sept. 9, the 252nd day of 2015. There are 113 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Sept. 9, 1965, Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitched a perfect game against the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium. Final score: 1-0.

On this date:

In 1543, Mary Stuart was crowned Queen of Scots at Stirling Castle, nine months after she was born.

In 1776, the second Continental Congress made the term "United States" official, replacing "United Colonies."

In 1850, California became the 31st state of the union.

In 1893, Frances Cleveland, wife of President Grover Cleveland, gave birth to a daughter, Esther, in the White House; it was the first (and, to date, only) time a president's child was born in the executive mansion.

In 1919, some 1,100 members of Boston's 1,500-man police force went on strike. (The strike was broken by Massachusetts Gov. Calvin Coolidge with replacement officers.)

In 1926, the National Broadcasting Co. (NBC) was incorporated by the Radio Corp. of America.

In 1948, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) was declared.

In 1956, Elvis Presley made the first of three appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show."

In 1971, prisoners seized control of the maximum-security Attica Correctional Facility near Buffalo, New York, beginning a siege that ended up claiming 43 lives.

In 1976, Communist Chinese leader Mao Zedong died in Beijing at age 82.

In 1986, Frank Reed, director of a private school in Lebanon, was taken hostage; he was released 44 months later.

In 1997, Sinn Fein, the IRA's political ally, formally renounced violence as it took its place in talks on Northern Ireland's future. Actor Burgess Meredith died in Malibu, California, at age 89.

Ten years ago: Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Brown, the principal target of harsh criticism of the Bush administration's response to Hurricane Katrina, was relieved of his onsite command. A Nevada couple pleaded guilty in San Jose, California, to all charges related to planting a human fingertip in a bowl of Wendy's chili in a scheme to extort money from the fast food chain. Hosni Mubarak was declared winner of Egypt's first contested presidential vote.

Five years ago: A natural gas pipeline explosion killed eight people and destroyed dozens of homes in the San Francisco suburb of San Bruno, California. Iran said it would free Sarah Shourd, one of three American hikers held for more than 13 months on spying accusations, as an act of clemency to mark the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. (Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal were sentenced in August 2011 to eight years in prison, but were released the following month.)

One year ago: President Barack Obama met privately with congressional leaders at the White House to discuss his plan for taking action against Islamic State militants. Former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown glided to an easy win in the Republican primary for Senate in neighboring New Hampshire (he ended up losing in November to incumbent Sen. Jeanne Shaheen). Apple unveiled its long-anticipated smartwatch as well as the next generation of its iPhone.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Sylvia Miles is 81. Actor Topol is 80. Rhythm-and-blues singer Luther Simmons is 73. Singer Inez Foxx is 73. Singer Dee Dee Sharp is 70. Rock singer-musician Doug Ingle is 69. Country singer Freddy Weller is 68. College Football Hall of Famer and former NFL player Joe Theismann is 66. Rock musician John McFee (The Doobie Brothers) is 65. Actor Tom Wopat is 64. Actress Angela Cartwright is 63. Musician-producer Dave Stewart is 63. Actor Hugh Grant is 55. Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., is 52. Actor-comedian Charles Esten (formerly Chip) is 50. Actress Constance Marie is 50. Actor David Bennent is 49. Actor Adam Sandler is 49. Rock singer Paul Durham (Black Lab) is 47. Actress Julia Sawalha is 47. Model Rachel Hunter is 46. Actor Eric Stonestreet is 44. Actor Henry Thomas is 44. Actor Goran Visnjic is 43. Pop-jazz singer Michael Buble' is 40. Country singer Joey Martin (Joey + Rory) is 40. Latin singer Maria Rita is 38. Actress Michelle Williams is 35. Actress Julie Gonzalo is 34. Neo-soul singer Paul Janeway (St. Paul & the Broken Bones) is 32. Actress Zoe Kazan (TV: "Olive Kitteridge") is 32. Country singer-songwriter Hunter Hayes is 24.

Thought for Today: "A heretic is a man who sees with his own eyes. " -- Gotthold Lessing, German dramatist-critic (1729-1781).

Copyright 2015, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.