Today in History

Today is Monday, September 28, the 271st day of 2015. There are 94 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On September 28, 1928, Scottish medical researcher Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, the first effective antibiotic.

On this date:

In 1066, William the Conqueror invaded England to claim the English throne.

In 1542, Portuguese navigator Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo arrived at present-day San Diego.

In 1787, the Congress of the Confederation voted to send the just-completed Constitution of the United States to state legislatures for their approval.

In 1850, flogging was abolished as a form of punishment in the U.S. Navy.

In 1914, the First Battle of the Aisne during World War I ended inconclusively.

In 1939, during World War II, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed a treaty calling for the partitioning of Poland, which the two countries had invaded.

In 1945, the motion picture drama "Mildred Pierce," starring Joan Crawford, opened in New York.

In 1958, voters in the African country of Guinea overwhelmingly favored independence from France.

In 1967, Walter E. Washington was sworn in as the first mayor-commissioner of the District of Columbia (he'd been appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson).

In 1974, first lady Betty Ford underwent a mastectomy at Bethesda Naval Medical Center in Maryland, following discovery of a cancerous lump in her breast.

In 1989, deposed Philippine President Ferdinand E. Marcos died in exile in Hawaii at age 72.

In 1995, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO chairman Yasser Arafat signed an accord at the White House ending Israel's military occupation of West Bank cities and laying the foundation for a Palestinian state.

Ten years ago: House Majority Leader Tom DeLay was indicted by a Texas grand jury on a charge of conspiring to violate political fundraising laws. (DeLay was convicted in 2010, but the conviction was ultimately overturned.) A woman disguised as a man slipped into a line of Iraqi army recruits and detonated explosives strapped to her body, killing six recruits in the first known suicide attack by a woman in Iraq's insurgency. The U.S. Treasury unveiled the new $10 bill, featuring splashes of red, yellow and orange.

Five years ago: The youngest son of North Korean President Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un, was selected for his first leadership post in the ruling Workers Party, putting him well on the path to succeed his father. Movie director Arthur Penn ("Bonnie and Clyde") died in New York a day after turning 88.

One year ago: In an interview that aired on CBS' "60 Minutes," President Barack Obama acknowledged that U.S. intelligence agencies had underestimated the threat from Islamic State militants and overestimated the ability and will of Iraq's army to fight. Gov. Jerry Brown announced that he had signed a bill making California the first in the nation to define when "yes means yes" and adopt requirements for colleges to follow when investigating sexual assault reports. Europe defeated the United States to win the Ryder Cup, 16 1/2 to 11 1/2. Jordan Zimmermann threw the first no-hitter by a Washington Nationals pitcher in a 1-0 victory over the Miami Marlins.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Brigitte Bardot is 81. Actor Joel Higgins is 72. Singer Helen Shapiro is 69. Movie writer-director-actor John Sayles is 65. Rock musician George Lynch is 61. Zydeco singer-musician C.J. Chenier is 58. Actor Steve Hytner is 56. Actress-comedian Janeane Garofalo is 51. Country singer Matt King is 49. Actress Mira Sorvino is 48. TV personality Moon Zappa is 48. Actress-model Carre Otis is 47. Actress Naomi Watts is 47. Country singer Karen Fairchild (Little Big Town) is 46. Country musician Chuck Crawford is 42. Country singer Mandy Barnett is 40. Rapper Young Jeezy is 38. World Golf Hall of Famer Se Ri Pak is 38. Actor Peter Cambor is 37. Writer-producer-director-actor Bam Margera is 36. Actress Melissa Claire Egan is 34. Actress Jerrika Hinton is 34. Pop-rock singer St. Vincent is 33. Rock musician Daniel Platzman (Imagine Dragons) is 29. Actress Hilary Duff is 28. Actor Keir Gilchrist is 23.

Thought for Today: "A great truth is a truth whose opposite is also a truth." -- Thomas Mann, German writer (1875-1955).

Copyright 2015, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.