Today in History

Today in History

Today is Friday, Sept. 2, the 246th day of 2016. There are 120 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Sept. 2, 1945, Japan formally surrendered in ceremonies aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, ending World War II.

On this date:

In 1666, the Great Fire of London broke out.

In 1789, the United States Treasury Department was established.

In 1864, during the Civil War, Union Gen. William T. Sherman's forces occupied Atlanta.

In 1901, Vice President Theodore Roosevelt offered the advice, "Speak softly and carry a big stick" in a speech at the Minnesota State Fair.

In 1924, the Rudolf Friml operetta "Rose Marie" opened on Broadway.

In 1935, a Labor Day hurricane slammed into the Florida Keys, claiming more than 400 lives.

In 1945, Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam an independent republic. (Ho died on this date in 1969.)

In 1963, Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace prevented the integration of Tuskegee High School by encircling the building with state troopers. "The CBS Evening News" with Walter Cronkite was lengthened from 15 to 30 minutes, becoming network television's first half-hour nightly newscast.

In 1969, in what some regard as the birth of the Internet, two connected computers at the University of California, Los Angeles, passed test data through a 15-foot cable.

In 1972, Dave Wottle of the United States won the men's 800-meter race at the Munich Summer Olympics.

In 1986, a judge in Los Angeles sentenced Cathy Evelyn Smith to three years in prison for involuntary manslaughter for her role in the 1982 drug overdose death of comedian John Belushi. (Smith served 18 months.)

In 1998, a Swissair MD-11 jetliner crashed off Nova Scotia, killing all 229 people aboard.

Ten years ago: Afghan and NATO forces launched Operation Medusa, aimed at flushing out Taliban fighters in southern Afghanistan; 14 British servicemen were killed when their patrol plane crashed. Two-time Olympic decathlon champion and four-term California congressman Bob Mathias died in Fresno, California, at age 75.

Five years ago: In a dramatic reversal, President Barack Obama scrubbed a proposed clean-air regulation aimed at reducing smog, yielding to bitterly protesting businesses and congressional Republicans who complained the rule would kill jobs in America's ailing economy. Turkey expelled Israel's ambassador and cut military ties over Israel's refusal to apologize for a deadly 2010 raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.

One year ago: Overcoming ferocious opposition, President Barack Obama secured a legacy-defining foreign policy victory as Senate Democrats clinched the necessary votes to ensure the Iran nuclear agreement survived in Congress. President Obama crossed the Arctic Circle in a first by a sitting U.S. president, telling residents in the far-flung Alaska village of Kotzebue (KAHT'-zih-byoo) that their plight resulting from climate change should be the world's wake-up call on global warming. In one of the most haunting images from the Syrian migrant crisis, the lifeless body of 3-year-old Alan Kurdi was photographed lying on a Turkish beach after he, his 5-year-old brother and their mother died when their rubber boat capsized as it headed for Greece.

Today's Birthdays: Dancer-actress Marge Champion is 97. Former Sen. Alan K. Simpson, R-Wyo., is 85. Actor-comedian Chuck McCann is 82. Former United States Olympic Committee Chairman Peter Ueberroth is 79. Actor Derek Fowlds (TV: "Yes, Minister"; "Yes, Prime Minister") is 79. Singer Jimmy Clanton is 78. Rhythm-and-blues singer Sam Gooden (The Impressions) is 77. Rhythm-and-blues singer Rosalind Ashford (Martha & the Vandellas) is 73. Singer Joe Simon is 73. Pro and College Football Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw is 68. Basketball Hall of Famer Nate Archibald is 68. Actor Mark Harmon is 65. Former Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., is 65. International Tennis Hall of Famer Jimmy Connors is 64. Actress Linda Purl is 61. Rock musician Jerry Augustyniak (10,000 Maniacs) is 58. Country musician Paul Deakin (The Mavericks) is 57. Pro Football Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson is 56. Actor Keanu Reeves is 52. International Boxing Hall of Famer Lennox Lewis is 51. Actress Salma Hayek is 50. Actor Tuc Watkins is 50. Actress Kristen Cloke is 48. Actress Cynthia Watros is 48. Rhythm-and-blues singer K-Ci is 47. Actor-comedian Katt Williams is 43. Actor Michael Lombardi is 42. Actress Tiffany Hines is 39. Rock musician Sam Rivers (Limp Bizkit) is 39. Actor Jonathan Kite is 37. Actress Allison Miller is 31. Rock musician Spencer Smith is 29. Electronic music DJ/producer Zedd is 27.

Thought for Today: "You can't, in sound morals, condemn a man for taking care of his own integrity. It is his clear duty." -- Joseph Conrad, Polish-born writer (1857-1924).