Today in History

Today in History

Today is Tuesday, Aug. 30, the 243rd day of 2016. There are 123 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Aug. 30, 1861, Union Gen. John C. Fremont instituted martial law in Missouri and declared slaves there to be free. (However, Fremont's emancipation order was countermanded by President Abraham Lincoln).

On this date:

In 1862, Confederate forces won victories against the Union at the Second Battle of Bull Run in Manassas, Virginia, and the Battle of Richmond in Kentucky.

In 1905, Ty Cobb made his major-league debut as a player for the Detroit Tigers, hitting a double in his first at-bat in a game against the New York Highlanders. (The Tigers won, 5-3.)

In 1935, the film "Anna Karenina," MGM's version of the Tolstoy novel starring Greta Garbo, opened in New York.

In 1945, U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur arrived in Japan to set up Allied occupation headquarters.

In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, which was intended to promote private development of nuclear energy.

In 1963, the "Hot Line" communications link between Washington and Moscow went into operation.

In 1967, the Senate confirmed the appointment of Thurgood Marshall as the first black justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

In 1983, Guion S. Bluford Jr. became the first black American astronaut to travel in space as he blasted off aboard the Challenger.

In 1984, the space shuttle Discovery was launched on its inaugural flight.

In 1986, Soviet authorities arrested Nicholas Daniloff, a correspondent for U.S. News and World Report, as a spy a week after American officials arrested Gennadiy Zakharov, a Soviet employee of the United Nations, on espionage charges in New York. (Both men were later released.)

In 1989, a federal jury in New York found "hotel queen" Leona Helmsley guilty of income tax evasion, but acquitted her of extortion. (Helmsley ended up serving 18 months behind bars, a month at a halfway house and two months under house arrest.)

In 1991, Azerbaijan declared its independence, joining the stampede of republics seeking to secede from the Soviet Union.

Ten years ago: Hurricane John lashed tourist resorts with heavy winds and rain as the dangerous Category 4 storm marched up Mexico's Pacific coast. Actor Glenn Ford died in Beverly Hills, California, at age 90. Naguib Mahfouz, the first Arab writer to win the Nobel Prize in literature, died in Cairo, Egypt, at age 94.

Five years ago: National Guard helicopters rushed food and water to a dozen cut-off Vermont towns after the rainy remnants of Hurricane Irene washed out roads and bridges in a deluge that had taken many people in the landlocked New England state by surprise. Libyan rebels said they were closing in on Moammar Gadhafi and issued an ultimatum to loyalists in his hometown of Sirte, his main remaining bastion: Surrender, or face attack.

One year ago: The White House announced that President Barack Obama would change the name of North America's tallest mountain peak from Mount McKinley to Denali, bestowing the traditional Alaska Native name on the eve of a historic presidential visit to Alaska. Jake Arrieta pitched the sixth no-hitter of the season and second against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 10 days, leading the Chicago Cubs to a 2-0 victory. Tokyo won the Little League World Series, defeating Lewisberry, Pennsylvania, 18-11. Neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks, 82, author of "The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat," died in New York. Movie writer-director Wes Craven, 76, who startled audiences with suburban slashers like "Nightmare on Elm Street" and "Scream," died in Los Angeles.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Bill Daily is 89. Actress Elizabeth Ashley is 77. Actor Ben Jones is 75. Cartoonist R. Crumb is 73. Olympic gold medal skier Jean-Claude Killy is 73. Actress Peggy Lipton is 70. Comedian Lewis Black is 68. Actor Timothy Bottoms is 65. Actor David Paymer is 62. Jazz musician Gerald Albright is 59. Actor Michael Chiklis is 53. Music producer Robert Clivilles is 52. Actress Michael Michele is 50. Country musician Geoff Firebaugh is 48. Country singer Sherrie Austin is 45. Rock singer-musician Lars Frederiksen (Rancid) is 45. Actress Cameron Diaz is 44. Rock musician Leon Caffrey (Space) is 43. TV personality Lisa Ling is 43. Rock singer-musician Aaron Barrett (Reel Big Fish) is 42. Actor Raul Castillo (TV: "Looking") is 39. Actor Michael Gladis is 39. Rock musician Matt Taul (Tantric; Days of the New) is 38. Tennis player Andy Roddick is 34. Singer Rachael Price (Lake Street Dive) is 31. Rock musician Ryan Ross is 30. Actress Johanna Braddy (TV: "Quantico") is 29. Actor Cameron Finley is 29.

Thought for Today: "If you board the wrong train, it is no use running along the corridor in the other direction." -- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, German theologian (1906-1945).