Today in History

Today in History

Today is Tuesday, Sept. 13, the 257th day of 2016. There are 109 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Sept. 13, 1971, a four-day inmates' rebellion at the Attica Correctional Facility in western New York ended as police and guards stormed the prison; the ordeal and final assault claimed the lives of 32 inmates and 11 hostages.

On this date:

In 1515, during the Italian Wars, the two-day Battle of Marignano began as forces led by Francis I of France clashed with troops from the Old Swiss Confederacy. (The French succeeded in forcing the Swiss to abandon nearby Milan.)

In 1788, the Congress of the Confederation authorized the first national election, and declared New York City the temporary national capital.

In 1814, during the War of 1812, British naval forces began bombarding Fort McHenry in Baltimore but were driven back by American defenders in a battle that lasted until the following morning.

In 1911, the song "Oh, You Beautiful Doll," a romantic rag by Nat D. Ayer and Seymour Brown, was first published by Jerome H. Remick & Co.

In 1923, Miguel Primo de Rivera, the captain general of Catalonia, seized power in Spain.

In 1948, Republican Margaret Chase Smith of Maine was elected to the U.S. Senate; she became the first woman to serve in both houses of Congress.

In 1959, Elvis Presley first met his future wife, 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu, while stationed in West Germany with the U.S. Army. (They married in 1967, but divorced in 1973.)

In 1962, Mississippi Gov. Ross Barnett rejected the U.S. Supreme Court's order for the University of Mississippi to admit James Meredith, a black student, declaring in a televised address, "We will not drink from the cup of genocide."

In 1989, Fay Vincent was elected commissioner of Major League Baseball, succeeding the late A. Bartlett Giamatti.

In 1996, rapper Tupac Shakur died at a Las Vegas hospital six days after he was wounded in a drive-by shooting; he was 25.

In 1997, funeral services were held in Calcutta (now Kolkata), India, for Nobel peace laureate Mother Teresa.

In 1998, former Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace died in Montgomery at age 79.

Ten years ago: Gunman Kimveer Gill, 25, opened fire in a cafeteria at Dawson College in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, slaying one student and wounding 19 before killing himself. Former Texas Gov. Ann Richards died in Austin at age 73.

Five years ago: Teams of insurgents firing rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons struck at the U.S. Embassy, NATO headquarters and other buildings in the heart of Afghanistan's capital, Kabul. In New York City, Republican political novice Bob Turner scored an upset victory over Democratic state Assemblyman David Weprin in a special election to fill the House seat vacated by Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner over a sexting scandal.

One year ago: Germany introduced temporary border controls to stem the tide of thousands of refugees streaming across its borders. Novak Djokovic defeated Roger Federer in four sets, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, in the U.S. Open final for his 10th Grand Slam title. Basketball Hall of Famer Moses Malone, 60, died in Norfolk, Virginia. Miss Georgia Betty Cantrell was crowned Miss America at the pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Barbara Bain is 85. Actress Eileen Fulton (TV: "As the World Turns") is 83. Actor Joe E. Tata is 80. TV producer Fred Silverman is 79. Rock singer David Clayton-Thomas (Blood, Sweat & Tears) is 75. Actress Jacqueline Bisset is 72. Singer Peter Cetera is 72. Actress Christine Estabrook is 66. Actress Jean Smart is 65. Singer Randy Jones (The Village People) is 64. Record producer Don Was is 64. Actor Isiah Whitlock Jr. is 62. Actress-comedian Geri Jewell is 60. Country singer Bobbie Cryner is 55. Rock singer-musician Dave Mustaine (Megadeth) is 55. Radio-TV personality Tavis Smiley is 52. Rock musician Zak Starkey is 51. Actor Louis Mandylor is 50. Olympic gold medal runner Michael Johnson is 49. Rock musician Steve Perkins is 49. Actor Roger Howarth is 48. Actor Dominic Fumusa is 47. Actress Louise Lombard is 46. Tennis player Goran Ivanisevic is 45. Country singer Aaron Benward (Blue County) is 43. Country musician Joe Don Rooney (Rascal Flatts) is 41. Actor Scott Vickaryous is 41. Singer Fiona Apple is 39. Contemporary Christian musician Hector Cervantes (Casting Crowns) is 36. Former MLB pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka is 36. Actor Ben Savage is 36. Rock singer Niall Horan (One Direction) is 23. Actor Mitch Holleman is 21.

Thought for Today: "Injustice, poverty, slavery, ignorance -- these may be cured by reform or revolution. But men do not live only by fighting evils. They live by positive goals, individual and collective, a vast variety of them, seldom predictable, at times incompatible." -- Isaiah Berlin, Russian-born British philosopher (1909-1997).