Today in History

Today in History

Today is Friday, Sept. 23, the 267th day of 2016. There are 99 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Sept. 23, 1846, Neptune was identified as a planet by German astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle.

On this date:

In 1779, during the Revolutionary War, the American warship Bon Homme Richard, commanded by John Paul Jones, defeated the HMS Serapis in battle off Yorkshire, England; however, the seriously damaged Bon Homme Richard sank two days later.

In 1780, British spy John Andre was captured along with papers revealing Benedict Arnold's plot to surrender West Point to the British.

In 1806, the Lewis and Clark expedition returned to St. Louis more than two years after setting out for the Pacific Northwest.

In 1926, Gene Tunney scored a ten-round decision over Jack Dempsey to win the world heavyweight boxing title in Philadelphia.

In 1939, Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, died in London at age 83.

In 1952, in what became known as the "Checkers" speech, Sen. Richard M. Nixon, R-Calif., salvaged his vice-presidential nomination by appearing on television to refute allegations of improper campaign fundraising.

In 1955, a jury in Sumner, Mississippi, acquitted two white men, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam, of murdering black teenager Emmett Till. (The two men later admitted to the crime in an interview with Look magazine.)

In 1957, nine black students who'd entered Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas were forced to withdraw because of a white mob outside.

In 1962, New York's Philharmonic Hall (later renamed Avery Fisher Hall) formally opened as the first unit of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. "The Jetsons," an animated cartoon series about a Space Age family, premiered as the ABC television network's first program in color.

In 1973, former Argentine president Juan Peron won a landslide election victory that returned him to power; his wife, Isabel, was elected vice president.

In 1987, Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., withdrew from the Democratic presidential race following questions about his use of borrowed quotations and the portrayal of his academic record.

In 1996, space shuttle Atlantis left Russia's orbiting Mir station with astronaut Shannon Lucid, who ended her six-month visit with tender goodbyes to her Russian colleagues.

Ten years ago: Three young children were found dead in an East St. Louis, Illinois, apartment, hours after Tiffany Hall was charged with killing their pregnant mother and her fetus in a grisly attack. (Hall later pleaded guilty to four counts of murder and one count of intentional homicide in the death of the fetus and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.) Barry Bonds hit his 734th career home run in the Giants' 10-8 loss to the Brewers, breaking Hank Aaron's NL record.

Five years ago: Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas took his people's quest for independence to the United Nations, seeking the world body's recognition of Palestine and sidestepping negotiations that had foundered for nearly two decades. Pope Benedict XVI, visiting his native Germany, met with victims of sexual abuse by priests and expressed "deep compassion and regret," according to the Vatican. After 41 years, the soap opera "All My Children" broadcast its final episode on ABC-TV.

One year ago: In the first canonization on U.S. soil, Pope Francis elevated to sainthood Junipero Serra, an 18th-century missionary who's brought Catholicism to the American West Coast. Earlier in the day, the pontiff met with President Barack Obama at the White House and was greeted by adoring crowds during an outdoor procession. Chinese President Xi Jinping, visiting Seattle, addressed Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, billionaire investor Warren Buffett and other top American and Chinese business leaders, vowing his country would work to remove barriers to foreign investment and improve intellectual property protections. Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn resigned, days after admitting that the world's top-selling carmaker had rigged diesel emissions to pass U.S. tests during his tenure; Winterkorn denied any personal wrongdoing.

Today's Birthdays: Singer Julio Iglesias is 73. Actor Paul Petersen (TV: "The Donna Reed Show") is 71. Actress-singer Mary Kay Place is 69. Rock star Bruce Springsteen is 67. Director/playwright George C. Wolfe (Film: "Nights in Rodanthe") is 62. Rock musician Leon Taylor (The Ventures) is 61. Actress Rosalind Chao is 59. Golfer Larry Mize is 58. Actor Jason Alexander is 57. Actor Chi McBride is 55. Country musician Don Herron (BR549) is 54. Actor Erik Todd Dellums is 52. Actress LisaRaye is 50. Singer Ani DiFranco is 46. Rock singer Sarah Bettens (K's Choice) is 44. Recording executive Jermaine Dupri is 44. Actor Kip Pardue is 40. Actor Anthony Mackie is 38. Pop singer Erik-Michael Estrada (TV: "Making the Band") is 37. Actress Aubrey Dollar is 36. Pop singer Diana Ortiz (Dream) is 31. Tennis player Melanie Oudin is 25.

Thought for Today: "Education is hanging around until you've caught on." -- Robert Frost, American poet (1874-1963).