Today in History

Today in History

Today is Thursday, Sept. 22, the 266th day of 2016. There are 100 days left in the year. Autumn arrives at 10:21 a.m. Eastern time.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Sept. 22, 1776, during the Revolutionary War, Capt. Nathan Hale, 21, was hanged as a spy by the British in New York.

On this date:

In 1792, the first French Republic was proclaimed.

In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, declaring all slaves in rebel states should be free as of Jan. 1, 1863.

In 1911, pitcher Cy Young, 44, gained his 511th and final career victory as he hurled a 1-0 shutout for the Boston Rustlers against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Forbes Field.

In 1927, Gene Tunney successfully defended his heavyweight boxing title against Jack Dempsey in the famous "long-count" fight in Chicago.

In 1938, the musical comedy revue "Hellzapoppin'," starring Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson, began a three-year run on Broadway.

In 1949, the Soviet Union exploded its first atomic bomb.

In 1950, Omar N. Bradley was promoted to the rank of five-star general, joining an elite group that included Dwight D. Eisenhower, Douglas MacArthur, George C. Marshall and Henry H. "Hap" Arnold.

In 1964, the musical "Fiddler on the Roof," starring Zero Mostel, opened on Broadway, beginning a run of 3,242 performances. The secret agent series "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.," starring Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, premiered on NBC-TV.

In 1975, Sara Jane Moore attempted to shoot President Gerald R. Ford outside a San Francisco hotel, but missed. (Moore served 32 years in prison before being paroled on Dec. 31, 2007.)

In 1985, rock and country music artists participated in "Farm Aid," a concert staged in Champaign, Illinois, to help the nation's farmers.

In 1991, the London newspaper The Mail published an interview with former intelligence agent John Cairncross, who admitted being the "fifth man" in the Soviet Union's notorious British spy ring.

In 1996, actress-singer Dorothy Lamour died at her North Hollywood home at age 81.

Ten years ago: A high-speed maglev train crashed in northwestern Germany, killing 23 people in the first fatal wreck involving the high-tech system. Three Christian militants were executed in Indonesia for leading attacks on Muslims in May 2000 that left at least 70 people dead. Hewlett-Packard Co. Chairwoman Patricia Dunn resigned in the wake of the company's ill-fated investigation of boardroom media leaks. Actor Edward Albert died in Malibu, California, at age 55.

Five years ago: A group of European researchers at the world's biggest physics lab in Switzerland claimed to have measured a subatomic particle, a neutrino, traveling faster than the speed of light, a finding that challenged Einstein's theory of relativity (however, the results were refuted by other scientists). American diplomats led a walkout at the U.N. General Assembly as Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad fiercely attacked the United States and major West European nations as "arrogant powers" ruled by greed and eager for military adventurism. Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Germany on his first state visit to his homeland.

One year ago: Pope Francis arrived from Cuba on the first visit of his life to the United States; President Barack Obama, his wife and daughters personally welcomed the pontiff at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington. Chinese President Xi Jinping (shee jihn-peeng) arrived in Seattle for a three-day visit before heading to Washington. Volkswagen AG acknowledged putting emissions-cheating software in millions of vehicles worldwide. Baseball Hall of Famer Yogi Berra, 90, died in West Caldwell, New Jersey.

Today's Birthdays: Baseball Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda is 89. Former NBA Commissioner David Stern is 74. Actor Paul Le Mat is 71. Musician King Sunny Ade is 70. Capt. Mark Phillips is 68. Rock singer David Coverdale (Deep Purple, Whitesnake) is 65. Actress Shari Belafonte is 62. Singer Debby Boone is 60. Country singer June Forester (The Forester Sisters) is 60. Singer Nick Cave is 59. Rock singer Johnette Napolitano is 59. Actress Lynn Herring is 59. Classical crossover singer Andrea Bocelli is 58. Singer-musician Joan Jett is 58. Actor Scott Baio is 56. Actress Catherine Oxenberg is 55. Actress Bonnie Hunt is 55. Actor Rob Stone is 54. Musician Matt Sharp is 47. Rock musician Dave Hernandez is 46. Rhythm-and-blues singer Big Rube (Society of Soul) is 45. Actress Mireille Enos is 41. Actress Daniella Alonso is 38. Actor Michael Graziadei is 37. Actress Ashley Drane (Eckstein) is 35. Actress Katie Lowes is 34. Rock musician Will Farquarson (Bastille) is 33. Actress Tatiana Maslany (TV: "Orphan Black") is 31. Actor Tom Felton is 29. Actress Juliette Goglia is 21.

Thought for Today: "Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns." -- George Eliot, English author (1819-1880).