Today in History

Today in History

Today is Saturday, Aug. 26, the 238th day of 2017. There are 127 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On August 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing American women's right to vote, was certified in effect by Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby.

On this date:

In 1789, France's National Assembly adopted its Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.

In 1817, the University of Michigan was founded.

In 1939, the first televised major league baseball games were shown on experimental station W2XBS: a double-header between the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field. (The Reds won the first game, 5-2, the Dodgers the second, 6-1.)

In 1944, French Gen. Charles de Gaulle braved the threat of German snipers as he led a victory march in Paris, which had just been liberated by the Allies from Nazi occupation.

In 1957, the Soviet Union announced it had successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile.

In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson was nominated for a term of office in his own right at the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

In 1968, the Democratic National Convention opened in Chicago; the four-day event that resulted in the nomination of Hubert H. Humphrey for president was marked by a bloody police crackdown on antiwar protesters in the streets.

In 1972, the summer Olympics games opened in Munich, West Germany.

In 1978, Cardinal Albino Luciani of Venice was elected pope following the death of Paul VI; the new pontiff took the name Pope John Paul I. (However, he died just over a month later.)

In 1986, in the so-called "preppie murder case," 18-year-old Jennifer Levin was found strangled in New York's Central Park; Robert Chambers later pleaded guilty to manslaughter and served 15 years in prison.

In 1996, Democrats opened their 42nd national convention in Chicago.

In 2015, Alison Parker, a reporter for WDBJ-TV in Roanoke, Virginia, and her cameraman, Adam Ward, were shot to death during a live broadcast by a disgruntled former station employee who fatally shot himself while being purused by police.

Ten years ago: Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki (NOO'-ree ahl-MAHL'-ih-kee) lashed out at American critics, saying Sen. Hillary Clinton and other Democrats who were calling for his ouster should "come to their senses" and stop treating Iraq like "one of their villages." The $95 million Hawaii Superferry made its maiden run from Oahu to Maui, the first passenger ferry service between the islands. (However, the ferry went out of business two years later.) Warner Robins, Georgia, won the Little League World Series title with a 3-2 victory over Tokyo.

Five years ago: In the face of approaching Tropical Storm Isaac, Republicans pushed back the start of their national convention in Tampa, Florida, by a day. Lydia Ko, a 15-year-old South Korean-born New Zealander, won the Canadian Women's Open to become the youngest winner in LPGA Tour history and only the fifth amateur champion. Japan limited Tennessee's potent lineup to two hits in a 12-2 victory in the Little League World Series title game.

One year ago: San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick refused to stand for the national anthem before the Niners played host to the Green Bay Packers in an exhibition game, saying he believed the United States was oppressing African Americans and other minorities. (The Packers won, 21-10.) NBA star Dwayne Wade's 32-year-old cousin, Nykea Aldridge, was shot to death while pushing her baby in a stroller near a Chicago school where she intended to register her children; Wade denounced the killing as an "act of senseless gun violence." (Two brothers were charged with Aldridge's slaying.) A SpaceX Dragon capsule returned to Earth with scientific gifts from the International Space Station, parachuting into the Pacific just off Mexico's Baja California coast loaded with 3,000 pounds of research and equipment.

Today's Birthdays: Former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge is 72. Rhythm-and-blues singer Valerie Simpson is 72. Pop singer Bob Cowsill is 68. Broadcast journalist Bill Whitaker is 66. Actor Brett Cullen is 61. NBA coach Stan Van Gundy is 58. Jazz musician Branford Marsalis is 57. Country musician Jimmy Olander (Diamond Rio) is 56. Actor Chris Burke is 52. Actress-singer Shirley Manson (Garbage) is 51. Rock musician Dan Vickrey (Counting Crowes) is 51. TV writer-actress Riley Weston is 51. Rock musician Adrian Young (No Doubt) is 48. Actress Melissa McCarthy is 47. Latin pop singer Thalia is 46. Actress Meredith Eaton is 43. Rock singer-musician Tyler Connolly (Theory of a Deadman) is 42. Actor Mike Colter is 41. Actor Macaulay Culkin is 37. Actor Chris Pine is 37. Actor Johnny Ray Gill is 33. Country singer Brian Kelley (Florida Georgia Line) is 32. Rhythm-and-blues singer Cassie Ventura is 31. Actor Evan Ross is 29. Actor Dylan O'Brien is 26. Actress Keke Palmer is 24.

Thought for Today: "Suffering belongs to no language." -- Adelia Prado, Brazilian poet.