Today in History

Today in History

Today is Monday, Aug. 28, the 240th day of 2017. There are 125 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On August 28, 1917, ten suffragists demanding that President Woodrow Wilson support a constitutional amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote were arrested as they picketed outside the White House.

On this date:

In 1609, English sea explorer Henry Hudson and his ship, the Half Moon, reached present-day Delaware Bay.

In 1862, the Second Battle of Bull Run (also known as Second Manassas) began in Prince William County, Virginia, during the Civil War; the result was a Confederate victory.

In 1916, Italy declared war on Germany during World War I.

In 1922, the first-ever radio commercial aired on station WEAF in New York City; the 10-minute advertisement was for the Queensboro Realty Co., which had paid a fee of $100.

In 1947, legendary bullfighter Manolete was fatally gored during a fight in Linares, Spain; he died early the next day at age 30.

In 1955, Emmett Till, a black teen-ager from Chicago, was abducted from his uncle's home in Money, Mississippi, by two white men after he had supposedly whistled at a white woman; he was found brutally slain three days later.

In 1963, more than 200,000 people listened as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

In 1968, police and anti-war demonstrators clashed in the streets of Chicago as the Democratic National Convention nominated Hubert H. Humphrey for president.

In 1972, Mark Spitz of the United States won the first two of his seven gold medals at the Munich Olympics, finishing first in the 200-meter butterfly and anchoring the 400-meter freestyle relay. The Soviet women gymnasts won the team all-around.

In 1987, a fire damaged the Arcadia, Florida, home of Ricky, Robert and Randy Ray, three hemophiliac brothers infected with AIDS whose court-ordered school attendance had sparked a local uproar. Academy Award-winning movie director John Huston died in Middletown, Rhode Island, at age 81.

In 1988, 70 people were killed when three Italian stunt planes collided during an air show at the U.S. Air Base in Ramstein, West Germany.

In 1996, Democrats nominated President Bill Clinton for a second term at their national convention in Chicago. The troubled 15-year marriage of Britain's Prince Charles and Princess Diana officially ended with the issuing of a divorce decree.

Ten years ago: After reports surfaced of his June arrest at the Minneapolis airport, Senator Larry Craig, R-Idaho, told a news conference the only thing he'd done wrong was to plead guilty to disorderly conduct after a police complaint of lewd conduct in a men's room; Craig also declared, "I am not gay. I never have been gay." A military court at Fort Meade, Maryland, acquitted Army Lt. Col. Steven L. Jordan of failing to control U.S. soldiers who'd abused detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, but found him guilty of disobeying an order not to discuss the investigation. (That conviction was later thrown out.) Oscar-winning actress Miyoshi Umeki died in Licking, Missouri, at age 78.

Five years ago: Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney swept to the Republican presidential nomination at a storm-delayed national convention in Tampa, Florida. Hurricane Isaac spun into the southern Louisiana coast, sending floodwaters surging and unleashing fierce winds, as residents hunkered down behind boarded-up windows.

One year ago: Six scientists completed a yearlong Mars simulation in Hawaii, where they emerged after living in a dome in near isolation on a Mauna Loa mountain. Ryan Harlost led Endwell, New York, to the Little League World Series title, striking out eight and limiting South Korea to five hits in six innings in a 2-1 victory. Beyonce received eight honors at the MTV Video Music Awards in New York. Juan Gabriel, a superstar Mexican songwriter and singer who was an icon in the Latin music world, died at his home in California at age 66.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Sonny Shroyer is 82. Actor Ken Jenkins is 77. Former Defense Secretary William S. Cohen is 77. Actor David Soul is 74. Former pop singer-musician Honey Lantree (The Honeycombs) is 74. Former MLB manager and player Lou Piniella is 74. Actress Barbara Bach is 71. Actress Debra Mooney is 70. Singer Wayne Osmond (The Osmonds) is 66. Actor Daniel Stern is 60. Olympic gold medal figure skater Scott Hamilton is 59. Actor John Allen Nelson is 58. Actress Emma Samms is 57. Actress Jennifer Coolidge is 56. Movie director David Fincher is 55. Actress Amanda Tapping is 52. Country singer Shania Twain is 52. Actor Billy Boyd is 49. Actor Jack Black is 48. Actor Jason Priestley is 48. Actor Daniel Goddard (TV: "The Young and the Restless") is 46. Olympic gold medal swimmer Janet Evans is 46. Actor J. August Richards is 44. Rock singer-musician Max Collins (Eve 6) is 39. Actress Carly Pope is 37. Country singer Jake Owen is 36. Country singer LeAnn Rimes is 35. Actress Kelly Thiebaud is 35. Actor Alfonso Herrera is 34. Actress Sarah Roemer is 33. Actor Armie Hammer is 31. Rock singer Florence Welch (Florence and the Machine) is 31. Actress Shalita Grant is 29. Country-pop singer Cassadee Pope (TV: "The Voice") is 28. Actress Katie Findlay is 27. Actor/singer Samuel Larsen is 26. Actor Kyle Massey is 26. Actress Quvenzhane Wallis is 14. Reality TV star Alana Thompson, AKA "Honey Boo Boo," is 12.

Thought for Today: "The essence of immorality is the tendency to make an exception of one's self." -- Jane Addams, American social worker and Nobel Peace laureate (1860-1935).