Today in History

Today in History

Today is Thursday, Sept. 7, the 250th day of 2017. There are 115 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On September 7, 1927, American television pioneer Philo T. Farnsworth, 21, succeeded in transmitting the image of a line through purely electronic means with a device called an "image dissector" at his San Francisco laboratory.

On this date:

In 1892, James J. Corbett knocked out John L. Sullivan to win the world heavyweight crown in New Orleans in a fight conducted under the Marquess of Queensberry rules.

In 1916, the Federal Employees Compensation Act, providing financial assistance to federal workers who suffer job-related injuries, was signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson.

In 1936, rock-and-roll legend Buddy Holly was born Charles Hardin Holley in Lubbock, Texas.

In 1940, Nazi Germany began its eight-month blitz of Britain during World War II with the first air attack on London.

In 1957, the original animated version of the NBC-TV peacock logo, used to denote programs "brought to you in living color," made its debut at the beginning of "Your Hit Parade."

In 1963, the National Professional Football Hall of Fame was dedicated in Canton, Ohio.

In 1964, the controversial "Daisy" commercial for President Lyndon Johnson's election campaign, featuring a girl plucking flower petals followed by a nuclear explosion, aired on NBC-TV.

In 1967, the situation comedy "The Flying Nun," starring Sally Field as a novice nun who finds that she can fly, debuted on ABC.

In 1977, the Panama Canal treaties, calling for the U.S. to eventually turn over control of the waterway to Panama, were signed in Washington by President Jimmy Carter and Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos. Convicted Watergate conspirator G. Gordon Liddy was released from prison after more than four years.

In 1979, the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN) made its cable TV debut.

In 1987, the syndicated TV talk show "Geraldo," hosted by Geraldo Rivera, began an 11-season run.

In 1996, rapper Tupac Shakur was shot and mortally wounded on the Las Vegas Strip; he died six days later.

Ten years ago: Osama bin Laden appeared in a video for the first time in three years, telling Americans they should convert to Islam if they wanted the war in Iraq to end. A federal judge ruled that Iran had to pay $2.65 billion to the families of the 241 U.S. service members killed in the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut. A jury in St. Francisville, Louisiana, acquitted Sal and Mabel Mangano, the owners of a nursing home where 35 patients died after Hurricane Katrina, of negligent homicide and cruelty charges. Shawn Johnson won the women's all-around title at the world gymnastics championships in Stuttgart, Germany; among the men, China's Yang Wei won his second straight title.

Five years ago: The Labor Department reported that employers added just 96,000 jobs in August 2012, down from 141,000 in July; the dismal finding prompted Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney to say, "We're going in the wrong direction," while President Barack Obama, fresh off his nomination for a second term in office, said: "We know it's not good enough." Twin earthquakes and a spate of aftershocks struck southwestern China, toppling thousands of houses and killing more than 80 people. Dorothy McGuire Williamson, 84, who teamed with sisters Christine and Phyllis as the popular McGuire Sisters, died in Paradise Valley, Arizona.

One year ago: In back-to-back appearances, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton confronted their perceived weaknesses during a national security forum in New York, with Clinton, who went first, arguing that her email practices did not expose questionable judgment while Trump, who went second, defended his preparedness to be commander in chief. President Barack Obama, during a visit to Laos, pledged to help to clear away the 80 million unexploded bombs the U.S. dropped on the Southeast Asian country a generation ago.

Today's Birthdays: Jazz musician Sonny Rollins is 87. Actor Bruce Gray is 81. Singer Gloria Gaynor is 74. Singer Alfa Anderson (Chic) is 71. Actress Susan Blakely is 69. Rock musician Dennis Thompson (MC5) is 69. Actress Julie Kavner is 67. Rock singer Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders) is 66. Rock musician Benmont Tench (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers) is 64. Actor Corbin Bernsen is 63. Actor Michael Emerson is 63. Pianist Michael Feinstein is 61. Singer Margot Chapman is 60. Actress J. Smith-Cameron is 60. Actor W. Earl Brown is 54. Actor Toby Jones is 51. Actress-comedian Leslie Jones (TV: "Saturday Night Live") is 50. Model-actress Angie Everhart is 48. Actress Diane Farr is 48. Country singer Butter (Trailer Choir) is 47. Actress Monique Gabriela Curnen is 47. Actor Tom Everett Scott is 47. Rock musician Chad Sexton (311) is 47. Actress Shannon Elizabeth is 44. Actor Oliver Hudson is 41. Actor Devon Sawa is 39. Actor JD Pardo is 38. Actor Benjamin Hollingsworth (TV: "Code Black") is 33. Actress Alyssa Diaz (TV: "Ray Donovan"; "Zoo") is 32. Singer-musician Wes Willis (Rush of Fools) is 31. Actress Evan Rachel Wood is 30. Actor Ian Chen (TV: "Fresh Off the Boat") is 11.

Thought for Today: "Television has proved that people will look at anything rather than each other." -- Ann Landers, American advice columnist (1918-2002).