Today in History

Today in History

Today is Sunday, Sept. 10, the 253rd day of 2017. There are 112 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On September 10, 1813, an American naval force commanded by Oliver H. Perry defeated the British in the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812. (Afterward, Perry sent the message, "We have met the enemy and they are ours.")

On this date:

In 1608, John Smith was elected president of the Jamestown colony council in Virginia.

In 1846, Elias Howe received a patent for his sewing machine.

In 1919, New York City welcomed home Gen. John J. Pershing and 25,000 soldiers who'd served in the U.S. First Division during World War I.

In 1935, Sen. Huey P. Long died in Baton Rouge two days after being shot in the Louisiana state Capitol, allegedly by Dr. Carl Weiss.

In 1939, Canada declared war on Germany.

In 1945, Vidkun Quisling was sentenced to death in Norway for collaborating with the Nazis (he was executed by firing squad in October 1945).

In 1955, the Western series "Gunsmoke," starring James Arness as Marshal Matt Dillon, began a 20-season run on CBS-TV.

In 1963, 20 black students entered Alabama public schools following a standoff between federal authorities and Gov. George C. Wallace.

In 1977, convicted murderer Hamida Djandoubi, a Tunisian immigrant, became the last person to date to be executed by the guillotine in France.

In 1979, four Puerto Rican nationalists imprisoned for a 1954 attack on the U.S. House of Representatives and a 1950 attempt on the life of President Harry S. Truman were freed from prison after being granted clemency by President Jimmy Carter.

In 1987, Pope John Paul II arrived in Miami, where he was welcomed by President Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan as he began a 10-day tour of the United States.

In 1991, the Senate Judiciary Committee opened hearings on the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Ten years ago: Gen. David Petraeus, the top American commander in Iraq, told Congress he envisioned the withdrawal of roughly 30,000 U.S. troops by the summer of 2008, saying the surge in U.S. troops had met its military objectives "in large measure." Academy Award-winning actress Jane Wyman, 90, died in Palm Springs, California.

Five years ago: An airstrike killed al-Qaida's No. 2 leader in Yemen along with six others traveling with him in a breakthrough for U.S.-backed efforts to cripple the terror network's operations in the impoverished Arab nation. Chicago teachers began a seven-day strike, idling nearly 400,000 students in the nation's third-largest school district. Andy Murray became the first British man since 1936 to capture a Grand Slam title, beating defending champion Novak Djokovic, 7-6 (10), 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2 to win the U.S. Open in five grueling sets.

One year ago: John Hinckley Jr., the man who tried to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981, was released from a Washington mental hospital for good. Angelique Kerber won her first U.S. Open title and the second Grand Slam trophy of her breakthrough season, beating Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Philip Baker Hall is 86. Actor Greg Mullavey is 84. Jazz vibraphonist Roy Ayers is 77. Actor Tom Ligon is 77. Singer Danny Hutton (Three Dog Night) is 75. Singer Jose Feliciano is 72. Actress Judy Geeson is 69. Former Canadian first lady Margaret Trudeau is 69. Political commentator Bill O'Reilly is 68. Rock musician Joe Perry (Aerosmith) is 67. Actress Amy Irving is 64. Actor-director Clark Johnson is 63. Country singer Rosie Flores is 61. Actress Kate Burton is 60. Movie director Chris Columbus is 59. Actor Colin Firth is 57. Rock singer-musician David Lowery (Cracker) is 57. Actor Sean O'Bryan is 54. Actor Raymond Cruz is 53. Baseball Hall of Famer Randy Johnson is 54. Rock musician Robin Goodridge (Bush) is 52. Rock musician Stevie D. (Buckcherry) is 51. Rock singer-musician Miles Zuniga (Fastball) is 51. Actress Nina Repeta is 50. Rapper Big Daddy Kane is 49. Movie director Guy Ritchie is 49. Actor Johnathan Schaech (shehk) is 48. Contemporary Christian singer Sara Groves is 45. Actor Ryan Phillippe is 43. Actor Kyle Bornheimer is 42. Actor Jacob Young is 38. Rock musician Mikey Way (My Chemical Romance) is 37. Olympic bronze medal figure skater Timothy Goebel is 37. Ballerina Misty Copeland is 35. Rock musician Matthew Followill (Kings of Leon) is 33. Singer Ashley Monroe (Pistol Annies) is 31. Singer Sanjaya Malakar ("American Idol") is 28. Actor Chandler Massey is 27. Actress Hannah Hodson is 26. Actor Gabriel Bateman is 13.

Thought for Today: "History is the great dust-heap ... a pageant and not a philosophy." -- Augustine Birrell, English author and statesman (1850-1933).