Today in History

Today in History

Today is Friday, Sept. 22, the 265th day of 2017. There are 100 days left in the year. Autumn arrives at 4:02 p.m. Eastern time.

Today's Highlight in History:

On September 22, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, declaring all slaves in rebel states should be free as of January 1, 1863.

On this date:

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

In 1792, the French First Republic was proclaimed.

In 1917, the silent comedy-drama "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm," starring Mary Pickford, was released.

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 1957, the TV series "Maverick," starring James Garner and Jack Kelly, premiered on ABC.

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 December 31, 2007.)

In 1982, the situation comedy "Family Ties" premiered on NBC.

In 1993, 47 people were killed when an Amtrak passenger train fell off a bridge and crashed into Big Bayou Canot near Mobile, Alabama. (A tugboat pilot lost in fog pushed a barge into the railroad bridge, knocking the tracks 38 inches out of line just minutes before the train arrived.)

Ten years ago: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke briefly with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki at the United Nations, but they did not discuss a Baghdad shootout involving guards from Blackwater USA that claimed civilian lives. Marcel Marceau, the master of mime, died in Cahors, France, at age 84.

Five years ago: President Barack Obama campaigned before a crowd of 18,000 in Wisconsin, the home state of GOP vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan. In the aftermath of the killing of the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans, residents of the Libyan city of Benghazi protested at the compounds of several militias, vowing to rid themselves of armed factions and Islamic extremists.

One year ago: Prosecutors charged a white Oklahoma police officer with first-degree manslaughter less than a week after she killed an unarmed black man on a city street, saying in court documents the officer "reacted unreasonably." (Betty Shelby was acquitted in May 2017 of manslaughter in the death of Terence Crutcher.) It was disclosed that computer hackers had swiped personal information from at least 500 million Yahoo accounts in what was believed to have been the biggest digital break-in at an email provider. President Barack Obama paid tribute to comedian Mel Brooks, NPR interviewer Terry Gross and others at a White House ceremony celebrating "creators who give every piece of themselves to their craft."

Today's Birthdays: Baseball Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda is 90. Actress Anna Karina is 77. Former NBA Commissioner David Stern is 75. Actor Paul Le Mat is 72. Musician King Sunny Ade (ah-DAY') is 71. Capt. Mark Phillips is 69. Rock singer David Coverdale (Deep Purple, Whitesnake) is 66. Actress Shari Belafonte is 63. Singer Debby Boone is 61. Country singer June Forester (The Forester Sisters) is 61. Singer Nick Cave is 60. Rock singer Johnette Napolitano is 60. Actress Lynn Herring is 60. Classical crossover singer Andrea Bocelli is 59. Singer-musician Joan Jett is 59. Actor Scott Baio is 57. Actress Catherine Oxenberg is 56. Actress Bonnie Hunt is 56. Actor Rob Stone is 55. Actor Dan Bucatinsky (TV: "24: Legacy") is 52. Musician Matt Sharp is 48. Rock musician Dave Hernandez is 47. Rapper Mystikal is 47. Rhythm-and-blues singer Big Rube (Society of Soul) is 46. Actor James Hillier (TV: "The Crown") is 44. Actress Mireille Enos is 42. Actress Daniella Alonso is 39. Actor Michael Graziadei is 38. Actress Ashley Drane (Eckstein) is 36. Actress Katie Lowes is 35. Rock musician Will Farquarson (Bastille) is 34. Actress Tatiana Maslany is 32. Actor Ukweli Roach (TV: "Blindspot") is 31. Actor Tom Felton is 30. Actress Juliette Goglia is 22.

Thought for Today: "Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile." -- William Cullen Bryant, American poet (1794-1878).