Today in History

Today is Friday, Sept. 7, the 250th day of 2018. There are 115 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Sept. 7, 1940, Nazi Germany began its eight-month blitz of Britain during World War II with the first air attack on London.

On this date:

In 1901, the Peace of Beijing ended the Boxer Rebellion in China.

In 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.

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

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

In 1972, the International Olympic Committee banned Vince Matthews and Wayne Collett of the U.S. from further competition for talking to each other on the victory stand in Munich during the playing of the "Star-Spangled Banner" after winning the gold and silver medals in the 400-meter run.

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.

In 2001, Venus Williams and Serena Williams reached the finals of the U.S. Open, defeating Jennifer Capriati and Martina Hingis respectively, becoming the first sisters to play for a Grand Slam championship in more than 100 years.

In 2002, President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, meeting at Camp David, said the world had to act against Saddam Hussein, arguing that the Iraqi leader had defied the United Nations and reneged on promises to destroy weapons of mass destruction.

In 2007, 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.

Ten years ago: Troubled mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were placed in government conservatorship. Hurricane Ike roared across low-lying islands in the Atlantic as a Category 4 storm. Serena Williams outlasted Jelena Jankovic 6-4, 7-5 to win her third U.S. Open championship and ninth Grand Slam title. Hall of Fame basketball coach Don Haskins died in El Paso, Texas, at age 78. Mystery author Gregory Mcdonald died in Pulaski, Tenn., at age 71. Astroland, New York City's world famous amusement park at Coney Island, closed after 46 years. Britney Spears won three MTV Video Music Awards, including video of the year for "Piece of Me."

Five years ago: Tony Abbott's conservative Liberal-led party won a crushing victory in Australia against the center-left Labor Party which had ruled for six years. Tokyo was awarded the 2020 Summer Olympics, defeating Istanbul in the final round of secret voting by the International Olympic Committee.

One year ago: More than a half million people were ordered to leave South Florida as Hurricane Irma approached; Georgia's governor ordered nearly 540,000 coastal residents to move inland. One of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded in Mexico struck off the country's southern coast, toppling hundreds of buildings and killing at least 90 people. (A deadlier quake would strike central Mexico nearly two weeks later.) Equifax, one of the three major U.S. credit bureaus, announced that hackers gained access to credit information on 143 million Americans between mid-May and July. A federal appeals court rejected the Trump administration's limited view of who is allowed into the country under the president's travel ban, saying grandparents, cousins and other close relatives of people in the United States should not be kept out. Donald Trump Jr. told a Senate panel that he did not collude with Russia to hurt Hillary Clinton's campaign.

Today's Birthdays: Jazz musician Sonny Rollins is 88. Singer Gloria Gaynor is 75. Singer Alfa Anderson (Chic) is 72. Actress Susan Blakely is 70. Rock musician Dennis Thompson (MC5) is 70. Actress Julie Kavner is 68. Rock singer Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders) is 67. Rock musician Benmont Tench (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers) is 65. Actor Corbin Bernsen is 64. Actor Michael Emerson is 64. Pianist Michael Feinstein is 62. Singer/songwriter Diane Warren is 62. Singer Margot Chapman is 61. Actress J. Smith-Cameron is 61. Actor W. Earl Brown is 55. Actor Toby Jones is 52. Actress-comedian Leslie Jones (TV: "Saturday Night Live") is 51. Model-actress Angie Everhart is 49. Actress Diane Farr is 49. Country singer Butter (Trailer Choir) is 48. Actress Monique Gabriela Curnen is 48. Actor Tom Everett Scott is 48. Rock musician Chad Sexton (311) is 48. Actress Shannon Elizabeth is 45. Actor Oliver Hudson is 42. Actor Devon Sawa is 40. Actor JD Pardo is 39. Actor Benjamin Hollingsworth (TV: "Code Black") is 34. Actress Alyssa Diaz (TV: "Ray Donovan"; "Zoo") is 33. Singer-musician Wes Willis (Rush of Fools) is 32. Actress Evan Rachel Wood is 31. Actor Ian Chen (TV: "Fresh Off the Boat") is 12.

Thought for Today: "Nothing is more unpleasant than a virtuous person with a mean mind." -- Walter Bagehot, English editor and economist (1826-1877).