Today in History

Today is Thursday, Sept. 13, the 256th day of 2018. There are 109 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Sept. 13, 1971, a four-day inmates' rebellion at the Attica Correctional Facility in western New York ended as police and guards stormed the prison; the ordeal and final assault claimed the lives of 32 inmates and 11 hostages.

On this date:

In 1759, during the French and Indian War, the British defeated the French on the Plains of Abraham overlooking Quebec City.

In 1788, the Congress of the Confederation authorized the first national election, and declared New York City the temporary national capital.

In 1814, during the War of 1812, British naval forces began bombarding Fort McHenry in Baltimore but were driven back by American defenders in a battle that lasted until the following morning.

In 1948, Republican Margaret Chase Smith of Maine was elected to the U.S. Senate; she became the first woman to serve in both houses of Congress.

In 1959, Elvis Presley first met his future wife, 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu, while stationed in West Germany with the U.S. Army. (They married in 1967, but divorced in 1973.)

In 1962, Mississippi Gov. Ross Barnett rejected the U.S. Supreme Court's order for the University of Mississippi to admit James Meredith, a black student, declaring in a televised address, "We will not drink from the cup of genocide."

In 1970, the first New York City Marathon was held; winner Gary Muhrcke finished the 26.2-mile run, which took place entirely inside Central Park, in 2:31:38.

In 1989, Fay Vincent was elected commissioner of Major League Baseball, succeeding the late A. Bartlett Giamatti.

In 1990, the combination police-courtroom drama "Law & Order" premiered on NBC.

In 1993, at the White House, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO chairman Yasser Arafat shook hands after signing an accord granting limited Palestinian autonomy.

In 1997, funeral services were held in Calcutta, India, for Nobel peace laureate Mother Teresa.

In 2001, two days after the 9/11 terror attacks, the first few jetliners returned to the nation's skies, but several major airports remained closed and others opened only briefly. President George W. Bush visited injured Pentagon workers and said he would carry the nation's prayers to New York.

Ten years ago: Rescue crews ventured out to pluck people from their homes in an all-out search for thousands of Texans who had stubbornly stayed behind overnight to face Hurricane Ike. After wild conjecture over who would play Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on "Saturday Night Live," writer-performer Tina Fey returned to her old show for an opening sketch featuring her and Fey's former "Weekend Update" co-host Amy Poehler as Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Five years ago: By truck and helicopter, thousands of people stranded by floodwaters were brought down from the Colorado Rockies. A pre-dawn fire swept through a Russian psychiatric hospital, killing 37 people.

One year ago: Firefighters who were called to a sweltering nursing home in Hollywood, Florida, where air conditioning had been knocked out by Hurricane Irma found three people dead and evacuated 145 others to hospitals; five others died later in the day. Former Republican Sen. Pete Domenici, New Mexico's longest-serving senator, died in Albuquerque at the age of 85. The Cleveland Indians set an American League record with their 21st straight win, a 5-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers. (The streak would continue to 22 before the Indians were stopped.) The International Olympic Committee officially awarded the 2024 Summer Olympics to Paris and the 2028 games to Los Angeles.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Barbara Bain is 87. Actress Eileen Fulton (TV: "As the World Turns") is 85. Actor Joe E. Tata is 82. TV producer Fred Silverman is 81. Rock singer David Clayton-Thomas (Blood, Sweat & Tears) is 77. Actress Jacqueline Bisset is 74. Singer Peter Cetera is 74. Actress Christine Estabrook is 68. Actress Jean Smart is 67. Singer Randy Jones (The Village People) is 66. Record producer Don Was is 66. Actor Isiah Whitlock Jr. is 64. Actress-comedian Geri Jewell is 62. Country singer Bobbie Cryner is 57. Rock singer-musician Dave Mustaine (Megadeth) is 57. Radio-TV personality Tavis Smiley is 54. Rock musician Zak Starkey is 53. Actor Louis Mandylor is 52. Olympic gold medal runner Michael Johnson is 51. Rock musician Steve Perkins is 51. Actor Roger Howarth is 50. Actor Dominic Fumusa is 49. Actress Louise Lombard is 48. Tennis player Goran Ivanisevic is 47. Country singer Aaron Benward (Blue County) is 45. Country musician Joe Don Rooney (Rascal Flatts) is 43. Actor Scott Vickaryous is 43. Singer Fiona Apple is 41. Contemporary Christian musician Hector Cervantes (Casting Crowns) is 38. Former MLB pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka is 38. Actor Ben Savage is 38. Rock singer Niall Horan (One Direction) is 25. Actor Mitch Holleman is 23. Actress Lili Reinhart (TV: "Riverdale") is 22.

Thought for Today: "Revolt and terror pay a price. Order and law have a cost." -- Carl Sandburg, American poet and author (1878-1967).