Today in History

Today is Sunday, Sept. 9, the 252nd day of 2018. There are 113 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Sept. 9, 1850, California became the 31st state of the union.

On this date:

In 1543, Mary Stuart was crowned Queen of Scots at Stirling Castle, nine months after she was born.

In 1776, the second Continental Congress made the term "United States" official, replacing "United Colonies."

In 1919, some 1,100 members of Boston's 1,500-man police force went on strike. (The strike was broken by Massachusetts Gov. Calvin Coolidge with replacement officers.)

In 1942, during World War II, a Japanese plane launched from a submarine off the Oregon coast dropped a pair of incendiary bombs in a failed attempt at igniting a massive forest fire; it was the first aerial bombing of the U.S. mainland by a foreign power.

In 1948, the People's Democratic Republic of Korea (North Korea) was declared.

In 1956, Elvis Presley made the first of three appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show."

In 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the first civil rights bill to pass Congress since Reconstruction, a measure primarily concerned with protecting voting rights and which also established a Civil Rights Division in the U.S. Department of Justice.

In 1971, prisoners seized control of the maximum-security Attica Correctional Facility near Buffalo, New York, beginning a siege that ended up claiming 43 lives.

In 1976, Communist Chinese leader Mao Zedong died in Beijing at age 82. JVC unveiled its new VHS videocassette recorder during a presentation in Tokyo.

In 1986, Frank Reed, director of a private school in Lebanon, was taken hostage; he was released 44 months later.

In 1991, boxer Mike Tyson was indicted in Indianapolis on a charge of raping Desiree Washington, a beauty pageant contestant. (Tyson was convicted and ended up serving three years of a six-year prison sentence.)

In 1997, Sinn Fein, the IRA's political ally, formally renounced violence as it took its place in talks on Northern Ireland's future. Actor Burgess Meredith died in Malibu, California, at age 89.

Ten years ago: President George W. Bush announced he would keep U.S. force strength in Iraq largely intact until the next administration, drawing rebukes from Democrats who wanted the war ended and a bigger boost of troops in troubled Afghanistan. Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of assassinated former Pakistani leader Benazir Bhutto, took office as Pakistan's president.

Five years ago: Four days of vehicular gridlock began near the George Washington Bridge when two of three approach lanes from Fort Lee, New Jersey, were blocked off; the traffic jam was later blamed on loyalists to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie over the refusal of Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich to endorse Christie for re-election. (Christie denied any prior knowledge of the lane closures.) Rafael Nadal won his 13th Grand Slam title and second at the U.S. Open by withstanding Novak Djokovic with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory.

One year ago: Hurricane Irma hammered Cuba with punishing winds and rain as it headed toward the Florida Keys and the southeastern United States; hundreds of shelters opened in Florida for people looking to escape the potentially deadly winds and storm surge. Dutch officials said Irma had damaged or destroyed 70 percent of the homes on St. Maarten in the Caribbean, leaving it vulnerable to the approach of Hurricane Jose. Sloane Stephens beat her close friend Madison Keys 6-3, 6-0 at the U.S. Open in the first Grand Slam final for both. Guillermo del Toro's "The Shape of Water" won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Sylvia Miles is 84. Actor Topol is 83. Rhythm-and-blues singer Luther Simmons is 76. Singer Inez Foxx is 76. Singer Dee Dee Sharp is 73. Rock singer-musician Doug Ingle is 72. College Football Hall of Famer and former NFL player Joe Theismann is 69. Rock musician John McFee (The Doobie Brothers) is 68. Actor Tom Wopat is 67. Actress Angela Cartwright is 66. Musician-producer Dave Stewart is 66. Actor Hugh Grant is 58. Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., is 55. Actor-comedian Charles Esten (formerly Chip) is 53. Actress Constance Marie is 53. Actor David Bennent is 52. Actor Adam Sandler is 52. Rock singer Paul Durham (Black Lab) is 50. Actress Julia Sawalha is 50. Model Rachel Hunter is 49. Actor Eric Stonestreet is 47. Actor Henry Thomas is 47. Actor Goran Visnjic is 46. Pop-jazz singer Michael Buble' is 43. Latin singer Maria Rita is 41. Actress Michelle Williams is 38. Actress Julie Gonzalo is 37. Neo-soul singer Paul Janeway (St. Paul & the Broken Bones) is 35. Actress Zoe Kazan is 35. Author-motivational speaker-businessman Farrah Gray is 34. Contemporary Christian singer Lauren Daigle is 27. Country singer-songwriter Hunter Hayes is 27.

Thought for Today: "To be happy with a man you must understand him a lot and love him a little. To be happy with a woman you must love her a lot and not try to understand her at all." -- Helen Rowland, American writer, journalist and humorist (1876-1950).