Today in History

Today is Sunday, Sept. 30, the 273rd day of 2018. There are 92 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Sept. 30, 1962, James Meredith, a black student, was escorted by federal marshals to the campus of the University of Mississippi, where he enrolled for classes the next day; Meredith's presence sparked rioting that claimed two lives.

On this date:

In 1777, the Continental Congress -- forced to flee in the face of advancing British forces -- moved to York, Pennsylvania.

In 1791, Mozart's opera "The Magic Flute" premiered in Vienna, Austria.

In 1846, Boston dentist William Morton used ether as an anesthetic for the first time as he extracted an ulcerated tooth from merchant Eben Frost.

In 1938, after co-signing the Munich Agreement allowing Nazi annexation of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain said, "I believe it is peace for our time."

In 1947, the World Series was broadcast on television for the first time; the New York Yankees defeated the Brooklyn Dodgers 5-3 in Game 1 (the Yankees went on to win the Series four games to three).

In 1949, the Berlin Airlift came to an end.

In 1955, actor James Dean, 24, was killed in a two-car collision near Cholame, California.

In 1972, Roberto Clemente hit a double against Jon Matlack of the New York Mets during Pittsburgh's 5-0 victory at Three Rivers Stadium; the hit was the 3,000th and last for the Pirates star.

In 1986, the U-S released accused Soviet spy Gennadiy Zakharov, one day after the Soviets released Nicholas Daniloff.

In 1988, Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev retired President Andrei A. Gromyko from the Politburo and fired other old-guard leaders in a Kremlin shake-up.

In 2001, under threat of U.S. military strikes, Afghanistan's hard-line Taliban rulers said explicitly for the first time that Osama bin Laden was still in the country and that they knew where his hideout was located.

In 2003, the FBI began a full-scale criminal investigation into whether White House officials had illegally leaked the identity of undercover CIA officer Valerie Plame.

Ten years ago: Congressional leaders and President George W. Bush rummaged through ideas new and old, desperately seeking to change a dozen House members' votes and pass a multibillion-dollar economic rescue plan. Wall Street regained hope as the Dow industrials rose 485 points. More than 200 people were killed in a stampede of pilgrims at a Hindu temple in Jodhpur, India. J.L. Chestnut Jr., the first black lawyer in Selma, Ala. and a prominent attorney in civil rights cases across a half century, died in Birmingham at age 77.

Five years ago: Pope Francis announced during a meeting with cardinals that he would canonize two of his most influential predecessors, John Paul II and John XXIII, the following spring. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu implored President Barack Obama during a White House meeting to keep punishing sanctions in place against Iran over its nuclear programs.

One year ago: President Donald Trump lashed out at the mayor of San Juan and other officials in storm-ravaged Puerto Rico, saying they "want everything to be done for them." Monty Hall, the long-running host of TV's "Let's Make a Deal," died of heart failure at his home in Beverly Hills at the age of 96.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Angie Dickinson is 87. Singer Cissy Houston is 85. Singer Johnny Mathis is 83. Actor Len Cariou is 79. Singer Marilyn McCoo is 75. Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is 73. Pop singer Sylvia Peterson (The Chiffons) is 72. Actor Vondie Curtis-Hall is 68. Actress Victoria Tennant is 68. Actor John Finn is 66. Rock musician John Lombardo is 66. Singer Deborah Allen is 65. Actor Calvin Levels is 64. Actor Barry Williams is 64. Singer Patrice Rushen is 64. Actress Fran Drescher is 61. Country singer Marty Stuart is 60. Actress Debrah Farentino is 59. Rock musician Bill Rieflin (R.E.M.) is 58. Former Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., is 58. Actress Crystal Bernard is 57. Actor Eric Stoltz is 57. Rapper-producer Marley Marl is 56. Country singer Eddie Montgomery (Montgomery-Gentry) is 55. Rock singer Trey Anastasio is 54. Actress Monica Bellucci is 54. Rock musician Robby Takac (Goo Goo Dolls) is 54. Actress Lisa Thornhill is 52. Actress Andrea Roth is 51. Actress Amy Landecker is 49. Actor Silas Weir Mitchell is 49. Actor Tony Hale is 48. Actress Jenna Elfman is 47. Actor Ashley Hamilton is 44. Actress Marion Cotillard is 43. Actor Christopher Jackson is 43. Actor Stark Sands is 40. Actor Mike Damus is 39. Actress Toni Trucks is 38. Tennis player Martina Hingis is 38. Olympic gold medal gymnast Dominique Moceanu is 37. Actress Lacey Chabert is 36. Actor Kieran Culkin is 36. Singer-rapper T-Pain is 34.

Thought for Today: "If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning." -- Attributed to Catherine the Great, Russian empress (1729-1796).