Today in History

Today is Saturday, Sept. 28, the 271st day of 2019. There are 94 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Sept. 28, 1920, eight members of the Chicago White Sox were indicted for allegedly throwing the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. (All were acquitted at trial, but all eight were banned from the game for life.)

On this date:

In 1542, Portuguese navigator Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo arrived at present-day San Diego.

In 1781, American forces in the Revolutionary War, backed by a French fleet, began their successful siege of Yorktown, Virginia.

In 1787, the Congress of the Confederation voted to send the just-completed Constitution of the United States to state legislatures for their approval.

In 1892, the first nighttime football game took place in Mansfield, Pennsylvania, as teams from Mansfield State Normal and Wyoming Seminary played under electric lights to a scoreless tie.

In 1924, three U.S. Army planes landed in Seattle, having completed the first round-the-world trip by air in 175 days.

In 1928, Scottish medical researcher Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, the first effective antibiotic.

In 1960, Ted Williams hit a home run in his last career at-bat as his team, the Boston Red Sox, defeated the Baltimore Orioles 5-4 at Fenway Park.

In 1962, a federal appeals court found Mississippi Gov. Ross Barnett in civil contempt for blocking the admission of James Meredith, a black student, to the University of Mississippi. (Federal marshals escorted Meredith onto the campus two days later.)

In 1976, Muhammad Ali kept his world heavyweight boxing championship with a close 15-round decision over Ken Norton at New York's Yankee Stadium.

In 1989, deposed Philippine President Ferdinand E. Marcos died in exile in Hawaii at age 72.

In 1995, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO chairman Yasser Arafat signed an accord at the White House ending Israel's military occupation of West Bank cities and laying the foundation for a Palestinian state.

In 2000, capping a 12-year battle, the government approved use of the abortion pill RU-486.

Ten years ago: Iran tested its longest-range missiles and warned they could reach any place that threatened the country, including Israel, parts of Europe and U.S. military bases in the Mideast. Former Panamanian President Guillermo Endara, 73, who'd led his country to democracy after the U.S. invasion that toppled Gen. Manuel Noriega, died in Panama City.

Five years ago: In an interview that aired on CBS' "60 Minutes," President Barack Obama acknowledged that U.S. intelligence agencies had underestimated the threat from Islamic State militants and overestimated the ability and will of Iraq's army to fight. Gov. Jerry Brown announced that he had signed a bill making California the first in the nation to define when "yes means yes" and adopt requirements for colleges to follow when investigating sexual assault reports. Europe defeated the United States to win the Ryder Cup, 16 1/2 to 11 1/2.

One year ago: Reversing course, President Donald Trump agreed to the demands of Democrats for a deeper FBI investigation of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Israeli troops killed seven Palestinians, two of them children, as Gaza's Hamas rulers stepped up protests along the border fence. Tesla stock plunged nearly 14 percent after government regulators accused Elon Musk of committing securities fraud and sought to oust him as CEO of the electric car maker. Facebook reported a major security breach in which 50 million user accounts were accessed by unknown attackers; the attackers had stolen digital keys the company used to keep users logged in. An earthquake and tsunami struck the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, leaving more than 4,400 people dead.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Brigitte Bardot is 85. Actor Joel Higgins is 76. Singer Helen Shapiro is 73. Actress Vernee Watson is 70. Movie writer-director-actor John Sayles is 69. Rock musician George Lynch is 65. Zydeco singer-musician C.J. Chenier is 62. Actor Steve Hytner is 60. Actress-comedian Janeane Garofalo is 55. Country singer Matt King is 53. Actress Mira Sorvino is 52. TV personality/singer Moon Zappa is 52. Actress-model Carre Otis is 51. Actress Naomi Watts is 51. Country singer Karen Fairchild (Little Big Town) is 50. Singer/songwriter A.J. Croce is 48. Country musician Chuck Crawford is 46. Country singer Mandy Barnett is 44. Rapper Young Jeezy is 42. World Golf Hall of Famer Se Ri Pak is 42. Actor Peter Cambor is 41. Writer-producer-director-actor Bam Margera is 40. Actress Melissa Claire Egan is 38. Actress Jerrika Hinton is 38. Neo-soul musician Luke Mossman (Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats ) is 38. Pop-rock singer St. Vincent is 37. Comedian/actress Phoebe Robinson is 35. Rock musician Daniel Platzman (Imagine Dragons) is 33. Actress Hilary Duff is 32. Actor Keir Gilchrist is 27.

Thought for Today: "A great truth is a truth whose opposite is also a truth." -- Thomas Mann, German writer (1875-1955).

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