Today in History

Today in History

Today is Friday, Sept. 4, the 248th day of 2020. There are 118 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Sept. 4, 1781, Los Angeles was founded by Spanish settlers under the leadership of Governor Felipe de Neve.

On this date:

In 1888, George Eastman received a patent for his roll-film box camera, and registered his trademark: "Kodak."

In 1944, during World War II, British troops liberated Antwerp, Belgium.

In 1957, Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus used Arkansas National Guardsmen to prevent nine Black students from entering all-white Central High School in Little Rock. Ford Motor Co. began selling its ill-fated Edsel.

In 1962, The Beatles, with new drummer Ringo Starr, recorded "Love Me Do" at EMI Studios in London. (The more familiar version with substitute drummer Andy White and Starr on tambourine was recorded a week later.)

In 1969, the Food and Drug Administration issued a report calling birth control pills "safe," despite a slight risk of fatal blood-clotting disorders linked to the pills.

In 1971, an Alaska Airlines jet crashed near Juneau, killing all 111 people on board.

In 1974, the United States established diplomatic relations with East Germany.

In 1998, Internet services company Google filed for incorporation in California.

In 1999, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat signed a breakthrough land-for-security agreement during a ceremony in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.

In 2006, "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin, 44, died after a stingray's barb pierced his chest.

In 2014, comedian Joan Rivers died at a New York hospital at age 81, a week after going into cardiac arrest in a doctor's office during a routine medical procedure.

In 2018, Amazon became the second publicly-traded company to reach $1 trillion in market value, following closely behind Apple. Comic actor Bill Daily, the sidekick to leading men on TV's "I Dream of Jeannie" and "The Bob Newhart Show," died in New Mexico at the age of 91.

Ten years ago: Protesters hurled shoes and eggs at Tony Blair in Dublin, Ireland, as he held the first public signing of his memoir as British prime minister amid high security. Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Paul Conrad, 86, died in Rancho Palos Verdes.

Five years ago: Hosting Saudi Arabia's new monarch for the first time, President Barack Obama said the U.S. shared King Salman's desire for an inclusive, functioning government in Yemen; their talks also addressed the Iran nuclear deal, a source of lingering tension in the U.S.-Saudi relationship. Hundreds of migrants, exhausted after breaking away from police and marching for hours toward Western Europe, boarded buses provided by Hungary's government after Austria and Germany said they would let them in.

One year ago: During an Oval Office meeting, President Donald Trump displayed a map of the National Hurricane Center forecast for nearly a week earlier that showed that Hurricane Dorian could track over Florida; the map included what appeared to be a hand-drawn half-circle that extended the cone of uncertainty over part of Alabama. (Trump had been publicly corrected by the National Weather Service after he had tweeted that Alabama would be among the states that would likely be hit "harder than anticipated.") A list of spending projects released by the Pentagon showed that officials would be cutting funding from projects including schools, target ranges and maintenance facilities to pay for the construction of 175 miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border; a total of $3.6 billion would be diverted to the barrier.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Mitzi Gaynor is 89. Soul singer Sonny Charles is 80. Actor Kenneth Kimmins is 79. Singer Merald "Bubba" Knight (Gladys Knight & The Pips) is 78. TV personality and veterinarian Dr. Jan (yahn) Pol (TV: "The Incredible Dr. Pol") is 78. World Golf Hall of Famer Raymond Floyd is 78. Actor Jennifer Salt is 76. World Golf Hall of Famer Tom Watson is 71. Rhythm-and-blues musician Ronald LaPread is 70. Actor Judith Ivey is 69. Rock musician Martin Chambers (The Pretenders) is 69. Actor Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs is 67. Actor Khandi Alexander is 63. Actor-comedian Damon Wayans Sr. is 60. Rock musician Kim Thayil is 60. Actor Richard Speight Jr. is 51. Actor Noah Taylor is 51. Actor Ione (eye-OH'-nee) Skye is 50. Actor-singer James Monroe Iglehart is 46. Pop-rock singer-DJ-musician-producer Mark Ronson is 45. Rhythm-and-blues singer Richard Wingo (Jagged Edge) is 45. Rock musician Ian Grushka (New Found Glory) is 43. Actor Wes Bentley is 42. Actor Max Greenfield is 41. Country singer Granger Smith is 41. Singer Dan Miller (O Town) is 40. Singer Beyonce (bee-AHN'-say) Knowles is 39. Country singer-musician Tom Gossin (Gloriana) is 39. Actor-comedian Whitney Cummings is 38. Actor-comedian Kyle Mooney (TV: "Saturday Night Live") is 36. Folk-rock musician Neyla Pekarek (formerly with The Lumineers) is 34. Pop-rock singer-songwriter James Bay is 30. Actor Carter Jenkins is 29. Actor Trevor Gagnon is 25.