Today in History

Today is Tuesday, Sept. 8, the 252nd day of 2020. There are 114 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Sept. 8, 1974, President Gerald R. Ford granted a "full, free, and absolute pardon" to former President Richard Nixon covering his entire term in office.

On this date:

In 1565, a Spanish expedition established the first permanent European settlement in North America at present-day St. Augustine, Florida.

In 1664, the Dutch surrendered New Amsterdam to the British, who renamed it New York.

In 1761, Britain's King George III married Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz a few hours after meeting her for the first time.

In 1892, an early version of "The Pledge of Allegiance," written by Francis Bellamy, appeared in "The Youth's Companion." It went: "I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

In 1900, Galveston, Texas, was struck by a hurricane that killed an estimated 8,000 people.

In 1935, Sen. Huey P. Long, a Louisiana Democrat, was shot and mortally wounded inside the Louisiana State Capitol; he died two days later. (The assailant was identified as Dr. Carl Weiss, who was gunned down by Long's bodyguards.)

In 1941, the 900-day Siege of Leningrad by German forces began during World War II.

In 1943, during World War II, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower announced Italy's surrender; Nazi Germany denounced Italy's decision as a cowardly act.

In 1964, public schools in Prince Edward County, Virginia, reopened after being closed for five years by officials attempting to prevent court-ordered racial desegregation.

In 1986, "The Oprah Winfrey Show" began the first of 25 seasons in national syndication.

In 2005, Congress hastened to provide an additional $51.8 billion for relief and recovery from Hurricane Katrina; President George W. Bush pledged to make it "easy and simple as possible" for uncounted, uprooted storm victims to collect food stamps and other government benefits.

In 2014, Ray Rice was let go by the Baltimore Ravens and suspended indefinitely by the NFL after a video was released showing the running back striking his then-fiancee, Janay Palmer, in an elevator. (A neutral arbitrator vacated the suspension two months later, but Rice never played in the NFL again.) S. Truett Cathy, the billionaire founder of the Chick-fil-A restaurant chain, died in suburban Atlanta at age 93.

Ten years ago: BP took some of the blame for the Gulf oil disaster in an internal report, acknowledging among other things that it had misinterpreted a key pressure test of the well, but also assigned responsibility to its partners on the doomed rig. Israel Tal, a decorated war hero and creator of Israel's renowned "Merkava" tank, died at age 86. Allen Dale June, one of the 29 original Navajo code talkers of World War II, died in Prescott, Arizona, at age 91.

Five years ago: After resisting apologizing for using a personal email account run on a private server to conduct government business as secretary of state, Hillary Clinton shifted course, telling ABC News, "That was a mistake. I'm sorry about that. I take responsibility." Kim Davis, the Rowan County, Kentucky, clerk jailed for refusing to issue marriage licenses to gay couples, was released after five days behind bars, emerging to a hero's welcome from thousands of supporters.

One year ago: Dorian, the storm that had walloped the Bahamas and North Carolina, lashed at far-eastern Canada with hurricane-force winds, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands before weakening and heading into the North Atlantic. Former South Carolina governor and congressman Mark Sanford joined the Republican race against President Donald Trump, saying that there needed to be "a conversation about what it means to be a Republican." (Sanford ended his bid two months later.) Rafael Nadal held off a strong comeback bid to win his 19th Grand Slam title in a five-set U.S. Open final against Daniil Medvedev.

Today's Birthdays: Ventriloquist Willie Tyler is 80. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is 79. Actor Alan Feinstein is 79. Pop singer Sal Valentino (The Beau Brummels) is 78. Author Ann Beattie is 73. Former Secretary of Defense James Mattis is 70. Cajun singer Zachary Richard is 70. Musician Will Lee is 68. Actor Heather Thomas is 63. Singer Aimee Mann is 60. Pop musician David Steele (Fine Young Cannibals) is 60. Actor Thomas Kretschmann is 58. Rhythm-and-blues singer Marc Gordon (Levert) is 56. Gospel singer Darlene Zschech is 55. Alternative country singer Neko Case is 50. TV personality Brooke Burke-Charvet is 49. Actor Martin Freeman is 49. Actor David Arquette is 49. TV-radio personality Kennedy is 48. Rock musician Richard Hughes (Keane) is 45. Actor Larenz Tate is 45. Actor Nathan Corddry is 43. Rhythm-and-blues singer Pink is 41. Singer-songwriter Eric Hutchinson is 40. Actor Jonathan Taylor Thomas is 39. Rapper Wiz Khalifa is 33. Actor Gaten Matarazzo (TV: "Stranger Things") is 18.