Today in History

Today is Monday, Sept. 7, the 251st day of 2020. There are 115 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On September 7, 1940, Nazi Germany began its eight-month blitz of Britain during World War II with the first air attack on London.

On this date:

In 1892, James J. Corbett knocked out John L. Sullivan to win the world heavyweight crown in New Orleans in a fight conducted under the Marquess of Queensberry rules.

In 1907, the British liner RMS Lusitania set out from Liverpool, England, on its maiden voyage, arriving six days later in New York.

In 1963, the National Professional Football Hall of Fame was dedicated in Canton, Ohio.

In 1972, the International Olympic Committee banned Vince Matthews and Wayne Collett of the U.S. from further competition for talking to each other on the victory stand in Munich during the playing of the "Star-Spangled Banner" after winning the gold and silver medals in the 400-meter run.

In 1977, the Panama Canal treaties, calling for the U.S. to eventually turn over control of the waterway to Panama, were signed in Washington by President Jimmy Carter and Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos.

In 1979, the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN) made its cable TV debut.

In 1986, Desmond Tutu was installed as the first Black clergyman to lead the Anglican Church in southern Africa.

In 1996, rapper Tupac Shakur was shot and mortally wounded on the Las Vegas Strip; he died six days later.

In 2005, police and soldiers went house to house in New Orleans to try to coax the last stubborn holdouts into leaving the city shattered by Hurricane Katrina. President George W. Bush led the nation in a final tribute to William H. Rehnquist, remembering the late chief justice as the Supreme Court's steady leader and a man of lifetime integrity.

In 2007, Osama bin Laden appeared in a video for the first time in three years, telling Americans they should convert to Islam if they wanted the war in Iraq to end.

In 2008, troubled mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were placed in government conservatorship.

In 2014, Serena Williams won her third consecutive U.S. Open championship and 18th major title overall, taking 75 minutes to beat good friend Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 6-3.

Ten years ago: A Chinese fishing trawler and two Japanese patrol boats collided near disputed islands in the East China Sea, further straining relations between Beijing and Tokyo. Lucius Walker, 80, who'd led an annual pilgrimage of aid volunteers to Cuba in defiance of the nearly half century U.S. trade embargo, died in New York.

Five years ago: Hillary Clinton, interviewed by The Associated Press during a campaign swing through Iowa, said she did not need to apologize for using a private email account and server while at the State Department because "what I did was allowed." Courting unions on Labor Day, President Barack Obama denounced Republicans for a "constant attack on working Americans," telling a rally in Boston that he was using his executive power to force federal contractors to give paid sick leave to their employees. Former child star Dickie Moore, 89, died in Connecticut.

One year ago: President Donald Trump said he had canceled a secret weekend meeting at Camp David with Taliban and Afghan leaders, just days before the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, after a bombing in the past week in Kabul that killed 12 people, including an American soldier. India's lunar lander crashed on the surface of the moon, where it was supposed to deploy a rover to search for signs of water; a successful landing would have made India just the fourth country to land a vessel on the lunar surface. Nineteen-year-old Bianca Andreescu won her first Grand Slam title, beating Serena Williams 6-3, 7-5 in the final of the U.S. Open. After being released by the Oakland Raiders without playing a regular season game, wide receiver Antonio Brown was signed by the New England Patriots. (The Patriots would release Brown two weeks later after a second woman accused him of sexual misconduct.)

Today's Birthdays: Jazz musician Sonny Rollins is 90. Singer Gloria Gaynor is 77. Singer Alfa Anderson (Chic) is 74. Actor Susan Blakely is 72. Rock musician Dennis Thompson (MC5) is 72. Actor Julie Kavner is 70. Rock singer Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders) is 69. Rock musician Benmont Tench (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers) is 67. Actor Corbin Bernsen is 66. Actor Michael Emerson is 66. Pianist Michael Feinstein is 64. Singer/songwriter Diane Warren is 64. Singer Margot Chapman is 63. Actor J. Smith-Cameron is 63. Actor W. Earl Brown is 57. Actor Toby Jones is 54. Actor-comedian Leslie Jones (TV: "Saturday Night Live") is 53. Model-actor Angie Everhart is 51. Actor Diane Farr is 51. Country singer Butter (Trailer Choir) is 50. Actor Monique Gabriela Curnen is 50. Actor Tom Everett Scott is 50. Rock musician Chad Sexton (311) is 50. Actor Shannon Elizabeth is 47. Actor Oliver Hudson is 44. Actor Devon Sawa (SAH'-wuh) is 42. Actor JD Pardo is 41. Actor Benjamin Hollingsworth (TV: "Code Black") is 36. Actor Alyssa Diaz (TV: "Ray Donovan"; "Zoo") is 35. Singer-musician Wes Willis (Rush of Fools) is 34. Actor Evan Rachel Wood is 33. Actor Ian Chen (TV: "Fresh Off the Boat") is 14.