Today in History

Today is Thursday, Aug. 26, the 238th day of 2021. There are 127 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On August 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing American women's right to vote, was certified in effect by Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby.

On this date:

In 1817, the University of Michigan was founded.

In 1883, the island volcano Krakatoa began cataclysmic eruptions, leading to a massive explosion the following day.

In 1939, the first televised major league baseball games were shown on experimental station W2XBS: a double-header between the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field. (The Reds won the first game, 5-2, the Dodgers the second, 6-1.)

In 1944, French Gen. Charles de Gaulle braved the threat of German snipers as he led a victory march in Paris, which had just been liberated by the Allies from Nazi occupation.

In 1957, the Soviet Union announced it had successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile.

In 1968, the Democratic National Convention opened in Chicago; the four-day event that resulted in the nomination of Hubert H. Humphrey for president was marked by a bloody police crackdown on antiwar protesters in the streets.

In 1972, the summer Olympics opened in Munich, West Germany.

In 1985, 13-year-old AIDS patient Ryan White began "attending" classes at Western Middle School in Kokomo, Indiana, via a telephone hook-up at his home -- school officials had barred Ryan from attending classes in person.

In 2004, the nation's supply of vaccine for the impending flu season took a big hit when Chiron Corp. announced it had found tainted doses in its factory, and would hold up shipment of about 50 million shots.

In 2017, Hurricane Harvey spun into Texas, unloading extraordinary amounts of rain. (The hurricane killed nearly 70 people, damaged more than 300,000 structures and caused an estimated $125 billion in damage.)

In 2015, Alison Parker, a reporter for WDBJ-TV in Roanoke, Virginia, and her cameraman, Adam Ward, were shot to death during a live broadcast by a disgruntled former station employee who fatally shot himself while being pursued by police.

In 2018, a gunman opened fire on fellow gamers at a video game tournament in Jacksonville, Florida, killing two men and wounding 10 others before taking his own life. Playwright Neil Simon, whose comedies included "The Odd Couple" and "Barefoot in the Park," died at the age of 91.

Ten years ago: More than 2 million people along the Eastern Seaboard were ordered to move to safer ground as Hurricane Irene approached the coast. A Boko Haram sect member detonated a car loaded with explosives at the United Nations headquarters in Nigeria's capital Abuja, killing 25 people and wounding more than 100 others.

Five years ago: San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick remained seated on the team's bench rather than standing for the national anthem before the Niners played host to the Green Bay Packers in an exhibition game, saying he believed the United States was oppressing African Americans and other minorities.

One year ago: Seventeen-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse was arrested in Illinois in the shooting deaths of two people and the wounding of another during a third night of protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, over the police shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake. (Rittenhouse, who said he was defending himself after the three men attacked him, is awaiting trial on charges including two homicide counts.) On the third night of their convention, Republicans led by Vice President Mike Pence aggressively defended law enforcement; the convention unfolded amid new protests against racial injustice. The U.N. children's agency said at least a third of children around the world couldn't access remote learning when the COVID-19 pandemic closed schools. All three scheduled NBA playoff games were postponed, with players choosing to boycott in their strongest statement yet against racial injustice. (The games resumed three days later, after players and owners agreed to expand initiatives, many tied to increased voting awareness and opportunities.)

Today's Birthdays: Pop singer Vic Dana is 81. Former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge is 76. R&B singer Valerie Simpson is 76. Pop singer Bob Cowsill is 72. Broadcast journalist Bill Whitaker is 70. Actor Brett Cullen is 65. Former NBA coach Stan Van Gundy is 62. Jazz musician Branford Marsalis is 61. Country musician Jimmy Olander (Diamond Rio) is 60. Actor Chris Burke is 56. Actor-singer Shirley Manson (Garbage) is 55. Rock musician Dan Vickrey (Counting Crows) is 55. TV writer-actor Riley Weston is 55. Rock musician Adrian Young (No Doubt) is 52. Actor Melissa McCarthy is 51. Latin pop singer Thalia is 50. Actor Meredith Eaton is 47. Rock singer-musician Tyler Connolly (Theory of a Deadman) is 46. Actor Mike Colter is 45. Actor Macaulay Culkin is 41. Actor Chris Pine is 41. Comedian/actor/writer John Mulaney is 39. Actor Johnny Ray Gill is 37. Country singer Brian Kelley (Florida Georgia Line) is 36. R&B singer Cassie (AKA Cassie Ventura) is 35. Actor Evan Ross is 33. Actor Danielle Savre is 33. Actor Dylan O'Brien is 30. Actor Keke Palmer is 28.