Today in History

Today is Friday, Sept. 10, the 253rd day of 2021. There are 112 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Sept. 10, 1963, 20 Black students entered Alabama public schools following a standoff between federal authorities and Gov. George C. Wallace.

On this date:

In 1608, John Smith was elected president of the Jamestown colony council in Virginia.

In 1813, an American naval force commanded by Oliver H. Perry defeated the British in the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812. (Afterward, Perry sent the message, "We have met the enemy and they are ours.")

In 1919, New York City welcomed home Gen. John J. Pershing and 25,000 soldiers who'd served in the U.S. First Division during World War I.

In 1935, Sen. Huey P. Long died in Baton Rouge two days after being shot in the Louisiana state Capitol, allegedly by Dr. Carl Weiss.

In 1960, Hurricane Donna, a dangerous Category 4 storm eventually blamed for 364 deaths, struck the Florida Keys.

In 1962, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered the University of Mississippi to admit James Meredith, a Black student.

In 1984, a revival of the TV game show "Jeopardy!" hosted by Alex Trebek premiered in syndication.

In 1987, Pope John Paul II arrived in Miami, where he was welcomed by President Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan as he began a 10-day tour of the United States.

In 1991, the Senate Judiciary Committee opened hearings on the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the U.S. Supreme Court.

In 1998, President Clinton met with members of his Cabinet to apologize, ask forgiveness and promise to improve as a person in the wake of the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

In 2005, Cadaver dogs and boatloads of forensic workers fanned out across New Orleans to collect the corpses left behind by Hurricane Katrina; cleanup crews towed away abandoned cars and even began readying a hotel for reopening.

In 2015, New York State approved gradually raising the minimum wage for fast-food workers to $15 an hour -- the first time any state had set the minimum that high.

Ten years ago: On the eve of the 10th anniversary of 9/11, former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton paid tribute to the 40 passengers and crew who fought back against their hijackers aboard Flight 93 during a ceremony dedicating the first phase of a memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. A pair of NASA probes -- named Grail-A and Grail-B -- rocketed toward the moon on the first mission dedicated to measuring lunar gravity and determining what was inside Earth's orbiting companion. Oscar- and Emmy-winning actor Cliff Robertson died in Stony Brook, New York, a day after turning 88.

Five years ago: John Hinckley Jr., the man who tried to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981, was released from a Washington mental hospital for good. Angelique Kerber won her first U.S. Open title and the second Grand Slam trophy of her breakthrough season, beating Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

One year ago: Authorities in Oregon said more than 500,000 people statewide had been forced to leave their homes because of wildfires; the number represented more than 10% of the state's population. Houston's police chief said four officers had been terminated after an internal investigation determined they did not use reasonable force when they fired their weapons 21 times at a man who had been experiencing a mental health crisis, killing him in April after he was already injured and on the ground. Twitter said it would start labeling or removing misleading claims that were aimed at undermining public confidence in elections. Diana Rigg, a British actor whose career included roles in the 1960s spy series "The Avengers" and the fantasy juggernaut "Game of Thrones," died at the age of 82.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Philip Baker Hall is 90. Actor Greg Mullavey is 88. Jazz vibraphonist Roy Ayers is 81. Actor Tom Ligon is 81. Singer Danny Hutton (Three Dog Night) is 79. Singer Jose Feliciano is 76. Actor Judy Geeson is 73. Former Canadian first lady Margaret Trudeau is 73. Political commentator Bill O'Reilly is 72. Rock musician Joe Perry (Aerosmith) is 71. Country singer Rosie Flores is 71. Actor Amy Irving is 68. Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., is 67. Actor-director Clark Johnson is 67. Actor Kate Burton is 64. Movie director Chris Columbus is 63. Actor Colin Firth is 61. Rock singer-musician David Lowery (Cracker) is 61. Actor Sean O'Bryan is 58. Baseball Hall of Famer Randy Johnson is 58. Actor Raymond Cruz is 57. Rock musician Stevie D. (Buckcherry) is 55. Rock singer-musician Miles Zuniga (Fastball) is 55. Actor Nina Repeta is 54. Rapper Big Daddy Kane is 53. Movie director Guy Ritchie is 53. Actor Johnathon Schaech is 52. Contemporary Christian singer Sara Groves is 49. Actor Ryan Phillippe is 47. Actor Kyle Bornheimer is 46. Actor Jacob Young is 42. Rock musician Mikey Way (My Chemical Romance) is 41. Olympic bronze medal figure skater Timothy Goebel is 41. Ballerina Misty Copeland is 39. MLB All-Star first-baseman Joey Votto is 38. Rock musician Matthew Followill (Kings of Leon) is 37. Singer Ashley Monroe (Pistol Annies) is 35. MLB All-Star first-baseman Paul Goldschmidt is 34. Singer Sanjaya Malakar ("American Idol") is 32. Actor Chandler Massey is 31. Actor Hannah Hodson is 30. Actor Gabriel Bateman is 17.