Today in History

Today is Thursday, Sept. 9, the 252nd day of 2021. There are 113 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Sept. 9, 1850, California became the 31st state of the union.

On this date:

In 1776, the second Continental Congress made the term "United States" official, replacing "United Colonies."

In 1893, Frances Cleveland, wife of President Grover Cleveland, gave birth to a daughter, Esther, in the White House; it was the first (and, to date, only) time a president's child was born in the executive mansion.

In 1919, some 1,100 members of Boston's 1,500-man police force went on strike. (The strike was broken by Massachusetts Gov. Calvin Coolidge with replacement officers.)

In 1932, the steamboat Observation exploded in New York's East River, killing 72 people.

In 1948, the People's Democratic Republic of Korea (North Korea) was declared.

In 1956, Elvis Presley made the first of three appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show."

In 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the first civil rights bill to pass Congress since Reconstruction, a measure primarily concerned with protecting voting rights and which also established a Civil Rights Division in the U.S. Department of Justice.

In 1960, in the first regular-season American Football League game, the Denver Broncos defeated the Boston Patriots, 13-10.

In 1971, prisoners seized control of the maximum-security Attica Correctional Facility near Buffalo, New York, beginning a siege that ended up claiming 43 lives.

In 1991, boxer Mike Tyson was indicted in Indianapolis on a charge of raping Desiree Washington, a beauty pageant contestant. (Tyson was convicted and ended up serving three years of a six-year prison sentence.)

In 2005, Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Brown, the principal target of harsh criticism of the Bush administration's response to Hurricane Katrina, was relieved of his onsite command.

In 2015, Queen Elizabeth II became the longest reigning monarch in British history, serving as sovereign for 23,226 days (about 63 years and 7 months), according to Buckingham Palace, surpassing Queen Victoria, her great-great-grandmother. New York became the first U.S. city to require salt warnings on chain-restaurant menus.

Ten years ago: New Yorkers and Washingtonians shrugged off talk of a new terror threat as intelligence officials scrambled to nail down information on a possible al-Qaida strike timed to coincide with the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

Five years ago: Defying the White House, Congress sent President Barack Obama legislation giving the families of victims of the September 11 attacks the right to sue Saudi Arabia. (Obama vetoed the bill, but Congress overrode his veto.) Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, speaking at an LGBT fundraiser in New York City, described half of Republican Donald Trump's supporters as "a basket of deplorables," a characterization for which she ended up expressing regret. Shaquille O'Neal and Allen Iverson were among those inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

One year ago: The top U.S. general for the Middle East, Gen. Frank McKenzie, said the Trump administration would pull thousands of troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan by November. President Donald Trump acknowledged that he had downplayed the coronavirus in the weeks after it emerged, saying he was trying to be a "cheerleader" for the country and avoid causing panic. Officials said the wildfires burning in Oregon's forested valleys and along the coast had destroyed hundreds of homes; in Washington state, flames devoured buildings and huge tracts of land. A federal report said vaping by U.S. teenagers had fallen dramatically, especially among middle schoolers.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Topol is 86. Singer Inez Foxx is 79. Singer Dee Dee Sharp is 76. College Football Hall of Famer and former NFL player Joe Theismann is 72. Rock musician John McFee (The Doobie Brothers) is 71. Actor Tom Wopat is 70. Actor Angela Cartwright is 69. Musician-producer Dave Stewart is 69. Actor Hugh Grant is 61. Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., is 58. Actor-comedian Charles Esten (formerly Chip) is 56. Actor Constance Marie is 56. Actor David Bennent is 55. Actor Adam Sandler is 55. Rock singer Paul Durham (Black Lab) is 53. Actor Julia Sawalha is 53. Model Rachel Hunter is 52. Actor Eric Stonestreet is 50. Actor Henry Thomas is 50. Actor Goran Visnjic is 49. Pop-jazz singer Michael Buble' is 46. Latin singer Maria Rita is 44. Actor Michelle Williams is 41. Actor Julie Gonzalo is 40. Neo-soul singer Paul Janeway (St. Paul & the Broken Bones) is 38. Actor Zoe Kazan is 38. Author-motivational speaker-businessman Farrah Gray is 37. Actor Kelsey Asbille is 30. Contemporary Christian singer Lauren Daigle is 30. Country singer-songwriter Hunter Hayes is 30.