Today in History

Today is Wednesday, Sept. 14, the 257th day of 2022. There are 108 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Sept. 14, 1901, President William McKinley died in Buffalo, New York, of gunshot wounds inflicted by an assassin; Vice President Theodore Roosevelt succeeded him.

On this date:

In 1814, Francis Scott Key was inspired to write the poem "Defence of Fort McHenry" (later "The Star-Spangled Banner") after witnessing the American flag flying over the Maryland fort following a night of British naval bombardment during the War of 1812.

In 1847, during the Mexican-American War, U.S. forces under Gen. Winfield Scott took control of Mexico City.

In 1861, the first naval engagement of the Civil War took place as the USS Colorado attacked and sank the Confederate private schooner Judah off Pensacola, Florida.

In 1867, the first volume of "Das Kapital" by Karl Marx was published in Hamburg, Germany.

In 1927, modern dance pioneer Isadora Duncan died in Nice, France, when her scarf became entangled in a wheel of the sports car she was riding in.

In 1982, Princess Grace of Monaco, formerly film star Grace Kelly, died at age 52 of injuries from a car crash the day before; Lebanon's president-elect, Bashir Gemayel, was killed by a bomb.

In 1991, the government of South Africa, the African National Congress and the Inkatha Freedom Party signed a national peace pact.

In 1994, on the 34th day of a strike by players, Acting Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig announced the 1994 season was over.

In 2001, Americans packed churches and clogged public squares on a day of remembrance for the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks. President George W. Bush prayed with his Cabinet and attended services at Washington National Cathedral, then flew to New York, where he waded into the ruins of the World Trade Center and addressed rescue workers in a flag-waving, bullhorn-wielding show of resolve.

In 2009, death claimed "Dirty Dancing" star Patrick Swayze at 57; former White House press secretary Jody Powell at age 65; and comic character actor Henry Gibson at age 73.

In 2012, fury over an anti-Muslim film ridiculing the Prophet Muhammad spread across the Muslim world, with deadly clashes near Western embassies in Tunisia and Sudan, an American fast-food restaurant set ablaze in Lebanon, and international peacekeepers attacked in the Sinai.

In 2015, Rowan County, Kentucky, clerk Kim Davis returned to work for the first time since she was jailed for defying a federal court and announced that she would no longer block her deputies from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Ten years ago: Fury over an anti-Muslim film ridiculing the Prophet Muhammad spread across the Muslim world, with deadly clashes near Western embassies in Tunisia and Sudan, an American fast-food restaurant set ablaze in Lebanon, and international peacekeepers attacked in the Sinai.

Five years ago: CIA Director Mike Pompeo canceled a planned appearance at Harvard University over the school's decision to name Chelsea Manning a visiting fellow. Former CIA deputy director Mike Morell resigned from his post at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, saying he couldn't be part of an organization that "honors a convicted felon and leaker of classified information."

One year ago: The Justice Department said it was curtailing federal agents' use of "no-knock" warrants, and would also prohibit its agents from using chokeholds in most circumstances. South Carolina state police said Alex Murdaugh, a prominent lawyer, had tried to arrange his own death so that a son would get a $10 million life insurance payment, but that the planned fatal shot only grazed his head. (Murdaugh was later charged in the deaths of his wife and their younger son; he is also charged with stealing $8.5 million from people who hired him as an attorney.) Standup comic and former "Saturday Night Live" star Norm Macdonald died at 61; his management team said he'd had cancer for nine years, but kept it private. Signaling that Broadway was inching back to normalcy, three powerhouse shows -- "The Lion King," "Hamilton" and "Wicked" -- reopened to audiences at full capacity.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Walter Koenig is 86. Basketball Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown is 82. Singer-actor Joey Heatherton is 78. Actor Sam Neill is 75. Singer Jon "Bowzer" Bauman (Sha Na Na) is 75. Actor Robert Wisdom is 69. Rock musician Steve Berlin (Los Lobos) is 67. Country singer-songwriter Beth Nielsen Chapman is 66. Actor Mary Crosby is 63. Singer Morten Harket (a-ha) is 63. Country singer John Berry is 63. Actor Melissa Leo is 62. Actor Faith Ford is 58. Actor Jamie Kaler is 58. Actor Michelle Stafford is 57. Rock musician Mike Cooley (Drive-By Truckers) is 56. Actor Dan Cortese is 55. Contemporary Christian singer Mark Hall is 53. Actor-writer-director-producer Tyler Perry is 53. Actor Ben Garant is 52. Rock musician Craig Montoya (Tri Polar) is 52. Actor Kimberly Williams-Paisley is 51. Actor Andrew Lincoln is 49. Rapper Nas is 49. Actor Austin Basis is 46. Country singer Danielle Peck is 44. Pop singer Ayo is 42. Chef/TV personality Katie Lee is 41. Actor Sebastian Sozzi is 40. Actor Adam Lamberg is 38. Singer Alex Clare is 37. Actor Chad Duell (TV: "General Hospital") is 35. Actor Jessica Brown Findlay is 35. Actor-singer Logan Henderson is 33. Actor Emma Kenney is 23.