Today in History

Today is Saturday, Sept. 24, the 267th day of 2022. There are 98 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Sept. 24, 1960, the USS Enterprise, the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, was launched at Newport News, Virginia.

On this date:

In 1789, President George Washington signed a Judiciary Act establishing America's federal court system and creating the post of attorney general.

In 1869, thousands of businessmen were ruined in a Wall Street panic known as "Black Friday" after financiers Jay Gould and James Fisk attempted to corner the gold market.

In 1957, the Los Angeles-bound Brooklyn Dodgers played their last game at Ebbets Field, defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-0.

In 1963, the U.S. Senate ratified a treaty with Britain and the Soviet Union limiting nuclear testing.

In 1968, the TV news magazine "60 Minutes" premiered on CBS; the undercover police drama "The Mod Squad" premiered on ABC.

In 1969, the trial of the Chicago Eight (later seven) began. (Five were later convicted of crossing state lines to incite riots at the 1968 Democratic convention, but the convictions were ultimately overturned.)

In 1976, former hostage Patricia Hearst was sentenced to seven years in prison for her part in a 1974 bank robbery in San Francisco carried out by the Symbionese Liberation Army. (Hearst was released after 22 months after receiving clemency from President Jimmy Carter.)

In 1996, the United States and 70 other countries became the first to sign a treaty at the United Nations to end all testing and development of nuclear weapons. (The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty has yet to enter into force because of the refusal so far of eight nations -- including the United States -- to ratify it.)

In 2001, President George W. Bush ordered a freeze on the assets of 27 people and organizations with suspected links to terrorism, including Islamic militant Osama bin Laden, and urged other nations to do likewise.

In 2015, a stampede and crush of Muslim pilgrims occurred at an intersection near a holy site in Saudi Arabia; The Associated Press estimated that more than 2,400 people were killed, while the official Saudi toll stood at 769.

In 2019, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi launched a formal impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump; the probe focused partly on whether Trump abused his presidential powers and sought help from the government of Ukraine to undermine Democratic foe Joe Biden. (Trump would be acquitted by the Republican-controlled Senate on two impeachment charges.)

In 2020, President Donald Trump's refusal to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he were to lose the November election drew swift blowback from both parties in Congress, with Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell saying that the winner "will be inaugurated on January 20th."

Ten years ago: President Barack Obama told the ABC talk show "The View" there was "no doubt" that the assault of the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador, "wasn't just a mob action" but a sign of extremism in nations lacking stability. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney accused Obama of minimizing the Benghazi attack as a mere "bump in the road."

Five years ago: More than 200 NFL players kneeled or sat during the national anthem after President Donald Trump criticized the players' protests in a speech and a series of tweets. Trump signed a proclamation to replace his expiring travel ban on visitors from six Muslim-majority countries; citizens from eight countries would now face new restrictions on entry to the country. German Chancellor Angela Merkel won a fourth term in office, but voters weakened her conservatives and a nationalist, anti-migrant party surged into Germany's parliament.

One year ago: A Republican-backed review of the 2020 presidential election in Arizona's largest county ended without providing proof to support former President Donald Trump's false claims of a stolen election; the vote tally from a firm hired by Republican lawmakers found that President Joe Biden won in the county by 360 more votes than in the official results that were certified. California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law removing the word "alien" from various sections of the state code; the word, which was criticized as being dehumanizing and offensive, would be replaced with terms like "noncitizen" or "immigrant."

Today's Birthdays: Singer Phyllis "Jiggs" Allbut Sirico (The Angels) is 80. Political commentator Lou Dobbs is 77. Pro and College Football Hall of Famer Joe Greene is 76. Actor Gordon Clapp is 74. Actor Harriet Walter is 72. Songwriter Holly Knight is 66. Actor Kevin Sorbo is 64. Actor-writer Nia Vardalos is 60. Rock musician Shawn Crahan (AKA Clown) (Slipknot) is 53. Country musician Marty Mitchell is 53. Actor Megan Ward is 53. Singer-musician Marty Cintron (No Mercy) is 51. Contemporary Christian musician Juan DeVevo (Casting Crowns) is 47. Actor Ian Bohen is 46. Actor Justin Bruening is 43. Olympic gold medal gymnast Paul Hamm (hahm) is 40. Actor Erik Stocklin is 40. Actor Spencer Treat Clark is 35. Actor Grey Damon is 35. Actor Kyle Sullivan is 34. Actor Ben Platt is 29.