Today in History

Today is Saturday, Sept. 2, the 245th day of 2023. There are 120 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Sept. 2, 1945, Japan formally surrendered in ceremonies aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, ending World War II.

On this date:

In 1789, the United States Treasury Department was established.

In 1864, during the Civil War, Union Gen. William T. Sherman's forces occupied Atlanta.

In 1935, a Labor Day hurricane slammed into the Florida Keys, claiming more than 400 lives.

In 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the National Defense Education Act, which provided aid to public and private education to promote learning in such fields as math and science.

In 1963, Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace prevented the integration of Tuskegee High School by encircling the building with state troopers.

In 1964, one of America's most decorated military heroes of World War I, Medal of Honor recipient Alvin C. York, died in Nashville at age 76.

In 1969, in what some regard as the birth of the Internet, two connected computers at the University of California, Los Angeles, passed test data through a 15-foot cable.

In 1998, a Swissair MD-11 jetliner crashed off Nova Scotia, killing all 229 people aboard.

In 2005, a National Guard convoy packed with food, water and medicine rolled into New Orleans four days after Hurricane Katrina.

In 2008, Republicans assailed Barack Obama as the most liberal, least experienced White House nominee in history at their convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, and enthusiastically extolled their own man, John McCain, as ready to lead the nation.

In 2019, a fire swept a boat carrying recreational scuba divers that was anchored near an island off the Southern California coast; the captain and four other crew members were able to escape the flames, but 34 people who were trapped below died.

Ten years ago: France released an intelligence report alleging chemical weapons use by Syria that dovetailed with similar U.S. claims, as President Bashar Assad warned that any military strike against his country would spark an uncontrollable regional war. On her fifth try, U.S. endurance swimmer Diana Nyad became the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without the help of a shark cage.

Five years ago: Sen. John McCain was laid to rest on a grassy hill at the U.S. Naval Academy, after a horse-drawn caisson carrying the senator's casket led a procession of mourners from the academy's chapel to its cemetery. A huge fire engulfed Brazil's 200-year-old National Museum in Rio de Janeiro, as firefighters and museum workers raced to save historical relics.

One year ago: Actor Jane Fonda revealed that at age 84 she had been diagnosed with cancer. Fonda said she was undergoing chemotherapy for non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Barbara Ehrenreich, the author, activist and self-described "myth buster" who in such notable works as "Nickel and Dimed" and "Bait and Switch" challenged conventional thinking about class, religion and the very idea of an American dream, died at age 81.

Today's Birthdays: Former Sen. Alan K. Simpson, R-Wyo., is 92. Former United States Olympic Committee Chairman Peter Ueberroth is 86. Singer Jimmy Clanton is 85. R&B singer Rosalind Ashford (Martha & the Vandellas) is 80. Pro and College Football Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw is 75. Basketball Hall of Famer Nate Archibald is 75. Actor Mark Harmon is 72. Former Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., is 72. International Tennis Hall of Famer Jimmy Connors is 71. Actor Linda Purl is 68. Rock musician Jerry Augustyniak (10,000 Maniacs) is 65. Country musician Paul Deakin (The Mavericks) is 64. Pro Football Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson is 63. Actor Keanu Reeves is 59. International Boxing Hall of Famer Lennox Lewis is 58. Actor Salma Hayek is 57. Actor Tuc Watkins is 57. Actor Kristen Cloke is 55. Actor Cynthia Watros is 55. R&B singer K-Ci is 54. Actor-comedian Katt Williams is 50. Actor Nicholas Pinnock is 50. Actor Michael Lombardi is 49. Actor Tiffany Hines is 46. Rock musician Sam Rivers (Limp Bizkit) is 46. Actor Jonathan Kite is 44. Actor Joshua Henry is 39. Actor Allison Miller is 38. Rock musician Spencer Smith is 36. Electronic music DJ/producer Zedd is 34.