Today in History

Today is Thursday, Sept. 14, the 257th day of 2023. 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.

In 2018, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh denied an allegation of sexual misconduct from when he was in high school, saying, "I did not do this back in high school or at any time." (Kavanaugh would later be confirmed by the Senate.)

Today's Birthdays: Actor Walter Koenig is 87. Basketball Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown is 83. Singer-actor Joey Heatherton is 79. Actor Sam Neill is 76. Singer Jon "Bowzer" Bauman (Sha Na Na) is 76. Actor Robert Wisdom is 70. Rock musician Steve Berlin (Los Lobos) is 68. Country singer-songwriter Beth Nielsen Chapman is 67. Actor Mary Crosby is 64. Singer Morten Harket (a-ha) is 64. Country singer John Berry is 64. Actor Melissa Leo is 63. Actor Faith Ford is 59. Actor Jamie Kaler is 59. Actor Michelle Stafford is 58. Rock musician Mike Cooley (Drive-By Truckers) is 57. Actor Dan Cortese is 56. Contemporary Christian singer Mark Hall is 54. Actor-writer-director-producer Tyler Perry is 54. Actor Ben Garant is 53. Rock musician Craig Montoya (Tri Polar) is 53. Actor Kimberly Williams-Paisley is 52. Actor Andrew Lincoln is 50. Rapper Nas is 50. Actor Austin Basis is 47. Country singer Danielle Peck is 45. Pop singer Ayo is 43. Chef/TV personality Katie Lee is 42. Actor Sebastian Sozzi is 41. Actor Adam Lamberg is 39. Singer Alex Clare is 38. Actor Chad Duell (TV: "General Hospital") is 36. Actor Jessica Brown Findlay is 36. Actor-singer Logan Henderson is 34. Actor Emma Kenney is 24.