Today in History

Today is Wednesday, Sept. 13, the 256th day of 2023. There are 109 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Sept. 13, 1971, a four-day inmates' rebellion at the Attica Correctional Facility in western New York ended as police and guards stormed the prison; the ordeal and final assault claimed the lives of 32 inmates and 11 hostages.

On this date:

In 1788, the Congress of the Confederation authorized the first national election, and declared New York City the temporary national capital.

In 1803, Commodore John Barry, considered by many the father of the American Navy, died in Philadelphia.

In 1814, during the War of 1812, British naval forces began bombarding Fort McHenry in Baltimore but were driven back by American defenders in a battle that lasted until the following morning.

In 1948, Republican Margaret Chase Smith of Maine was elected to the U.S. Senate; she became the first woman to serve in both houses of Congress.

In 1962, Mississippi Gov. Ross Barnett rejected the U.S. Supreme Court's order for the University of Mississippi to admit James Meredith, a Black student, declaring in a televised address, "We will not drink from the cup of genocide."

In 1993, at the White House, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO chairman Yasser Arafat shook hands after signing an accord granting limited Palestinian autonomy.

In 1996, rapper Tupac Shakur died at a Las Vegas hospital six days after he was wounded in a drive-by shooting; he was 25.

In 1997, a funeral was held in Calcutta, India, for Nobel peace laureate Mother Teresa.

In 1998, former Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace died in Montgomery at age 79.

In 2001, two days after the 9/11 terror attacks, the first few jetliners returned to the nation's skies, but several major airports remained closed and others opened only briefly. President George W. Bush visited injured Pentagon workers and said he would carry the nation's prayers to New York.

In 2008, rescue crews ventured out to pluck people from their homes in an all-out search for thousands of Texans who had stubbornly stayed behind overnight to face Hurricane Ike.

In 2010, Rafael Nadal beat Novak Djokovic to win his first U.S. Open title and complete a career Grand Slam.

In 2021, school began for about a million New York City public school students in the nation's largest experiment of in-person learning during the coronavirus pandemic.

In 2022, Ken Starr, a former federal appellate judge and a prominent attorney whose criminal investigation of Bill Clinton led to the president's impeachment, died at age 76.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Barbara Bain is 92. Actor Eileen Fulton (TV: "As the World Turns") is 90. Rock singer David Clayton-Thomas (Blood, Sweat & Tears) is 82. Actor Jacqueline Bisset is 79. Singer Peter Cetera is 79. Actor Christine Estabrook is 73. Actor Jean Smart is 72. Singer Randy Jones (The Village People) is 71. Record producer Don Was is 71. Actor Isiah Whitlock Jr. is 69. Actor-comedian Geri Jewell is 67. Country singer Bobbie Cryner is 62. Rock singer-musician Dave Mustaine (Megadeth) is 62. Radio-TV personality Tavis Smiley is 59. Rock musician Zak Starkey is 58. Actor/comedian Jeff Ross is 58. Actor Louis Mandylor is 57. Olympic gold medal runner Michael Johnson is 56. Rock musician Stephen Perkins is 56. Actor Roger Howarth is 55. Actor Dominic Fumusa is 54. Actor Louise Lombard is 53. Former tennis player Goran Ivanisevic is 52. Country singer Aaron Benward (Blue County) is 50. Country musician Joe Don Rooney (Rascal Flatts) is 48. Actor Scott Vickaryous is 48. Singer Fiona Apple is 46. Actor Ben Savage is 43. Rock singer Niall Horan (One Direction) is 30. Actor Mitch Holleman is 28. Actor Lili Reinhart (TV: "Riverdale") is 27.