Today in History

Today is Wednesday, Sept. 2, the 246th day of 2020. There are 120 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Sept. 2, 1963, Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace prevented the integration of Tuskegee High School by encircling the building with state troopers.

On this date:

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

In 1901, Vice President Theodore Roosevelt offered the advice, "Speak softly and carry a big stick" in a speech at the Minnesota State Fair.

In 1930, the first nonstop airplane flight from Europe to the U.S. was completed in 37 hours as Capt. Dieudonne Costes and Maurice Bellonte of France arrived in Valley Stream, New York, aboard their Breguet 19 biplane, which bore the symbol of a large question mark.

In 1944, during World War II, Navy pilot Lt. (jg) George Herbert Walker Bush was shot down by Japanese forces as he completed a bombing run over the Bonin Islands. (Bush was rescued by the crew of the submarine USS Finback; his two crew members, however, died.)

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

In 1960, Wilma Rudolph of the United States won the first of her three gold medals at the Rome Summer Olympics as she finished the 100-meter dash in 11 seconds.

In 1963, "The CBS Evening News" with Walter Cronkite was lengthened from 15 to 30 minutes, becoming network television's first half-hour nightly newscast.

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. The first automatic teller machine (ATM) to utilize magnetic-striped cards was opened to the public at Chemical Bank in New York. (Called a "Docuteller," it was developed by Donald C. Wetzel.)

In 1993, the United States and Russia formally ended decades of competition in space by agreeing to a joint venture to build a space station.

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. Scorched by criticism about sluggish federal help, President George W. Bush toured the Gulf Coast and met with state and local officials, including New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin; at one point, Bush praised FEMA Director Michael Brown, telling him, "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job."

In 2018, 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.

Ten years ago: Israeli and Palestinian leaders pledged in a first round of renewed peace talks in Washington to keep meeting at regular intervals. Seattle Storm forward Lauren Jackson was selected the WNBA's most valuable player for the third time in her career.

Five years ago: Overcoming ferocious opposition, President Barack Obama secured a legacy-defining foreign policy victory as Senate Democrats clinched the necessary votes to ensure the Iran nuclear agreement survived in Congress. President Obama crossed the Arctic Circle in a first by a sitting U.S. president, telling residents in the far-flung Alaska village of Kotzebue that their plight resulting from climate change should be the world's wake-up call on global warming. In one of the most haunting images from the Syrian migrant crisis, the lifeless body of 3-year-old Alan Kurdi was photographed lying on a Turkish beach after he, his 5-year-old brother and their mother died when their rubber boat capsized as it headed for Greece.

One year ago: 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. Hurricane Dorian unleashed massive flooding across the Bahamas as the fearsome Category 4 storm slowed almost to a standstill; the storm would leave at least 70 people dead and cause more than $3 billion in damage.

Today's Birthdays: Dancer-actor Marge Champion is 101. Former Sen. Alan K. Simpson, R-Wyo., is 89. Former United States Olympic Committee Chairman Peter Ueberroth is 83. Singer Jimmy Clanton is 82. Rhythm-and-blues singer Sam Gooden (The Impressions) is 81. Rhythm-and-blues singer Rosalind Ashford (Martha & the Vandellas) is 77. Singer Joe Simon is 77. Pro and College Football Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw is 72. Basketball Hall of Famer Nate Archibald is 72. Actor Mark Harmon is 69. Former Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., is 69. International Tennis Hall of Famer Jimmy Connors is 68. Actor Linda Purl is 65. Rock musician Jerry Augustyniak (10,000 Maniacs) is 62. Country musician Paul Deakin (The Mavericks) is 61. Pro Football Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson is 60. Actor Keanu Reeves is 56. International Boxing Hall of Famer Lennox Lewis is 55. Actor Salma Hayek is 54. Actor Tuc Watkins is 54. Actor Kristen Cloke is 52. Actor Cynthia Watros is 52. Rhythm-and-blues singer K-Ci is 51. Actor-comedian Katt Williams is 47. Actor Michael Lombardi is 46. Actor Tiffany Hines is 43. Rock musician Sam Rivers (Limp Bizkit) is 43. Actor Jonathan Kite is 41. Actor Joshua Henry is 36. Actor Allison Miller is 35. Rock musician Spencer Smith is 33. Electronic music DJ/producer Zedd is 31.