Today in History

Today is Friday, Sept. 25, the 269th day of 2020. There are 97 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Sept. 25, 1957, nine Black students who'd been forced to withdraw from Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, because of unruly white crowds were escorted to class by members of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division.

On this date:

In 1789, the first United States Congress adopted 12 amendments to the Constitution and sent them to the states for ratification. (Ten of the amendments became the Bill of Rights.)

In 1904, a New York City police officer ordered a female automobile passenger on Fifth Avenue to stop smoking a cigarette. (A male companion was arrested and later fined $2 for "abusing" the officer.)

In 1911, ground was broken for Boston's Fenway Park.

In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson collapsed after a speech in Pueblo, Colo., during a national speaking tour in support of the Treaty of Versailles.

In 1956, the first trans-Atlantic telephone cable officially went into service with a three-way ceremonial call between New York, Ottawa and London.

In 1962, Sonny Liston knocked out Floyd Patterson in round one to win the world heavyweight title at Comiskey Park in Chicago.

In 1974, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tommy John underwent an experimental graft reconstruction of the ulnar collateral ligament in the elbow of his throwing arm to repair a career-ending injury; the procedure, which proved successful, is now referred to as "Tommy John surgery."

In 1978, 144 people were killed when a Pacific Southwest Airlines Boeing 727 and a private plane collided over San Diego.

In 1981, Sandra Day O'Connor was sworn in as the first female justice on the Supreme Court.

In 1992, NASA's Mars Observer blasted off on a $980 million mission to the red planet (the probe disappeared just before entering Martian orbit in August 1993).

In 2016, golf legend Arnold Palmer, 87, died in Pittsburgh. Jose Fernandez, 24, ace right-hander for the Miami Marlins, was killed in a boating accident with two friends off Miami Beach.

In 2018, Bill Cosby was sentenced to three to 10 years in state prison for drugging and molesting a woman at his suburban Philadelphia home. President Donald Trump denounced the "ideology of globalism" and praised his own administration's achievements in a speech to the U.N. General Assembly that drew headshakes and even laughter from fellow world leaders.

Ten years ago: President Barack Obama, in his weekly radio and Internet address, said the Republicans' plan to slash taxes and cut spending if the GOP were to retake the House in November was no more than "an echo of a disastrous decade we can't afford to relive." Three crew members, including American astronaut Tracy Caldwell-Dyson, touched down safely, although a day late, in Kazakhstan aboard their Soyuz capsule following a six-month stay aboard the International Space Station.

Five years ago: House Speaker John Boehner abruptly announced his resignation. President Barack Obama laid out a fresh threat of sanctions for economic espionage emanating from China, even as he and President Xi Jinping pledged their countries would not conduct or support such hacking. During a visit to New York City, Pope Francis offered comfort to 9/11 victims' families at ground zero, warnings to world leaders at the United Nations and encouragement to schoolchildren in Harlem. International leaders at the United Nations approved an ambitious 15-year plan to tackle the world's biggest problems, from eradicating poverty to preserving the planet.

One year ago: The White House released a rough transcript of President Donald Trump's July 25 call with Volodymyr Zelenskiy, confirming that Trump had pushed Ukraine's leader to work with Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and Attorney General William Barr to investigate Joe Biden and his son. Members of Congress were able for the first time to review the secret whistleblower complaint involving Trump that had triggered an impeachment effort in the House.

Today's Birthdays: Broadcast journalist Barbara Walters is 91. Folk singer Ian Tyson is 87. Polka bandleader Jimmy Sturr is 79. Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates is 77. Actor Josh Taylor is 77. Actor Robert Walden is 77. Actor-producer Michael Douglas is 76. Model Cheryl Tiegs is 73. Actor Mimi Kennedy is 72. Movie director Pedro Almodovar is 71. Actor-director Anson Williams is 71. Actor Mark Hamill is 69. Basketball Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo is 69. Actor Colin Friels is 68. Actor Michael Madsen is 62. Actor Heather Locklear is 59. Actor Aida Turturro is 58. Actor Tate Donovan is 57. TV personality Keely Shaye Smith is 57. Actor Maria Doyle Kennedy is 56. Basketball Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen is 55. Actor Jason Flemyng is 54. Actor Will Smith is 52. Actor Hal Sparks is 51. Actor Catherine Zeta-Jones is 51. Rock musician Mike Luce (Drowning Pool) is 49. Actor Bridgette Wilson-Sampras is 47. Actor Clea DuVall is 43. Actor Robbie Jones is 43. Actor Joel David Moore is 43. Actor Chris Owen is 40. Rapper T. I. is 40. Actor Van Hansis is 39. Actor Lee Norris is 39. Actor/rapper Donald Glover (AKA Childish Gambino) is 37. Actor Zach Woods is 36. Actor Jordan Gavaris is 31. Olympic silver medal figure skater Mao Asada is 30. Actor Emmy Clarke is 29.