Today in History

Today is Sunday, Sept. 12, the 255th day of 2021. There are 110 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Sept. 12, 2001, stunned rescue workers continued to search for bodies in the World Trade Center's smoking rubble a day after a terrorist attack that shut down the financial capital, badly damaged the Pentagon and left thousands dead. President George W. Bush, branding the attacks in New York and Washington "acts of war," spoke of "a monumental struggle of good versus evil" and said that "good will prevail."

On this date:

In 1914, during World War I, the First Battle of the Marne ended in an Allied victory against Germany.

In 1958, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Cooper v. Aaron, unanimously ruled that Arkansas officials who were resisting public school desegregation orders could not disregard the high court's rulings.

In 1962, in a speech at Rice University in Houston, President John F. Kennedy reaffirmed his support for the manned space program, declaring: "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard."

In 1966, "The Monkees" debuted on NBC-TV; "Family Affair" premiered on CBS.

In 1977, South African Black student leader and anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko, 30, died while in police custody, triggering an international outcry.

In 1987, reports surfaced that Democratic presidential candidate Joseph Biden had borrowed, without attribution, passages of a speech by British Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock for one of his own campaign speeches. (The Kinnock report, along with other damaging revelations, prompted Biden to drop his White House bid.)

In 1994, a stolen, single-engine Cessna crashed into the South Lawn of the White House, coming to rest against the executive mansion; the pilot, Frank Corder, was killed.

In 1995, the Belarusian military shot down a hydrogen balloon during an international race, killing its two American pilots, John Stuart-Jervis and Alan Fraenckel.

In 2003, in the Iraqi city of Fallujah, U.S. forces mistakenly opened fire on vehicles carrying police, killing eight of them.

In 2008, a Metrolink commuter train struck a freight train head-on in Los Angeles, killing 25 people. (Federal investigators said the Metrolink engineer, Robert Sanchez, who was among those who died, had been text-messaging on his cell phone and ran a red light shortly before the crash.)

In 2009, Serena Williams' U.S. Open title defense ended with a bizarre loss to Kim Clijsters after Williams went into a tirade against a line judge who'd called her for a foot fault; following her outburst, Williams was penalized a point for unsportsmanlike conduct, ending the match, 6-4, 7-5.

In 2012, the U.S. dispatched an elite group of Marines to Tripoli, Libya, after the mob attack in Benghazi that killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans. President Barack Obama strongly condemned the violence, and vowed to bring the killers to justice; Republican challenger Mitt Romney accused the administration of showing weakness in the face of tumultuous events in the Middle East.

Ten years ago: A leaking gasoline pipeline in Kenya's capital exploded, killing 119 people, according to the Kenya Red Cross. Novak Djokovic beat defending champion Rafael Nadal 6-2, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-1 to win his first U.S. Open championship.

Five years ago: Two men disrupted a live broadcast of ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" by rushing onto the stage to protest Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte's presence on the show. (Lochte and his swimming teammates faced criticism since they were involved in an early-morning drunken encounter at a gas station in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.)

One year ago: Two Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies were shot and seriously wounded while sitting in a squad car outside a rail station in an apparently unprovoked ambush. (The suspect, Deonte Lee Murray, has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and other charges.) President Donald Trump defied local authorities by holding a rally in tiny Minden, Nevada, after his initial plan to hold one in Reno was stopped out of concern it would have violated coronavirus health guidelines. A car driven by South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg struck and killed a man along a highway; Ravnsborg later told officials he never saw the man and thought he struck a deer. (Ravnsborg would plead no contest to a pair of misdemeanor traffic charges; he was fined $500 for each.) Naomi Osaka won her second U.S. Open championship and third Grand Slam title overall by coming back to beat Victoria Azarenka in three sets in the final.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Linda Gray is 81. Singer Maria Muldaur is 79. Actor Joe Pantoliano is 70. Singer-musician Gerry Beckley (America) is 69. Original MTV VJ Nina Blackwood is 69. Actor Peter Scolari is 66. Former Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback is 65. Actor Rachel Ward is 64. Actor Amy Yasbeck is 59. Rock musician Norwood Fisher (Fishbone) is 56. Actor Darren E. Burrows is 55. Rock singer-musician Ben Folds (Ben Folds Five) is 55. Actor-comedian Louis C.K. is 54. Rock musician Larry LaLonde (Primus) is 53. Golfer Angel Cabrera is 52. Actor-singer Will Chase is 51. Actor Josh Hopkins is 51. Country singer Jennifer Nettles is 47. Actor Lauren Stamile is 45. Rapper 2 Chainz is 44. Actor Kelly Jenrette is 43. Actor Ben McKenzie is 43. Singer Ruben Studdard is 43. Basketball Hall of Fame player Yao Ming is 41. Singer-actor Jennifer Hudson is 40. Actor Alfie Allen is 35. Actor Emmy Rossum is 35. Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman is 32. Country singer Kelsea Ballerini is 28. Actor Colin Ford is 25.