Today in History

Today is Thursday, Sept. 8, the 251st day of 2022. There are 114 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Sept. 8, 1974, President Gerald R. Ford granted a "full, free, and absolute pardon" to former President Richard Nixon covering his entire term in office.

On this date:

In 1504, Michelangelo's towering marble statue of David was unveiled to the public in Florence, Italy.

In 1565, a Spanish expedition established the first permanent European settlement in North America at present-day St. Augustine, Florida.

In 1664, the Dutch surrendered New Amsterdam to the British, who renamed it New York.

In 1900, Galveston, Texas, was struck by a hurricane that killed an estimated 8,000 people.

In 1941, the 900-day Siege of Leningrad by German forces began during World War II.

In 1943, during World War II, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower announced Italy's surrender; Nazi Germany denounced Italy's decision as a cowardly act.

In 1951, a peace treaty with Japan was signed by 49 nations in San Francisco.

In 1964, public schools in Prince Edward County, Virginia, reopened after being closed for five years by officials attempting to prevent court-ordered racial desegregation.

In 1985, Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds tied Ty Cobb's career record for hits, singling for hit number 4,191 during a game against the Cubs in Chicago.

In 1986, "The Oprah Winfrey Show" began the first of 25 seasons in national syndication.

In 2016, California and federal regulators fined Wells Fargo a combined $185 million, alleging the bank's employees illegally opened millions of unauthorized accounts for their customers in order to meet aggressive sales goals.

In 2019, Rafael Nadal held off a strong comeback bid to win his 19th Grand Slam title in a five-set U.S. Open final against Daniil Medvedev.

Ten years ago: Strong storms pummeled the East Coast, spawning a pair of tornadoes in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, while temperatures at Washington Dulles International Airport plunged 25 degrees in one hour, falling from 89 degrees to 64.

Five years ago: Hurricane Irma regained Category 5 status, battering Cuba with 160-mph winds and taking aim on the Miami area; the death toll across the Caribbean climbed past 20 after the storm ravaged islands including St. Martin, St. Barts, St. Thomas, Barbuda and Anguilla. In one of the country's largest evacuations, officials in Florida told more than 5 million people to leave their homes ahead of the hurricane; parts of interstates 75 and 95 northbound were bumper-to-bumper. Singer Troy Gentry, half of the country music duo Montgomery Gentry, died in a helicopter crash in Medford, New Jersey; pilot James Robinson was also killed.

One year ago: The trial of disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes began in San Jose, California, with prosecutors casting her as a conniving entrepreneur who duped investors, customers and patients for years, while defense lawyers described her as a tireless worker who tried to develop a faster, cheaper and less invasive way to test blood samples. (Holmes would be convicted on four counts of investor fraud and conspiracy.) The Supreme Court blocked the lethal injection of convicted killer John Henry Ramirez after his attorney argued that Texas was violating his religious freedom by not letting his pastor lay hands on him at the time of his lethal injection. (The court later ruled that states must accommodate the wishes of death row inmates who want to have their pastors pray aloud and even touch them during their executions.) Derek Jeter, Ted Simmons, Larry Walker and the late labor executive Marvin Miller were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame as the Class of 2020 was honored a year late because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Today's Birthdays: Ventriloquist Willie Tyler is 82. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is 81. Actor Alan Feinstein is 81. Pop singer Sal Valentino (The Beau Brummels) is 80. Author Ann Beattie is 75. Former Secretary of Defense James Mattis is 72. Cajun singer Zachary Richard is 72. Musician Will Lee is 70. Actor Heather Thomas is 65. Singer Aimee Mann is 62. Pop musician David Steele (Fine Young Cannibals) is 62. Actor Thomas Kretschmann is 60. Gospel singer Darlene Zschech is 57. Alternative country singer Neko Case is 52. TV personality Brooke Burke is 51. Actor Martin Freeman is 51. Actor David Arquette is 51. TV-radio personality Kennedy is 50. Rock musician Richard Hughes (Keane) is 47. Actor Larenz Tate is 47. Actor Nathan Corddry is 45. R&B singer Pink is 43. Singer-songwriter Eric Hutchinson is 42. Actor Jonathan Taylor Thomas is 41. Rapper Wiz Khalifa is 35. Actor Gaten Matarazzo (TV: "Stranger Things") is 20.