Today in History

Today is Friday, Sept. 9, the 252nd day of 2022. There are 113 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Sept. 9, 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the first civil rights bill to pass Congress since Reconstruction, a measure primarily concerned with protecting voting rights; it also established a Civil Rights Division in the U.S. Department of Justice.

On this date:

In 1776, the second Continental Congress made the term "United States" official, replacing "United Colonies."

In 1850, California became the 31st state of the union.

In 1919, some 1,100 members of Boston's 1,500-man police force went on strike. (The strike was broken by Massachusetts Gov. Calvin Coolidge with replacement officers.)

In 1926, the National Broadcasting Co. (NBC) was incorporated by the Radio Corp. of America.

In 1942, during World War II, a Japanese plane launched from a submarine off the Oregon coast dropped a pair of incendiary bombs in a failed attempt at igniting a massive forest fire; it was the first aerial bombing of the U.S. mainland by a foreign power.

In 1948, the People's Democratic Republic of Korea (North Korea) was declared.

In 1956, Elvis Presley made the first of three appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show."

In 1960, in the first regular-season American Football League game, the Denver Broncos defeated the Boston Patriots, 13-10.

In 1971, prisoners seized control of the maximum-security Attica Correctional Facility near Buffalo, New York, beginning a siege that ended up claiming 43 lives.

In 1991, boxer Mike Tyson was indicted in Indianapolis on a charge of raping Desiree Washington, a beauty pageant contestant. (Tyson was convicted and ended up serving three years of a six-year prison sentence.)

In 2015, Queen Elizabeth II became the longest reigning monarch in British history, serving as sovereign for 23,226 days (about 63 years and 7 months), according to Buckingham Palace, surpassing Queen Victoria, her great-great-grandmother.

In 2016, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, speaking at an LGBT fundraiser in New York City, described half of Republican Donald Trump's supporters as "a basket of deplorables," a characterization for which she ended up expressing regret.

Ten years ago: Two points from defeat, Serena Williams regained her composure and her game to come back to beat Victoria Azarenka, 6-2, 2-6, 7-5, for her fourth U.S. Open championship. Shannon Eastin became the first woman to officiate an NFL regular-season game, serving as a line judge in the St. Louis Rams-Detroit Lions game. (Detroit beat St. Louis 27-23.)

Five years ago: Hurricane Irma hammered Cuba with punishing winds and rain as it headed toward the Florida Keys and the southeastern United States; hundreds of shelters opened in Florida for people looking to escape the potentially deadly winds and storm surge. Dutch officials said Irma had damaged or destroyed 70 percent of the homes on St. Maarten in the Caribbean, leaving it vulnerable to the approach of Hurricane Jose. Sloane Stephens beat her close friend Madison Keys 6-3, 6-0 at the U.S. Open in the first Grand Slam final for both. Guillermo del Toro's "The Shape of Water" won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival.

One year ago: President Joe Biden announced sweeping new federal vaccine requirements affecting as many as 100 million Americans in an all-out effort to curb the surging COVID-19 delta variant; all employers with more than 100 workers would have to require them to be vaccinated or tested for the virus weekly, affecting about 80 million Americans. Biden also signed an executive order requiring vaccination for all employees of the executive branch and contractors who do business with the federal government. The Los Angeles board of education voted to require students 12 and older to be vaccinated against the coronavirus in order to attend in-person classes. Emmy Award-winning character actor Michael Constantine, who reached worldwide fame as the father of the bride in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," died at 94.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Topol is 87. Singer Inez Foxx is 80. Singer Dee Dee Sharp is 77. College Football Hall of Famer and former NFL player Joe Theismann is 73. Rock musician John McFee (The Doobie Brothers) is 72. Actor Tom Wopat is 71. Actor Angela Cartwright is 70. Musician-producer Dave Stewart is 70. Actor Hugh Grant is 62. Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., is 59. Actor-comedian Charles Esten (formerly Chip) is 57. Actor Constance Marie is 57. Actor David Bennent is 56. Actor Adam Sandler is 56. Rock singer Paul Durham (Black Lab) is 54. Actor Julia Sawalha is 54. Model Rachel Hunter is 53. Actor Eric Stonestreet is 51. Actor Henry Thomas is 51. Actor Goran Visnjic is 50. Pop-jazz singer Michael Buble' is 47. Latin singer Maria Rita is 45. Actor Michelle Williams is 42. Actor Julie Gonzalo is 41. Neo-soul singer Paul Janeway (St. Paul & the Broken Bones) is 39. Actor Zoe Kazan is 39. Author-motivational speaker-businessman Farrah Gray is 38. Actor Kelsey Asbille is 31. Contemporary Christian singer Lauren Daigle is 31. Country singer-songwriter Hunter Hayes is 31.