Today in History
Today is Tuesday, Sept. 13, the 256th day of 2022. There are 109 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Sept. 13, 1788, the Congress of the Confederation authorized the first national election, and declared New York City the temporary national capital.
On this date:
In 1803, Commodore John Barry, considered by many the father of the American Navy, died in Philadelphia.
In 1814, during the War of 1812, British naval forces began bombarding Fort McHenry in Baltimore but were driven back by American defenders in a battle that lasted until the following morning.
In 1948, Republican Margaret Chase Smith of Maine was elected to the U.S. Senate; she became the first woman to serve in both houses of Congress.
In 1962, Mississippi Gov. Ross Barnett rejected the U.S. Supreme Court’s order for the University of Mississippi to admit James Meredith, a Black student, declaring in a televised address, “We will not drink from the cup of genocide.”
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In 1971, a four-day inmates’ rebellion at the Attica Correctional Facility in western New York ended as police and guards stormed the prison; the ordeal and final assault claimed the lives of 32 inmates and 11 hostages.
In 1993, at the White House, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO chairman Yasser Arafat shook hands after signing an accord granting limited Palestinian autonomy.
In 1996, rapper Tupac Shakur died at a Las Vegas hospital six days after he was wounded in a drive-by shooting; he was 25.
In 1997, funeral services were held in Calcutta, India, for Nobel peace laureate Mother Teresa.
In 1998, former Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace died in Montgomery at age 79.
In 2001, two days after the 9/11 terror attacks, the first few jetliners returned to the nation’s skies, but several major airports remained closed and others opened only briefly. President George W. Bush visited injured Pentagon workers and said he would carry the nation’s prayers to New York.
In 2008, rescue crews ventured out to pluck people from their homes in an all-out search for thousands of Texans who had stubbornly stayed behind overnight to face Hurricane Ike.
In 2010, Rafael Nadal won his first U.S. Open title to complete a career Grand Slam, beating Novak Djokovic 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2.
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Ten years ago: Chanting “death to America,” hundreds of protesters angered by an anti-Islam film stormed the U.S. Embassy compound in Yemen’s capital and burned the American flag. New York City’s Board of Health passed a ban on the sale of big sodas and other sugary drinks, limiting the size sold at restaurants, concession stands and other eateries to 16 ounces.
Five years ago: Firefighters who were called to a sweltering nursing home in Hollywood, Florida, where air conditioning had been knocked out by Hurricane Irma found three people dead and evacuated 145 others to hospitals; five others died later in the day. Former Republican Sen. Pete Domenici (doh-MEN’-ih-chee), New Mexico’s longest-serving senator, died in Albuquerque at the age of 85. The Cleveland Indians set an American League record with their 21st straight win, a 5-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers. (The streak would continue to 22 before the Indians were stopped.) The International Olympic Committee officially awarded the 2024 Summer Olympics to Paris and the 2028 games to Los Angeles.
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One year ago: School began for about a million New York City public school students in the nation’s largest experiment of in-person learning during the coronavirus pandemic. Nearly all of New York City’s 300,000 employees were required to be back in their workplaces, in person, as the city ended remote work; most were required to be vaccinated or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing. President Joe Biden surveyed wildfire damage during visits to Idaho and California; Biden sought to make the case that extreme weather events around the country showed the need for his play to upgrade aging infrastructure.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor Barbara Bain is 91. Actor Eileen Fulton (TV: “As the World Turns”) is 89. Rock singer David Clayton-Thomas (Blood, Sweat & Tears) is 81. Actor Jacqueline Bisset is 78. Singer Peter Cetera is 78. Actor Christine Estabrook is 72. Actor Jean Smart is 71. Singer Randy Jones (The Village People) is 70. Record producer Don Was is 70. Actor Isiah Whitlock Jr. is 68. Actor-comedian Geri Jewell is 66. Country singer Bobbie Cryner is 61. Rock singer-musician Dave Mustaine (Megadeth) is 61. Radio-TV personality Tavis Smiley is 58. Rock musician Zak Starkey is 57. Actor/comedian Jeff Ross is 57. Actor Louis Mandylor is 56. Olympic gold medal runner Michael Johnson is 55. Rock musician Steve Perkins is 55. Actor Roger Howarth is 54. Actor Dominic Fumusa is 53. Actor Louise Lombard is 52. Former tennis player Goran Ivanisevic (ee-van-EE’-seh-vihch) is 51. Country singer Aaron Benward (Blue County) is 49. Country musician Joe Don Rooney (Rascal Flatts) is 47. Actor Scott Vickaryous is 47. Singer Fiona Apple is 45. Actor Ben Savage is 42. Rock singer Niall Horan (One Direction) is 29. Actor Mitch Holleman is 27. Actor Lili Reinhart (TV: “Riverdale”) is 26.
