Today in History

Today in History

Today is Monday, Sept. 14, the 258th day of 2020. There are 108 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On Sept. 14, 1901, President William McKinley died in Buffalo, New York, of gunshot wounds inflicted by an assassin; Vice President Theodore Roosevelt succeeded him.

On this date:

In 1715, Benedictine monk Dom Pierre Perignon, credited with advances in the production of champagne, died in Hautvillers, France, at age 76.

In 1814, Francis Scott Key was inspired to write the poem “Defence of Fort McHenry” (later “The Star-Spangled Banner”) after witnessing the American flag flying over the Maryland fort following a night of British naval bombardment during the War of 1812.

In 1836, former Vice President Aaron Burr died in Staten Island, N.Y., at age 80.

In 1847, during the Mexican-American War, U.S. forces under Gen. Winfield Scott took control of Mexico City.

In 1861, the first naval engagement of the Civil War took place as the USS Colorado attacked and sank the Confederate private schooner Judah off Pensacola, Florida.

In 1954, the Soviet Union detonated a 40-kiloton atomic test weapon.

In 1963, Mary Ann Fischer of Aberdeen, S.D., gave birth to four girls and a boy, the first known surviving quintuplets in the United States.

In 1972, the family drama “The Waltons” premiered on CBS.

In 1982, Princess Grace of Monaco, formerly film star Grace Kelly, died at age 52 of injuries from a car crash the day before; Lebanon’s president-elect, Bashir Gemayel (bah-SHEER’ jeh-MAY’-el), was killed by a bomb.

In 1994, on the 34th day of a strike by players, Acting Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig announced the 1994 season was over.

In 2001, Americans packed churches and clogged public squares on a day of remembrance for the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks. President George W. Bush prayed with his Cabinet and attended services at Washington National Cathedral, then flew to New York, where he waded into the ruins of the World Trade Center and addressed rescue workers in a flag-waving, bullhorn-wielding show of resolve.

In 2012, fury over an anti-Muslim film ridiculing the Prophet Muhammad spread across the Muslim world, with deadly clashes near Western embassies in Tunisia and Sudan, an American fast-food restaurant set ablaze in Lebanon, and international peacekeepers attacked in the Sinai.

Ten years ago: Sarah Shourd, one of three American hikers detained by Iran, was freed on $500,000 bail after 410 days in prison. Reggie Bush announced he was forfeiting his 2005 Heisman title, citing a scandal over improper benefits while he was a star running back at Southern California; it was the first time college football’s top award had been relinquished by a recipient. Dodge Morgan, who became the first American to sail around the world without stopping in 1986, died in Boston at age 78.

Five years ago: Ahmed Mohamed, a 14-year-old Muslim boy, was arrested after bringing a homemade clock to MacArthur High School in Irving, Texas, that was mistaken for a possible bomb; police declined to seek any charges. Rowan County, Kentucky, clerk Kim Davis returned to work for the first time since she was jailed for defying a federal court and announced that she would no longer block her deputies from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump renewed his campaign against illegal immigration, telling a cheering crowd of thousands in Dallas that “it’s disgusting what’s happening to our country.” Fred Deluca, 67, the Subway co-founder who turned a sandwich shop he started as a teenager into the world’s largest fast-food chain, died in New York.

One year ago: The White House announced that Hamza bin Laden, a son of the late al-Qaida leader, had been killed in a U.S. counterterrorism operation in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region; he’d become an increasingly prominent figure in al-Qaida. Drone attacks on the world’s largest oil processing facility in Saudi Arabia and a major oil field sparked huge fires and halted about half the supplies from the world’s largest exporter of oil; the Trump administration blamed Iran for the attacks.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Walter Koenig (KAY’-nihg) is 84. Basketball Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown is 80. Singer-actor Joey Heatherton is 76. Actor Sam Neill is 73. Singer Jon “Bowzer” Bauman (Sha Na Na) is 73. Actor Robert Wisdom is 67. Rock musician Steve Berlin (Los Lobos) is 65. Country singer-songwriter Beth Nielsen Chapman is 64. Actor Mary Crosby is 61. Singer Morten Harket (a-ha) is 61. Country singer John Berry is 61. Actor Melissa Leo is 60. Actor Faith Ford is 56. Actor Jamie Kaler is 56. Actor Michelle Stafford is 55. Rock musician Mike Cooley (Drive-By Truckers) is 54. Actor Dan Cortese is 53. Contemporary Christian singer Mark Hall is 51. Actor-writer-director-producer Tyler Perry is 51. Actor Ben Garant is 50. Rock musician Craig Montoya (Tri Polar) is 50. Actor Kimberly Williams-Paisley is 49. Actor Andrew Lincoln is 47. Rapper Nas is 47. Actor Austin Basis is 44. Country singer Danielle Peck is 42. Pop singer Ayo is 40. Chef/TV personality Katie Lee is 39. Actor Sebastian Sozzi is 38. Actor Adam Lamberg is 36. Singer Alex Clare is 35. Actor Chad Duell (TV: “General Hospital”) is 33. Actor Jessica Brown Findlay is 33. Actor-singer Logan Henderson is 31. Actor Emma Kenney is 21.