Today in History: Sept. 2

On this date in 1935, a Labor Day hurricane slammed into the Florida Keys, claiming more than 400 lives. Here, the wreckage of an 11-car passenger train is shown after the train was derailled by the hurricane.  (AP Photo)
In 1935, a Labor Day hurricane slammed into the Florida Keys, claiming more than 400 lives. Here, the wreckage of an 11-car passenger train is shown after the train was derailed by the hurricane. (AP Photo)
On September 2, 1945, Japan formally surrendered in ceremonies aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, ending World War II. Here, Gen. Douglas MacArthur signs the Japanese surrender documents. (AP Photo)
In 1945, Japan formally surrendered in ceremonies aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, ending World War II. Here, Gen. Douglas MacArthur signs the Japanese surrender documents. (AP Photo)
On this date in 1963, Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace prevented the integration of Tuskegee High School by encircling the building with state troopers. Here, two Alabama state patrolmen prevent members of the Tuskegee High School faculty from entering school property. (AP Photo/Horace Cort)
In 1963, Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace prevented the integration of Tuskegee High School by encircling the building with state troopers. Here, two Alabama state patrolmen prevent members of the Tuskegee High School faculty from entering school property. (AP Photo/Horace Cort)
On this date in 1963, "The CBS Evening News" with Walter Cronkite was lengthened from 15 to 30 minutes, becoming network television's first half-hour nightly newscast. (AP Photo/Robert Walsh)
On this date in 1963, “The CBS Evening News” with Walter Cronkite was lengthened from 15 to 30 minutes, becoming network television’s first half-hour nightly newscast. (AP Photo/Robert Walsh)
On this date in 1998, a Swissair MD-11 jetliner crashed off Nova Scotia, killing all 229 people aboard. Here, a Canadian Coast Guard helicopter hovers above a Coast Guard search boat off Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, Friday, Sept. 11, 1998. The two were part of the on-going search effort for debris from Swissair Flight 111. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
In 1998, a Swissair MD-11 jetliner crashed off Nova Scotia, killing all 229 people aboard. Here, a Canadian Coast Guard helicopter hovers above a Coast Guard search boat off Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia, Friday, Sept. 11, 1998. The two were part of the on-going search effort for debris from Swissair Flight 111. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Avery Brundage awards the Olympic gold medal to the United States'  Wilma Rudolph for her victory in the women's 100-meter dash in Rome, Sept. 2, 1960.   (AP Photo)
In 1960, Wilma Rudolph of the United States won the first of her three gold medals at the Rome Summer Olympics as she finished the 100-meter dash in 11 seconds. Avery Brundage awards the Olympic gold medal to the United States’ Wilma Rudolph for her victory in the women’s 100-meter dash in Rome, Sept. 2, 1960. (AP Photo)
The first automatic teller machine (ATM) to utilize magnetic-striped cards was opened to the public at Chemical Bank in New York. (Called a “Docuteller,” it was developed by Donald C. Wetzel.) FILE – This July 18, 2016, file photo shows a Bank of America ATM in Woburn, Mass. Bank of America Corp. reports financial results, Tuesday, July 18, 2017. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)
In 2017, astronaut Peggy Whitson returned to Earth after 288 days on the International Space Station; the trip gave Whitson a total of 665 days in space, a record for any American and any woman worldwide. In this Jan. 30, 2008 photo made available by NASA, Expedition 16 commander Peggy Whitson, the first female commander of the International Space Station, participates in a spacewalk. On Friday, June 15, 2018, NASA announced Whitson, who has spent more time off the planet than any other American, has retired. The 58-year-old biochemist joined NASA as a researcher in 1986 and became an astronaut in 1996. Her last spaceflight was in 2017. (NASA via AP)
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On this date in 1935, a Labor Day hurricane slammed into the Florida Keys, claiming more than 400 lives. Here, the wreckage of an 11-car passenger train is shown after the train was derailled by the hurricane.  (AP Photo)
On September 2, 1945, Japan formally surrendered in ceremonies aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, ending World War II. Here, Gen. Douglas MacArthur signs the Japanese surrender documents. (AP Photo)
On this date in 1963, Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace prevented the integration of Tuskegee High School by encircling the building with state troopers. Here, two Alabama state patrolmen prevent members of the Tuskegee High School faculty from entering school property. (AP Photo/Horace Cort)
On this date in 1963, "The CBS Evening News" with Walter Cronkite was lengthened from 15 to 30 minutes, becoming network television's first half-hour nightly newscast. (AP Photo/Robert Walsh)
On this date in 1998, a Swissair MD-11 jetliner crashed off Nova Scotia, killing all 229 people aboard. Here, a Canadian Coast Guard helicopter hovers above a Coast Guard search boat off Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, Friday, Sept. 11, 1998. The two were part of the on-going search effort for debris from Swissair Flight 111. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Avery Brundage awards the Olympic gold medal to the United States'  Wilma Rudolph for her victory in the women's 100-meter dash in Rome, Sept. 2, 1960.   (AP Photo)

Today is Monday, Sept. 2, the 245th day of 2019. There are 120 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On Sept. 2, 1969, in what some regard as the birth of the Internet, two connected computers at the University of California, Los Angeles, passed test data through a 15-foot cable. The first automatic teller machine (ATM) to utilize magnetic-striped cards was opened to the public at Chemical Bank in New York. (Called a “Docuteller,” it was developed by Donald C. Wetzel.)

On this date:

In 1864, during the Civil War, Union Gen. William T. Sherman’s forces occupied Atlanta.

In 1930, the first nonstop airplane flight from Europe to the U.S. was completed in 37 hours as Capt. Dieudonne Costes and Maurice Bellonte of France arrived in Valley Stream, New York, aboard their Breguet 19 biplane, which bore the symbol of a large question mark.

In 1945, Japan formally surrendered in ceremonies aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, ending World War II.

In 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the National Defense Education Act, which provided aid to public and private education to promote learning in such fields as math and science.

In 1960, Wilma Rudolph of the United States won the first of her three gold medals at the Rome Summer Olympics as she finished the 100-meter dash in 11 seconds.

In 1963, Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace prevented the integration of Tuskegee High School by encircling the building with state troopers. “The CBS Evening News” with Walter Cronkite was lengthened from 15 to 30 minutes, becoming network television’s first half-hour nightly newscast.

In 1998, a Swissair MD-11 jetliner crashed off Nova Scotia, killing all 229 people aboard.

In 2001, actor Troy Donahue, a one-time teen movie idol, died in Santa Monica, Calif., at age 65.

In 2003, a federal appeals court in San Francisco threw out more than 100 death sentences in Arizona, Montana and Idaho because the inmates had been sent to death row by judges instead of juries.

In 2004, President George W. Bush pledged “a safer world and a more hopeful America” as he accepted his party’s nomination for a second term at the Republican National Convention in New York.

In 2005, a National Guard convoy packed with food, water and medicine rolled into New Orleans four days after Hurricane Katrina. Scorched by criticism about sluggish federal help, President George W. Bush toured the Gulf Coast and met with state and local officials, including New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin; at one point, Bush praised FEMA Director Michael Brown, telling him, “Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job.”

In 2013, on her fifth try, U.S. endurance swimmer Diana Nyad became the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without the help of a shark cage.

Ten years ago: Pfizer agreed to pay a record $2.3 billion settlement for illegal drug promotion. A Taliban suicide bomber attacked officials leaving a mosque in Afghanistan, killing the country’s deputy intelligence chief and 23 others. Gunmen killed 17 people at a drug rehabilitation center in Ciudad Juarez (SEE’-yoo-dahd wahr-EHZ’), Mexico. A magnitude-7.0 earthquake rocked Indonesia, killing dozens of people.

Five years ago: Islamic State group extremists released a video showing the beheading of American journalist Steven Sotloff, and warned President Barack Obama against further U.S. airstrikes on the group. Apple said that hackers had obtained nude photos of actress Jennifer Lawrence and other female celebrities by pilfering images from individual accounts rather than through a broader attack on the company’s services.

One year ago: Sen. John McCain was laid to rest on a grassy hill at the U.S. Naval Academy, after a horse-drawn caisson carrying the senator’s casket led a procession of mourners from the academy’s chapel to its cemetery. A huge fire engulfed Brazil’s 200-year-old National Museum in Rio de Janeiro, as firefighters and museum workers raced to save historical relics.

Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

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