Today in History
Today is Monday, Aug. 30, the 242nd day of 2021. There are 123 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Aug. 30, 1967, the Senate confirmed the appointment of Thurgood Marshall as the first Black justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.
On this date:
In 1861, Union Gen. John C. Fremont instituted martial law in Missouri and declared slaves there to be free. (However, Fremont’s emancipation order was countermanded by President Abraham Lincoln.)
In 1905, Ty Cobb made his major-league debut as a player for the Detroit Tigers, hitting a double in his first at-bat in a game against the New York Highlanders. (The Tigers won, 5-3.)
In 1945, U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur arrived in Japan to set up Allied occupation headquarters.
In 1983, Guion (GY’-un) S. Bluford Jr. became the first Black American astronaut to travel in space as he blasted off aboard the Challenger.
In 1987, a redesigned space shuttle booster, created in the wake of the Challenger disaster, roared into life in its first full-scale test-firing near Brigham City, Utah.
In 1992, the television series “Northern Exposure” won six Emmy Awards, including best drama series, while “Murphy Brown” received three Emmys, including best comedy series.
In 1993, “The Late Show with David Letterman” premiered on CBS-TV.
In 1997, Americans received word of the car crash in Paris that claimed the lives of Princess Diana, her boyfriend, Dodi Fayed (DOH’-dee FY’-ehd), and their driver, Henri (AHN’-ree) Paul. (Because of the time difference, it was August 31 where the crash occurred.)
In 2005, a day after Hurricane Katrina hit, floods were covering 80 percent of New Orleans, looting continued to spread and rescuers in helicopters and boats picked up hundreds of stranded people.
In 2007, in a serious breach of nuclear security, a B-52 bomber armed with six nuclear warheads flew cross-country unnoticed; the Air Force later punished 70 people.
In 2012, Mitt Romney launched his fall campaign for the White House with a rousing, personal speech to the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida, proclaiming that America needs “jobs, lots of jobs.”
In 2015, the White House announced that President Barack Obama would change the name of North America’s tallest mountain peak from Mount McKinley to Denali, bestowing the traditional Alaska Native name on the eve of a historic presidential visit to Alaska.
Ten years ago: National Guard helicopters rushed food and water to a dozen cut-off Vermont towns after the rainy remnants of Hurricane Irene washed out roads and bridges in a deluge that had taken many people in the landlocked New England state by surprise. Libyan rebels said they were closing in on Moammar Gadhafi and issued an ultimatum to loyalists in his hometown of Sirte (surt), his main remaining bastion: Surrender, or face attack.
Five years ago: Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and Democratic U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy each easily won their Florida Senate primaries; Rubio won the election the following November. U.S. Sen. John McCain beat back an Arizona primary challenge from a Republican tea party activist, Kelli Ward, to win the right to seek a sixth Senate term in November (McCain went on to defeat Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick and Green Party candidate Gary Swing).
One year ago: President Donald Trump praised supporters who clashed with Black Lives Matter protesters in Portland, Oregon, calling them “great patriots”; Trump and Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler blamed each other for the violence. A tally kept by Johns Hopkins University found that the number of confirmed coronavirus cases globally had topped 25 million; the U.S. led the count with 5.9 million cases. Lady Gaga won multiple honors at the MTV Video Music Awards, most of them for her hit with Ariana Grande, “Rain on Me,” while The Weeknd took home the top prize.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor Elizabeth Ashley is 82. Actor Ben Jones is 80. Actor John Kani is 79. Cartoonist R. Crumb is 78. Olympic gold medal skier Jean-Claude Killy (zhahn-KLOHD’ kee-LEE’) is 78. Comedian Lewis Black is 73. Actor Timothy Bottoms is 70. Actor David Paymer is 67. Jazz musician Gerald Albright is 64. Actor Michael Chiklis is 58. Actor Michael Michele is 55. Country singer Sherrie Austin is 50. Rock singer-musician Lars Frederiksen (Rancid) is 50. Actor Cameron Diaz is 49. TV personality Lisa Ling is 48. Rock singer-musician Aaron Barrett (Reel Big Fish) is 47. Actor Raúl Castillo is 44. Actor Michael Gladis is 44. MLB pitcher Adam Wainwright is 40. Former tennis player Andy Roddick is 39. Singer Rachael Price (Lake Street Dive) is 36. Rock musician Ryan Ross is 35. Actor Johanna Braddy is 34. Actor Cameron Finley is 34.
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