Today in History
Today is Sunday, Sept. 18, the 261st day of 2022. There are 104 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Sept. 18, 2020, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a towering women’s rights champion who became the court’s second female justice, died at her home in Washington at the age of 87 of complications from pancreatic cancer; her death set off a battle over whether President Donald Trump should nominate a successor, or the seat should remain vacant until the outcome of the election six weeks away. (Trump would nominate Amy Coney Barrett, who was confirmed by the Republican-led Senate days before the election.)
On this date:
In A.D. 14, the Roman Senate officially confirmed Tiberius as the second emperor of the Roman Empire, succeeding the late Augustus.
In 1793, President George Washington laid the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol.
In 1850, Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act, which created a force of federal commissioners charged with returning escaped slaves to their owners.
In 1851, the first edition of The New York Times was published.
In 1947, the National Security Act, which created a National Military Establishment and the position of Secretary of Defense, went into effect.
In 1961, United Nations Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold (dahg HAWM’-ahr-shoold) was killed in a plane crash in northern Rhodesia.
In 1970, rock star Jimi Hendrix died in London at age 27.
In 1975, newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst was captured by the FBI in San Francisco, 19 months after being kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army.
In 1987, the psychological thriller “Fatal Attraction,” starring Michael Douglas and Glenn Close, was released by Paramount Pictures.
In 2001, a week after the Sept. 11 attack, President George W. Bush said he hoped to “rally the world” in the battle against terrorism and predicted that all “people who love freedom” would join. Letters postmarked Trenton, N.J., that later tested positive for anthrax were sent to the New York Post and NBC anchorman Tom Brokaw.
In 2005, “Everybody Loves Raymond” won the Emmy for best comedy in its final season; first-year hit “Lost” was named best drama.
In 2014, voters in Scotland rejected independence, opting to remain part of the United Kingdom in a historic referendum. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club at St. Andrews, Scotland, ended years of male-only exclusivity as its members voted overwhelmingly in favor of inviting women to join.
Ten years ago: Chicago teachers voted to suspend their strike and return to the classroom after more than a week on picket lines, ending a combative stalemate with Mayor Rahm Emanuel over evaluations and job security.
Five years ago: Hurricane Maria intensified into a dangerous Category 5 storm, surging into the eastern Caribbean on a path that would take it near many of the islands recently devastated by Hurricane Irma. Toys R Us, the pioneering big box toy retailer, announced that it was filing for bankruptcy protection, but that it would continue its normal business operations. (The company announced in March of 2018 that it would be liquidating its U.S. business.)
One year ago: Police were deployed in large numbers outside the U.S. Capitol over concerns that a rally in support of jailed Jan. 6 rioters would turn violent; the crowd for the rally was sparse, and there were few incidents. Four space tourists safely ended their trailblazing three-day flight to orbit with a splashdown in the Atlantic, off the Florida coast; the all-amateur crew – a billionaire and his three guests – aboard the SpaceX capsule was the first to circle the world without a professional astronaut.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor Robert Blake is 89. Gospel singer Bobby Jones is 84. Singer Frankie Avalon is 82. Actor Beth Grant is 73. Rock musician Kerry Livgren is 73. Actor Anna Deavere Smith is 72. Former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson, is 71. Basketball Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino is 70. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., is 68. College Football Hall of Famer and retired NFL player Billy Sims is 67. Movie director Mark Romanek is 63. Baseball Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg is 63. Alt-country-rock musician Mark Olson is 61. Singer Joanne Catherall (Human League) is 60. Actor Holly Robinson Peete is 58. R&B singer Ricky Bell (Bell Biv Devoe and New Edition) is 55. Actor Aisha Tyler is 52. Former racing cyclist Lance Armstrong is 51. Opera singer Anna Netrebko is 51. Actor Jada Pinkett Smith is 51. Actor James Marsden is 49. Actor Emily Rutherfurd is 48. Actor Travis Schuldt is 48. Rapper Xzibit is 48. Comedian-actor Jason Sudeikis is 47. Actor Sophina Brown is 46. Actor Barrett Foa is 45. Talk show host Sara Haines (TV: “GMA3: Strahan, Sara & Keke”) is 45. Actor/comedian Billy Eichner is 44. Actor Alison Lohman is 43. Designer Brandon Maxwell is 38. Congressman and former NFL player Anthony Gonzalez, R-Ohio, is 38. Actors Brandon and Taylor Porter are 29. Actor Patrick Schwarzenegger is 29. Country singer Tae Kerr (Maddie and Tae) is 27. Actor C.J. Sanders is 26.
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