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Sunday, September 14, 2008

SEPTEMBER 14TH

Today is Sunday, September 14, the 258th day of 2008.
There are 108 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:
  • On September 14, 1814, Francis Scott Key was inspired to write his poem "The Star-Spangled Banner" after witnessing how Fort McHenry in Maryland had endured British bombardment during the War of 1812.
On this date:
  • In 1812, the Russians set fire to Moscow in the face of an invasion by Napoleon Bonaparte's troops.
  • In 1847, U.S. forces under Gen. Winfield Scott took control of Mexico City.
  • In 1901, President William McKinley died in Buffalo, N.Y., of gunshot wounds inflicted by an assassin. Vice President Theodore Roosevelt succeeded him.
  • In 1927, modern dance pioneer Isadora Duncan died in Nice, France, when her scarf became entangled in a wheel of the sports car she was riding in.
  • In 1948, a groundbreaking ceremony took place in New York at the site of the United Nations' world headquarters.
  • In 1959, the Soviet space probe Luna 2 became the first manmade object to reach the moon as it crashed onto the lunar surface.
  • In 1964, Pope Paul VI opened the third session of the Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, also known as Vatican II. (The session closed two months later.)
  • In 1975, Pope Paul VI declared Mother Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton the first U.S.-born saint.
  • In 1982, Princess Grace of Monaco, formerly actress Grace Kelly, died at age 52 of injuries from a car crash the day before; Lebanon's president-elect, Bashir Gemayel was killed by a bomb.
  • In 1988, Hurricane Gilbert slammed into Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula after forcing thousands of residents to flee.
Ten years ago:
  • President Clinton, struggling to regain his footing from the Monica Lewinsky scandal, pledged during a speech in New York to work with America's allies to deal with the "biggest financial challenge facing the world in a half-century."
Five years ago:
  • Swedes rejected adopting the European common currency in a referendum overshadowed by the killing of Foreign Minister Anna Lindh, an ardent euro supporter.
  • World Trade Organization talks designed to change global trade collapsed in Cancun, Mexico, amid differences between rich and poor nations.
  • An older half-sister of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams, Yetunde Price, was shot to death in Compton, Calif.
One year ago:
  • Defense Secretary Robert Gates raised the possibility of cutting U.S. troop levels in Iraq to 100,000 by the end of 2008, well beyond the cuts President Bush had approved.
  • In Iraq, some 1,500 mourners called for revenge as they buried the leader of the Sunni revolt against al-Qaida, Adbul-Sattar Abu Risha, who had been assassinated by a bomb claimed by an al-Qaida front.
Today's Birthdays:
  • Actress Zoe Caldwell is 75.
  • Actor Harve Presnell is 75.
  • Feminist author Kate Millett is 74.
  • Actor Walter Koenig is 72.
  • Actor Nicol Williamson is 70.
  • Singer-actress Joey Heatherton is 64.
  • Actor Sam Neill is 61.
  • Singer Jon "Bowser" Bauman (Sha Na Na) is 61.
  • Rock musician Ed King is 59.
  • Rock musician Steve Berlin (Los Lobos) is 53.
  • Country singer-songwriter Beth Nielsen Chapman is 52.
  • Actress Mary Crosby is 49.
  • Singer Morten Harket (a-ha) is 49.
  • Country singer John Berry is 49.
  • Actress Melissa Leo is 48.
  • Actress Faith Ford is 44.
  • Actress Michelle Stafford is 43.
  • Rock musician Mike Cooley (Drive-By Truckers) is 42.
  • Actor Dan Cortese is 40.
  • Contemporary Christian singer Mark Hall is 39.
  • Rock musician Craig Montoya (Tri Polar) is 38.
  • Actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley is 37.
  • Rapper Nas is 35.
  • Country singer Danielle Peck is 30.
  • Pop singer Ayo is 28.
  • Singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse is 25.
  • Actor Adam Lamberg is 24.
Thought for Today:
"I venture to suggest that patriotism is not a short and frenzied outburst of emotion but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime."
Adlai E. Stevenson, American statesman (1900-1965).


"Let's all be careful out there!"