SEPTEMBER 16TH

Today in History

Today is Tuesday, Sept. 16, the 260th day of 2008.
There are 106 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

• One hundred years ago, on Sept. 16, 1908, General Motors was formed in Flint, Mich., by William Durant.

On this date:

• In 1498, Tomas de Torquemada, notorious for his role in the Spanish Inquisition, died in Avila, Spain.
• In 1810, Mexico began its successful revolt against Spanish rule.
• In 1893, more than 100,000 settlers swarmed onto a section of land in Oklahoma known as the "Cherokee Strip."
• In 1919, the American Legion was formally chartered by an act of Congress.
• In 1940, President Roosevelt signed into law the Selective Training and Service Act, which set up the first peacetime military draft in U.S. history; Samuel T. Rayburn of Texas was elected Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
• In 1966, the Metropolitan Opera opened its new opera house at New York's Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
• In 1968, Republican presidential nominee Richard Nixon exclaimed, "Sock it to ME?" in a taped bit for the NBC-TV comedy program "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In."
• In 1977, Maria Callas, the American-born prima donna famed for her lyric soprano and fiery temperament, died in Paris at age 53.
• In 1982, the massacre of hundreds of Palestinian men, women and children by Israeli-allied Lebanese militiamen began in west Beirut's Sabra and Chatilla refugee camps.
• In 1988, Hurricane Gilbert slammed into the Mexico coast for the second time in three days.

Ten years ago:

• In his first news conference since the release of Kenneth Starr's graphic report, President Clinton said he'd told "the essential truth" about his affair with Monica Lewinsky; as for whether he might resign, Clinton responded that Americans "want me to go on."
• House Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry Hyde, responding to a report in an Internet publication, Salon Magazine, admitted to "indiscretions" with a woman in the 1960s at a time when both were married.

Five years ago:

• North Carolina Sen. John Edwards formally launched his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination.
• Actor-singer Sheb Wooley died in Nashville, Tenn., at age 82.

One year ago:

• A deadly shooting in Baghdad involving the U.S. security firm Blackwater USA left 17 Iraqi civilians dead.
• A One-Two-Go Airlines passenger plane crashed on the island of Phuket, Thailand, killing 89 people.
• O.J. Simpson was arrested in the alleged armed robbery of sports memorabilia collectors in Las Vegas.
• The Phoenix Mercury beat the Detroit Shock 108-92 to win their first WNBA title.
• "The Sopranos" claimed its final Emmy award as best dramatic series; "30 Rock" won best comedy series.

Today's Birthdays:

• Actress Janis Paige is 86.
• Actress Lauren Bacall is 84.
• Blues singer B.B. King is 83.
• Clergyman-author Rev. Robert H. Schuller is 82.
• Actor Peter Falk is 81.
• Actress Anne Francis is 78.
• Actor George Chakiris is 76.
• Movie director Jim McBride is 67.
• Actress Linda Miller is 66.
• Rhythm-and-blues singer Betty Kelly (Martha & the Vandellas) is 64.
• Musician Kenney Jones (Small Faces; Faces; The Who) is 60.
• Actress Susan Ruttan is 60.
• Rock musician Ron Blair (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers) is 60.
• Actor Ed Begley Jr. is 59.
• Country singer David Bellamy (The Bellamy Brothers) is 58.
• Country singer-songwriter Phil Lee is 57.
• Actor-comedian Lenny Clarke is 55.
• Actor Kurt Fuller is 55.
• Jazz musician Earl Klugh is 55.
• Actor Christopher Rich is 55.
• Singer Frank Reed (The Chi-Lites) is 54.
• TV personality Mark McEwen is 54.
• Actor Mickey Rourke is 52.
• Magician David Copperfield is 52.
• Country singer-songwriter Terry McBride is 50.
• Actress Jennifer Tilly is 50.
• Former All-Star baseball pitcher Orel Hershiser is 50.
• Singer Richard Marx is 45.
• Comedian Molly Shannon is 44.
• Singer Marc Anthony is 40.
• Comedian Amy Poehler is 37.
• Singer Musiq is 31.
• Actress Alexis Bledel is 27.
• Actress Sabrina Bryan is 24.
• Actress Madeline Zima is 23.
• Actress Kyla Pratt is 22.
• Rock singer Teddy Geiger is 20.
• Rock singer-musician Nick Jonas (The Jonas Brothers) is 16.

Thought for Today:

"Stoicism is the wisdom of madness and cynicism the madness of wisdom."
Bergen Evans, American lexicographer (1904-1978).

"Let's all be careful out there!"