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!"