There are 96 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History:
- On Sept. 26 1789, Thomas Jefferson was appointed America's first secretary of state.
On this date:
- In 1777, British troops occupied Philadelphia during the American Revolution.
- In 1892, John Philip Sousa and his newly formed band performed publicly for the first time, at the Stillman Music Hall in Plainfield, N.J.
- In 1914, the Federal Trade Commission was established.
- In 1918, the Meuse-Argonne offensive against the Germans began during World War I.
- In 1955, following word that President Eisenhower had suffered a heart attack, the New York Stock Exchange saw its worst price decline since 1929.
- In 1957, the musical play "West Side Story" opened on Broadway.
- In 1960, the first debate between presidential candidates took place as John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon faced off in Chicago before a national TV audience.
- In 1986, William H. Rehnquist was sworn in as the 16th chief justice of the United States, while Antonin Scalia joined the Supreme Court as its 103rd member.
- In 1991, four men and four women began a two-year stay inside a sealed-off structure in Oracle, Ariz., called Biosphere 2. (They emerged from Biosphere on this date in 1993.)
- In 1997, an Indonesian Airbus A-300 crashed while approaching Medan Airport in north Sumatra, killing all 234 people aboard.
Ten years ago:
- The nation's first march on cancer took place on the National Mall in Washington.
- Grammy-winning jazz singer Betty Carter died in New York at age 69.
Five years ago:
- President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin opened a two-day summit at Camp David.
- The government issued a recall for Segway scooters, citing instances in which riders fell off when the batteries ran low.
- A magnitude 8 quake rocked Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, injuring more than 750 people.
- British rock singer Robert Palmer died in Paris at age 54.
One year ago:
- A judge declared a mistrial in Phil Spector's murder trial because the jury was deadlocked 10-2 in favor of convicting the music producer of killing actress Lana Clarkson.
- Myanmar began a violent crackdown on protests, beating and dragging away dozens of monks.
Today's Birthdays:
- Fitness expert Jack LaLanne is 94.
- Actor Philip Bosco is 78.
- Country singer David Frizzell is 67.
- Actor Kent McCord is 66.
- Television host Anne Robinson is 64.
- Singer Bryan Ferry is 63.
- Singer Lynn Anderson is 61.
- Singer Olivia Newton-John is 60.
- Actress Mary Beth Hurt is 60.
- Actor James Keane is 56.
- Rock singer-musician Cesar Rosas (Los Lobos) is 54.
- Country singer Carlene Carter is 53.
- Actress Linda Hamilton is 52.
- Country singer Doug Supernaw is 48.
- Rhythm-and-blues singer Cindy Herron (En Vogue) is 47.
- Actress Melissa Sue Anderson is 46.
- Actor Patrick Bristow is 46.
- Rock musician Al Pitrelli is 46.
- Singer Tracey Thorn (Everything But The Girl) is 46.
- TV personality Jillian Barberie is 42.
- Actor Jim Caviezel is 40.
- Singer Shawn Stockman (Boyz II Men) is 36.
- Jazz musician Nicholas Payton is 35.
- Actor Mark Famiglietti is 29.
- Singer-actress Christina Milian is 27.
- Tennis player Serena Williams is 27.
Thought for Today:
"The world cares very little about what a man or woman knows; it is what the man or woman is able to do."
Booker T. Washington, American educator and author (1856-1915).
"Let's all be careful out there!"