There are 100 days left in the year.
Autumn arrives at 11:44 a.m. Eastern time.
Today's Highlight in History:
- On Sept. 22, 1776, Nathan Hale was hanged as a spy by the British during the Revolutionary War.
On this date:
- In 1789, Congress authorized the office of Postmaster-General.
- In 1862, President Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, declaring all slaves in rebel states should be free as of Jan. 1, 1863.
- In 1927, Gene Tunney successfully defended his heavyweight boxing title against Jack Dempsey in the famous "long-count" fight in Chicago.
- In 1938, the musical comedy revue "Hellzapoppin'," starring Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson, began a three-year run on Broadway.
- In 1958, President Eisenhower's assistant, Sherman Adams, resigned amid charges of improperly using his influence to help a businessman.
- In 1958, the television show "Peter Gunn," starring Craig Stevens, premiered on NBC.
- In 1964, the musical "Fiddler on the Roof" opened on Broadway, beginning a run of 3,242 performances.
- In 1975, Sara Jane Moore attempted to shoot President Ford outside a San Francisco hotel, but missed.
- In 1980, the Persian Gulf conflict between Iran and Iraq erupted into full-scale war.
- In 1988, Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney apologized for the World War II internment of Japanese-Canadians, and promised compensation.
Ten years ago:
- Congressional Republicans worked to snuff out new talk of a punishment for President Clinton short of impeachment, an idea floated by Democrats as poll numbers showed that most Americans didn't want Clinton removed from office.
- The U.S. and Russia agreed to help Russia privatize its nuclear program and stop the export of scientists and plutonium.
Five years ago:
- A suicide car bombing outside U.N. offices in Baghdad killed an Iraqi policeman.
- NATO allies picked Dutch Foreign Minister Jaap de Hoop Scheffer as the alliance's next secretary-general.
- Actor Gordon Jump died at age 71.
One year ago:
- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki at the United Nations in their first face-to-face talks since a Baghdad shootout involving guards from a U.S. company protecting American diplomats.
- Marcel Marceau, the master of mime, died in Paris at age 84.
Today's Birthdays:
- Baseball Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda is 81.
- NBA Commissioner David Stern is 66.
- Musician King Sunny Ade is 62.
- Actor Paul Le Mat is 62.
- Captain Mark Phillips is 60.
- Rock singer David Coverdale (Deep Purple, Whitesnake) is 57.
- Actress Shari Belafonte is 54.
- Singer Debby Boone is 52.
- Country singer June Forester (The Forester Sisters) is 52.
- Singer Nick Cave is 51.
- Rock singer Johnette Napolitano is 51.
- Opera singer Andrea Bocelli is 50.
- Singer-musician Joan Jett is 50.
- Actress Catherine Oxenberg is 47.
- Actor Scott Baio is 47.
- Actor Rob Stone is 46.
- Rock musician Matt Sharp is 39.
- Rock musician Dave Hernandez (The Shins) is 38.
- Rhythm-and-blues singer Big Rube (Society of Soul) is 37.
- Actor Tom Felton is 21.
Thought for Today:
"The autumn always gets me badly, as it breaks into colours. I want to go south, where there is no autumn, where the cold doesn't crouch over one like a snow-leopard waiting to pounce."
D.H. Lawrence, English author (1885-1930).
"Let's all be careful out there!"
