Today in History
Sep 16, 2021, 9:00 PM | Updated: 9:14 pm
Today in History
Today is Friday, Sept. 17, the 260th day of 2021. There are 105 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Sept. 17, 1787, the Constitution of the United States was completed and signed by a majority of delegates attending the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.
On this date:
In 1862, more than 3,600 men were killed in the Civil War Battle of Antietam (an-TEE’-tum) in Maryland.
In 1908, Lt. Thomas E. Selfridge of the U.S. Army Signal Corps became the first person to die in the crash of a powered aircraft, the Wright Flyer, at Fort Myer, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C.
In 1937, the likeness of President Abraham Lincoln’s head was dedicated at Mount Rushmore.
In 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Poland during World War II, more than two weeks after Nazi Germany had launched its assault.
In 1944, during World War II, Allied paratroopers launched Operation Market Garden, landing behind German lines in the Netherlands. (After initial success, the Allies were beaten back by the Germans.)
In 1954, the novel “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding was first published by Faber & Faber of London.
In 1971, citing health reasons, Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black, 85, retired. (Black, who was succeeded by Lewis F. Powell Jr., died eight days after making his announcement.)
In 1978, after meeting at Camp David, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin (men-AH’-kem BAY’-gihn) and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat signed a framework for a peace treaty.
In 1980, former Nicaraguan president Anastasio Somoza (suh-MOH’-sah) was assassinated in Paraguay.
In 1987, the city of Philadelphia, birthplace of the U.S. Constitution, threw a big party to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the historic document; in a speech at Independence Hall, President Ronald Reagan acclaimed the framing of the Constitution as a milestone “that would profoundly and forever alter not just these United States but the world.”
In 1994, Heather Whitestone of Alabama was crowned the first deaf Miss America.
In 2001, six days after 9/11, stock prices nosedived but stopped short of collapse in an emotional, flag-waving reopening of Wall Street; the Dow Jones industrial average ended the day down 684.81 at 8,920.70.
Ten years ago: A demonstration calling itself Occupy Wall Street began in New York, prompting similar protests around the U.S. and the world. Charles H. Percy, 91, a Chicago businessman who became a U.S. senator and was once widely viewed as a top presidential contender, died in Washington.
Five years ago: A bomb explosion rocked Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, injuring 30 people. (An Afghan-born U.S. citizen was convicted in the bombing and sentenced to life in prison.)
One year ago: At a drive-in campaign event in Pennsylvania, Democrat Joe Biden denounced President Donald Trump’s handling of the pandemic as “close to criminal.” Marking the 233rd anniversary of the signing of the Constitution, Trump downplayed the historical legacy of slavery in the United States and blasted efforts to address systemic racism as divisive. Firefighter Charles Morton, a member of an elite Hotshot crew, died while battling a blaze in the mountains east of Los Angeles; the fire was sparked when a couple used a device that was supposed to emit blue or pink smoke to reveal their baby’s gender. Rescuers on the Gulf Coast of Florida and Alabama used boats and high-water vehicles to reach people cut off by floodwaters in the aftermath of Hurricane Sally.
Today’s Birthdays: Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, is 88. Retired Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter (SOO’-tur) is 82. Singer LaMonte McLemore (The Fifth Dimension) is 86. Retired U.S. Marine Gen. Anthony Zinni is 78. Basketball Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson is 76. Singer Fee Waybill is 73. Actor Cassandra Peterson (“Elvira, Mistress of the Dark”) is 70. Comedian Rita Rudner is 68. Director-actor Paul Feig is 59. Movie director Baz Luhrmann is 59. Singer BeBe Winans is 59. TV personality/businessman Robert Herjavec (TV: “Shark Tank”) is 58. Actor Kyle Chandler is 56. Director-producer Bryan Singer is 56. Rapper Doug E. Fresh is 55. Actor Malik Yoba is 54. Rock singer Anastacia is 53. Actor Matthew Settle is 52. Rapper Vin Rock (Naughty By Nature) is 51. Actor-comedian Bobby Lee is 50. Actor Felix Solis is 50. R&B singer Marcus Sanders (Hi-Five) is 48. Actor-singer Nona Gaye is 47. Singer-actor Constantine Maroulis is 46. NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson is 46. Country singer-songwriter Stephen Cochran is 42. Rock musician Chuck Comeau (Simple Plan) is 42. Actor Billy Miller is 42. Rock musician Jon Walker is 36. NHL forward Alex Ovechkin (oh-VECH’-kin) is 36. Actor Danielle Brooks is 32. Gospel singer Jonathan McReynolds is 32. Actor-singer Denyse Tontz is 27. NHL center Auston Matthews is 24.
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