Today in History
Today is Saturday, Sept. 3, the 247th day of 2016. There are 119 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History:
On Sept. 3, 1976, America's Viking 2 lander touched down on Mars to take the first close-up, color photographs of the red planet's surface.
On this date:
In 1189, England's King Richard I (the Lion-Hearted) was crowned in Westminster Abbey.
In 1658, Oliver Cromwell, the Lord Protector of England, died in London; he was succeeded by his son, Richard.
In 1783, representatives of the United States and Britain signed the Treaty of Paris, which officially ended the Revolutionary War.
In 1868, the Japanese city of Edo was renamed Tokyo.
In 1914, Cardinal Giacomo Della Chiesa became pope; he took the name Benedict XV.
In 1923, the United States and Mexico resumed diplomatic relations.
In 1939, Britain, France, Australia and New Zealand declared war on Germany, two days after the Nazi invasion of Poland,
In 1940, Artie Shaw and his Gramercy Five recorded "Summit Ridge Drive" and "Special Delivery Stomp" for RCA Victor.
In 1951, the television soap opera "Search for Tomorrow" made its debut on CBS.
In 1967, the original version of the television game show "What's My Line?," hosted by John Charles Daly, broadcast its final episode after more than 17 years on CBS.
In 1989, a Cubana de Aviacion jetliner crashed after takeoff in Havana, killing all 126 aboard and 45 people on the ground.
In 1991, Academy Award-winning director Frank Capra died in La Quinta, California, at age 94.
Ten years ago: Authorities announced the capture of al-Qaida in Iraq's No. 2 leader (Hamed Jumaa Farid al-Saeedi). An apartment fire in Chicago killed six children ages 3 to 14. Andre Agassi retired from tennis after losing the third-round match at the U.S. Open to 112th-ranked Benjamin Becker, 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-5.
Five years ago: A judge in North Carolina sentenced Robert Stewart to spend the rest of his life behind bars for killing eight people at a rural nursing home in 2009. (Stewart had opened fire on his victims, seemingly at random, as he searched for his wife, Wanda Neal, an employee at the home.) The Vatican vigorously rejected accusations it had sabotaged efforts by Irish bishops to report priests who sexually abused children to police.
One year ago: A federal judge jailed Rowan County, Kentucky, Clerk Kim Davis for refusing to issue marriage licenses to gay couples, but five of her deputies agreed to issue the licenses themselves, potentially ending the church-state standoff. (Davis was freed five days later.) Tom Brady had his four-game "Deflategate" suspension lifted after U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman criticized NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for dispensing "his own brand of industrial justice." Judy Carne, 76, a star of the comedy show "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In," died at Northampton General Hospital in England.
Today's Birthdays: "Beetle Bailey" cartoonist Mort Walker is 93. Actress Pauline Collins is 76. Rock singer-musician Al Jardine is 74. Actress Valerie Perrine is 73. Rock musician Donald Brewer (Grand Funk Railroad) is 68. Rock guitarist Steve Jones (The Sex Pistols) is 61. Actor Steve Schirripa is 59. Actor Holt McCallany is 52. Rock singer-musician Todd Lewis is 51. Actor Costas Mandylor is 51. Actor Charlie Sheen is 51. Singer Jennifer Paige is 43. Dance-rock musician Redfoo is 41. Actress Ashley Jones is 40. Actress Nichole Hiltz is 38. Actor Joel Johnstone is 38. Actor Nick Wechsler is 38. Rock musician Tomo Milicevic (30 Seconds to Mars) is 37. Bluegrass musician Darren Nicholson (Balsam Range) is 33. Actress Christine Woods is 33. Actor Garrett Hedlund is 32. Olympic gold medal snowboarder Shaun White is 30. Hip-hop singer August Alsina is 24.
Thought for Today: "It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are." — E.E. Cummings (born 1894, died this date in 1962).