Associated Press
On Aug. 31, 1980, Poland’s Solidarity labor movement was born with an agreement that ended a 17-day strike at the Lenin shipyard in Gdansk.
On this date in:
1888- Mary Ann Nichols, a prostitute, was found murdered in London’s East End. She is generally regarded as the first victim of Jack the Ripper.
1935- President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an act prohibiting the export of U.S. arms to belligerents.
1954- Hurricane Carol hit the northeastern United States, resulting in nearly 70 deaths and millions of dollars in damage.
1962- The Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago became independent within the British Commonwealth.
1985- California’s “Night Stalker” killer Richard Ramirez was captured by residents of an East Los Angeles neighborhood.
1992- White separatist Randy Weaver surrendered to authorities in Naples, Idaho, ending an 11-day siege by federal agents that claimed the lives of Weaver’s wife and son and a deputy U.S. marshal.
1994- Russia officially ended its military presence in the former East Germany and the Baltics after half a century.
1997- Britain’s Princess Diana died in a car crash in Paris at age 36.
2005- Some 1,000 people were killed when a religious procession across a Baghdad bridge was engulfed in panic over rumors of a suicide bomber.
2006- Iran defied a U.N. deadline to stop enriching uranium.
2009- Walt Disney Co. announced it was acquiring comic book giant Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion.
2010- President Barack Obama ended the U.S. combat mission in Iraq, declaring no victory after seven years of bloodshed.
Today’s Birthdays:
Actor Richard Gere turns 66 years old today.
Frank Robinson, Baseball Hall of Famer ,80
Jerry Allison, Rock musician (Buddy Holly and the Crickets), 76
Van Morrison, Rock singer, musician, 70
Itzhak Perlman, Violinist, 70
Glenn Tilbrook, Rock singer, (Squeeze) 58
Deborah Gibson, Singer, actress, 45
Queen Rania, Wife of Jordan’s King Abdullah II, 45
Chris Tucker, Actor, 43
Sara Ramirez, Actress (“Grey’s Anatomy”), 40
Larry Fitzgerald, Football player, 32
New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin turns 69 years old today.