Associated Press
On Sept. 10, 1989, Hungary stopped enforcing East German visa restrictions and opened its borders, beginning a flood of emigration that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall two months later.
1608- John Smith was elected president of the Jamestown colony council in Virginia.
1813- Oliver H. Perry sent the message, “We have met the enemy, and they are ours,” after an American naval force defeated the British in the Battle of Lake Erie in the War of 1812.
1846- Elias Howe of Spencer, Mass., received a patent for the sewing machine.
1919- New York City welcomed home Gen. John J. Pershing and 25,000 soldiers who had served in the U.S. 1st Division during World War I.
1924- A judge in Chicago sentenced Nathan Leopold Jr. and Richard Loeb to life in prison for the murder of 14-year-old Bobby Franks – a “thrill killing” that had shocked the nation.
1935- Sen. Huey P. Long, the “Kingfish” of Louisiana politics, died two days after being shot in Baton Rouge.
1948- American-born Mildred Gillars, the Nazi wartime radio broadcaster known as “Axis Sally,” was indicted in Washington, D.C., for treason.
1955- “Gunsmoke” premiered on CBS.
1963- Twenty black students entered public schools in Birmingham, Tuskegee and Mobile, Ala., following a standoff between federal authorities and Gov. George C. Wallace.
1977- A convicted murderer became the last person to be executed by the guillotine in France.
1988- Steffi Graf of West Germany achieved tennis’ Grand Slam – winning all four major tournaments in a calendar year – by taking the U.S. Open women’s title.
2000- The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical “Cats” closed after 7,485 performances over nearly 18 years as the longest-running show in Broadway history.
2000- NBC’s “The West Wing” won a record nine Emmy awards, including best drama series.
2002- Switzerland became the 190th member of the United Nations.
2003- Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh, 46, was stabbed in a Stockholm department store; she died the next day.
Today’s Birthdays:
Actor Colin Firth turns 55 years old today.
Arnold Palmer, Golfer, 86
Philip Baker Hall, Actor, 84
Jose Feliciano, Singer, 70
Bob Lanier, Basketball Hall of Famer, 67
Amy Irving, Actress, 62
Kate Burton, Actress, 58
David Lowery, Rock singer, musician, 55
Randy Johnson, Baseball player, 52
Sean O’Bryan, Actor, 52
John E. Sununu, Former U.S. senator, R-N.H., 51
Big Daddy Kane, Rapper, 47
Guy Ritchie, Director, 47
Mikey Way, Rock musician (My Chemical Romance), 35
Matthew Followill, Rock musician (Kings of Leon), 31
Sanjaya Malakar, Singer (“American Idol”), 41
Rock musician Joe Perry (Aerosmith) turns 65 years old today.