Today In History

Today in History: Friday, September  16, 2016
AP Highlight in History:
On Sept. 16, 1982, a massacre of between 1,200 and 1,400 Palestinian men, women and children at the hands of Israeli-allied Christian Phalange militiamen began in west Beirut’s Sabra and Shatila refugee camps.
 

AP Photo/Bill Foley

 

On this date in:
1630 The Massachusetts village of Shawmut changed its name to Boston.
1638 France’s King Louis XIV was born.
1810 Mexico began a successful revolt against Spanish rule.
1857 The song “Jingle Bells” by James Pierpont was copyrighted under its original title, “One Horse Open Sleigh.”
1893 Hundreds of thousands of settlers took part in a land run in Oklahoma’s “Cherokee Strip.”
1908 General Motors was formed in Flint, Mich., by William Durant.
1919 The American Legion was incorporated by an act of Congress.
1940 Rep. Samuel T. Rayburn, D-Texas, the longest-serving House speaker in history, was first elected to the post.
 

AP Photo

 

1940 President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the first peacetime military draft in U.S. history.
1966 The Metropolitan Opera opened its new home at New York City’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
1972 “The Bob Newhart Show” premiered on CBS.
1974 President Gerald R. Ford announced a conditional amnesty program for Vietnam War deserters and draft-evaders.
2002 U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced that Iraq had unconditionally accepted the return of U.N. weapons inspectors.
2004 Hurricane Ivan plowed into the Gulf Coast with 130 mph wind and a major storm surge; Ivan was blamed for at least 115 deaths, 43 in the United States.
2007 A deadly shooting in Baghdad involving the U.S. security firm Blackwater USA left 17 Iraqi civilians dead.
2008 The federal government announced an emergency $85 billion loan to rescue AIG, the world’s largest insurance company.
Video
Highlights of This Day in History
Today’s Birthdays:
Comedian Amy Poehler (“Saturday Night Live”) turns 45 years old today.
 

AP Photo/Peter Kramer

 

Name Profession Age
B.B. King Blues musician 91
George Chakiris Actor (“West Side Story”) 84
Elgin Baylor Basketball Hall of Famer 82
Kenney Jones Rock musician (Small Faces, The Who) 68
Susan Ruttan Actress (“L.A. Law”) 68
Ed Begley Jr. Actor 67
Mark McEwen TV personality 62
Robin Yount Baseball Hall of Famer 61
David Copperfield Magician 60
Jennifer Tilly Actress 58
Richard Marx Singer 53
Molly Shannon Actress, comedian (“Saturday Night Live”) 52
Marc Anthony Singer 48
Flo Rida Rapper 37
Alexis Bledel Actress (“Gilmore Girls”) 35
Madeline Zima Actress (“Californication,” “Heroes”) 31
Nick Jonas Rock singer, musician (The Jonas Brothers) 24
Actor Mickey Rourke turns 60 years old today.
 

AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

 

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