1858 Gas lighting used for the first time in Hawai'i 1864 US Civil War: Union General William T. Sherman captures and occupies Atlanta, Georgia, ending the Atlanta Campaign in the US Civil War [1] 1882 US National Championship Men's Tennis, Newport R.I.: Defending champion Richard Sears beats Clarence M. Clark 6-1, 6-4, 6-0 1885 In Rock Springs, Wyoming, 150 white miners (who are struggling to unionize so they can strike for better wages and working conditions) attack their Chinese fellow workers, killing 28 men, wounding 15, and forcing several hundred more out of town 1901 Theodore Roosevelt advises "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far" in an address to the Minnesota State Fair, entitled "National Duties" 1924 US National Championship Men's Tennis, Forest Hills NY: Bill Tilden wins 5th straight US singles title; beats Bill Johnston for 3rd consecutive year 6-1, 9-7, 6-2 1931 American crooner Bing Crosby makes his solo radio debut on his "15 Minutes with Bing Crosby" program broadcast on the CBS Network 1935 Labor Day hurricane makes landfall in Florida, killing 423 people; the strongest and most intense hurricane ever to make landfall in the United States 1937 Film "The Prisoner of Zenda," based on the novel and play by Anthony Hope , starring Ronald Colman , Madeleine Carroll, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. , is released 1940 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Hershey CC: Byron Nelson wins his first PGA C'ship, beating Sam Snead 1 up in the Monday 36-hole final 1944 Future US President George H. W. Bush bails out of a burning plane during a mission in the Pacific 1945 V-J Day, formal surrender of Japan signed aboard the USS Missouri, marks the end of World War II 1946 American golfer Ben Hogan wins the Golden State Open at California CC in Los Angeles; his 3rd consecutive PGA event and 11th title of the season; 2nd time that year he wins 3 straight tournaments 1949 "The Third Man," directed by Carol Reed, starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, and Orson Welles , is released in the United Kingdom (Academy Awards Best Cinematography 1950) 1959 US President Dwight D. Eisenhower arrives in Paris 1960 American sprinter Wilma Rudolph wins the coveted 100m gold medal at the Rome Olympics in 11.0; beats Britain's Dorothy Hyman by 0.3; 1st of 3 gold medals for Rudolph 1962 St. Louis first baseman Stan Musial 's records his 3,516th hit in Cards' 4-3 loss v NY Mets; overtakes Tris Speaker into 2nd place behind Ty Cobb on the MLB all-time list 1963 Alabama Governor George Wallace prevents integration of Tuskegee High School 1965 Chicago Cubs slugger Ernie Banks hits his MLB 400th career HR (off Curt Simmons) in a 5-3 win over St. Louis at Wrigley Field; Simmons also gave up Willie Mays' 400th HR in 1963 1966 Joe Auer returns the opening kickoff 95 yards for a Miami touchdown in the Dolphins' first ever NFL regular-season game; Oakland Raiders go on to win 23-14 at the Orange Bowl before 26,776 fans 1968 Jerry Lewis 's 3rd annual Muscular Dystrophy telethon raises $1,401,876 1969 Ralph Houk signs 3-year contract to manage New York Yankees at $65,000 a season, then the biggest salary in MLB 1969 The first automated teller machine in the United States is installed in Rockville Centre, New York 1971 Teenage debutants Chris Evert and Jimmy Connors win their first matches at the US Open Tennis Championships at Forest Hills 1973 Billy Martin is fired as Detroit Tigers manager due to continual differences with the front office; goes on to manage Texas, Oakland, and NY Yankees (in five separate stints) 1974 Jerry Lewis 's 9th annual Muscular Dystrophy telethon raises $16,129,213 1974 PGA Tournament Players Championship, Atlanta CC: Jack Nicklaus wins inaugural event; first of his 3 TPC titles, 2 strokes ahead of runner-up J. C. Snead 1974 US President Gerald Ford signs Employee Retirement Income Security Act; sets minimum standards for pension plans 1978 Yankees right fielder Reggie Jackson hits his 20th HR of the season in a 6-2 home win over Seattle; 19th MLB player to hit 20 HR in 11 straight years 1979 Richard Rodgers , Martin Charnin, and Raymond Jessel's musical "I Remember Mama" closes at Majestic Theater in NYC after 108 performances 1979 US Men's Amateur Golf Championship, Canterbury GC: Mark O'Meara wins 8 & 7 over John Cook 1984 Revival of John Kander and Fred Ebb's musical "Zorba" closes at Broadway Theater in NYC after 362 performances and winning one Tony Award 1985 Jerry Lewis 's 20th annual Muscular Dystrophy telethon raises $33,181,652 1986 Cathy Evelyn Smith is sentenced to three years for the drug related death of John Belushi 1988 Amnesty International's "Human Rights Now!" tour begins in Wembley Stadium, London; performers include: Bruce Springsteen , Sting , Peter Gabriel , Tracy Chapman , and Youssou N'Dour 1989 Reverend Al Sharpton leads a civil rights march through Bensonhurst, Brooklyn 1990 Frank Galati's stage adaptation of John Steinbeck 's novel "The Grapes of Wrath," starring Gary Sinise , closes at the Cort Theater in NYC after 188 performances 1991 "Ropin' the Wind" 3rd studio album by Garth Brooks is released (Billboard Album of the Year 1992) 1991 Jerry Lewis 's 26th annual Muscular Dystrophy telethon raises $45,071,857 1993 10th MTV Video Music Awards: Pearl Jam , En Vogue wins 1995 Southern California begins using a new area code, 562 1996 Jerry Lewis 's 31st annual Muscular Dystrophy telethon raises $49,146,555 1999 "Being John Malkovich ," directed by Spike Jonze, starring John Cusack and Cameron Diaz , premieres in Venice 2015 US President Barack Obama becomes the first president to visit the Arctic Circle at Kotzebue, Alaska 2019 British Prime Minister Boris Johnson threatens a snap general election if rebel MPs pass bill against no-deal Brexit 2019 Diving boat catches fire at night killing 34 people asleep on board off Santa Cruz Island, California 1798 Thomas Holliday Hicks, American politician, Governor of Maryland during Civil War (1858-62), born in East New Market, Maryland (d. 1865) 1810 William Seymour Tyler, American educator and historian at Amherst College, born in Hartford, Pennsylvania (d. 1897) 1830 William P. Frye, American congressman and senator (1881-1911), born in Lewiston, Maine (d. 1911) 1837 James Harrison Wilson, American topographic engineer and Major General (Union Army), born in Shawneetown, Illinois (d. 1925) 1838 Liliuokalani [Lydia Kamakaʻeha], last queen of Hawaii (1891-93), born in Honolulu, Oʻahu, Kingdom of Hawaii (d. 1917) 1847 Roger Wolcott, American politician 39th Governor of Massachusetts (1897-1900), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1900) 1850 A. G. Spalding, American Baseball HOF pitcher, manager and executive (NL wins leader 1871–76; President, co-owner Chicago White Stockings; co-founder of Spalding sporting goods company), born in Byron, Illinois (d. 1915) 1850 Eugene Field "Poet of Childhood", American poet, writer and journalist (Little Boy Blue), born in St. Louis, Missouri (d. 1895) 1866 Hiram Johnson, Progressive politician, US Senator, Governor of California (1911-17), born in Sacramento, California (d. 1945) 1901 Adolph Rupp, American Basketball HOF coach (NCAA Div I Tournament 1948, 49, 51, 58; Uni of Kentucky; 5 × National Coach of the Year), born in Halstead, Kansas (d. 1977) 1910 Alma Heflin, American commercial airplane test pilot and child psychologist, born in Winona, Missouri (d. 2000) 1911 Romare Bearden, African American painter and songwriter, born in Charlotte, North Carolina (d. 1988) 1914 Tom Glazer, American folk singer and songwriter (Because All Men Are Brothers; A Dollar Ain't A Dollar Anymore), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2003) 1915 Benjamin Aaron, American labor law expert, born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2007) 1915 Dai-Keong Lee, Hawaiian-American classical and theater composer, born in Honolulu, Territory of Hawai'i (d. 2005) 1915 Meinhardt Raabe, American actor (The Wizard of Oz), born in Watertown, Wisconsin (d. 2010) 1916 Penny Santon [Pierina Burlando], American actress (Fletch, Roll Out, Matt Houston), born in New York City (d. 1999) 1918 Martha Mitchell [nee Beall], wife of US Attorney General John Mitchell, born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas (d. 1976) 1919 Marge Champion [née Belcher], American dancer (Marge & Gower Champion Show), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2020) 1922 Arthur Ashkin, American scientist (Nobel Prize for Physics 2018 Optical Tweezers), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2020) [1] 1925 Hugo Montenegro, American composer, arranger, and orchestra leader, born in New York City (d. 1981) 1929 Hal Ashby, American film director (The Last Detail; Shampoo; Being There), born in Ogden, Utah (d. 1988) 1932 Walter Davis Jr., American hard bop pianist (Davis Cup; Illumination), and tailor, born in Richmond, Virginia (d. 1990) Hungarian-American pioneer in the semiconductor industry, one of the founders and CEO of Intel , and philanthropist, born in Budapest, Hungary 1937 American organizer of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and commissioner of baseball (1984-89), born in Evanston, Illinois 1939 Bobby Purify [Dickey], American soul singer ("I'm Your Puppet"), born in Tallahassee, Florida (d. 2011) 1939 Sam Gooden, American soul vocalist (The Impressions - "People Get Ready"; "It's All Right"), born in Chattanooga, Tennessee (d. 2022) 1940 Beverly Sanders, American actress (Lotsa Luck, CPO Sharkey), born in Hollywood, California 1940 Harry Northup, American actor (The Silence of the Lambs, Taxi Driver), born in Amarillo, Texas 1940 Jimmy Clanton, American rock vocalist ("Just A Dream"), born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana 1943 Rosalind Ashford, American rock vocalist (Martha Reeve & Vandellas - "Heat Wave"; "Dancing In The Street"), born in Detroit, Michigan American rock and soul pianist , organist, singer-songwriter ("Nothing From Nothing"; "You Are So Beautiful"; "Outa-Space"), 5th Beatle ("Get Back"), and touring musician (Little Richard, Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton), born in Houston, Texas 1948 Christa McAuliffe, American teacher who died in Challenger space shuttle disaster, born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1986) 1948 American NBA guard and 6× NBA All-Star (Cincinnati Royals; Boston Celtics), born in New York City 1948 Terry Bradshaw, College/Pro Football HOF quarterback (Louisiana Tech; Super Bowl 1974, 75, 78 [MVP], 79 [MVP]; NFL MVP 1978; First-team All-Pro 1978; 3 × Pro Bowl; Pittsburgh Steelers) and broadcaster (CBS, FOX), born in Shreveport, Louisiana 1950 Rosanna DeSoto, American actress known for "Stand and Deliver", born in San Jose, California 1951 Jim DeMint, American politician, part of the Tea Party Movement (Senator-R-South Carolina 2005-13), born in Greensville, South Carolina 1951 Mark Harmon, American actor (St Elsewhere, NCIS), born in Burbank, California 1952 Earl Pomeroy, American politician (Rep-D-North Dakota 1993-2011), born in Valley City, North Dakota

1952 American tennis player (8-time Grand Slam winner, 109 titles overall), born in Belleville, Illinois 1953 John Zorn, American jazz and avant garde musician and composer, born in New York City 1955 Linda Purl, actress (Gloria-Happy Days, Matlock), born in Greenwich, Connecticut 1957 Steve Porcaro, American rock keyboardist and vocalist (Toto, 1977-87, 2010-19 - "Rosanna"; "Africa"), born in Los Angeles, California 1957 Tony Alva, American skateboarder (pioneer of vertical skateboarding; USSA World Invitational Skateboard Champion & Skateboarder of the Year 1975), born in Santa Monica, California 1960 Pro Football Hall of Fame running back (NFL single-season rushing record 2,105 yards, 1984; Pro Bowl 1983, 84, 86–89; LA Rams), born in Sealy, Texas 1960 John S. Hall, American poet and spoken-word artist known for band "King Missile", born in Brooklyn, New York 1961 Jeff Russell, American baseball pitcher (MLB All-Star 1988, 89; AL Rolaids Relief Man Award & AL saves leader 1989 Texas Rangers), born in Cincinnati, Ohio 1965 Doug Linton, pitcher (KC Royals), born in Santa Ana, California 1966 Dino Cazares, American heavy metal guitarist (FearFactor), born in El Centro, California 1966 Mexican American actress (Desperado, Frida), born in Coatzacoalcos, Mexico 1966 Tuc Watkins, American actor (One Life to Live, The Boys in the Band), born in Kansas City, Kansas 1968 Cynthia Watros, American actress (General Hospital, Lost), born in Lake Orion, Michigan 1969 Chris Kuzneski, American author known for The Hunters", born in Indiana, Pennsylvania 1969 H-Ci [Cedric Hailey], American singer (Jodeci), born in Monroe, North Carolina 1969 Mark Brettschneider, American actor (Jason Webb in "One Life to Live"), born in Cincinnati, Ohio 1971 Rich Aurilia, infielder (SF Giants), born in Brooklyn, New York 1971 Shauna Sand, actress (Renegade), born in San Diego, California 1975 American video game designer (God of War, God of War Ragnarök), born in Sacramento, California 1976 Erin Hershey, American actress (Alison Barrington Kovitch in "Port Charles"), born in Seattle, Washington 1976 Phil Lipscomb, American rock bassist (Taproot), born in the USA 1987 Spencer Smith, American rock drummer (Panic! at the Disco), born in Denver, Colorado 1824 US Navy flag officer David Farragut (23) weds Susan Caroline Marchant 1922 "Gone With The Wind" author Margaret Mitchell (21) weds Berrien "Red" Upshaw; divoce in 1924 1978 Cuban-American singer Gloria Fajardo (21) weds "Miami Sound Machine" musician and producer Emilio Estefan (25) in Florida 1989 American NBA basketball star Michael Jordan (26) weds Juanita Vanoy (30) at the Little White Chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada; divorce in 2006 1995 American "Wall Street" actor Charlie Sheen (30) weds American model Donna Peele (25) in Malibu, California; divorce in 1997 1862 Thornton F Brodhead, US lawyer/politician/brigadier general, dies at 40 1898 Wilford Woodruff, American Morman, fourth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who ended polygamy, dies at 91 1921 Anthony Francis Lucas, Croatian-American oil exploration pioneer, dies at 65 1924 Joe Boyer Jr., American auto racer (Indianapolis 500 1924), dies after a race accident at 34 1934 (Alcide) "Yellow" Nunez, American New Orleans jazz clarinetist, dies of a heart attack at 50 [1] 1934 (Ruggiero) "Russ" Columbo, American pop baritone singer ("You Call It Madness, But I Call It Love"), songwriter ("Prisoner of Love"), actor (Wake Up And Dream), and violinist, is accidentally shot to death at 26 1944 George W. Norris, American politician (US Senator from Nebraska, 1913-43; US Representative from Nebraska, 1903-13), noted for his advocacy of political reform and of public ownership of hydroelectric-power plants, dies at 83 1948 Sylvanus Morley, American archaeologist and spy, dies at 65 1953 Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright IV, American army officer, dies at 70 1964 Alvin York, American World War I soldier who led a famed attack on a German machine gun nest (Medal of Honor), dies at 76 1964 Glenn Albert Black, American archaeologist, dies at 64 1964 Morris Ankrum, American actor (Kronos; Half Human; Earth vs Flying Saucers), dies at 67 1973 Carl Dudley, American film director (b. 1910) 1977 Stephen "Steve" Dunne, American actor (Professional Father, Shock), dies at 59 1978 William Nebergall, American inorganic chemist (invented fluoride toothpaste), dies at 63 [1] 1979 Otto P. Weyland, American air force commander during the Korean War, dies at 76 1980 William Douglas Denny, American composer, dies at 70 1982 Jay Novello, American radio and screen character actor (Harum Scarum; Rebel Breed), dies of cancer at 78 1982 Tom Baker, American actor (I, a Man), dies of a drug overdose in New York at 42 1986 Benny Payne, American jazz pianist (Cab Calloway; Billy Daniels Show), dies at 78 or 79 [some sources cite date as January 2] 1992 Barbara McClintock, American cytogeneticist (1983 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovery of genetic transposition), dies at 90 1993 Eric Berry, English/American actor (Pippin, 49th Parallel), dies at 80 1994 Mildred Mcafee Horton, US 1st head mistress of WAVES, dies 1994 Richard M Major, US anti-terror specialist (CIA Red Book), dies at 72 1996 Otto Luening, German American conductor, composer and electronic music pioneer (Sonority Canon), dies at 96 1998 Allen Drury, American author (Advise & Consent - 1960 Pulitzer Prize), dies at 80 1998 Jonathan Mann, American physician and AIDS activist, dies in the 1998 crash of Swissair Flight 111 at 51 2000 Curt Siodmak, German-American novelist and screenwriter (Donovan's Brain; I Walked With A Zombie), dies at 98 2000 Elvera Sanchez, Cuban-American dancer, dies at 95 2001 Jay Migliori, American saxophonist (Supersax), dies at 70 2001 Troy Donahue, American actor (Hawaiian Eye), dies at 65 2002 Abe Lemons, American basketball coach (Oklahoma City University, Pan American Uni; NABC Coach of the Year 1978 University of Texas Austin), dies from Parkinson's disease at 79 2003 Bruce Waibel, American touring and session rock bassist (Gregg Allman; Firehouse), takes his own life at 45 2004 (Roquel) "Billy" Davis, American songwriter and music producer of pop music and commercial jingles ("Reet Petite"; "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)"; "It's the Real Thing"), dies at 72 American actor (Gilligan's Island, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis), dies of complications from treatment for cancer at 70 [1] [2] 2006 Bob Mathias, American decathlete (Olympic gold 1948, 52) and congressman, dies of cancer at 75 2006 Willi Ninja [William Leake], American dancer and choreographer (Paris Is Burning), dies of AIDS-related heart failure at 45 2006 [Walter] Dewey Redman, American jazz saxophonist, dies of liver failure at 75 2007 Marcia Mae Jones, American actress (Frankie Darro, The Cisco), dies at 83 2008 (José) "Bill" Meléndez, American Emmy Award-winning character animator (Peanuts TV specials), dies at 91 2009 Guy Babylon, American keyboard player (Elton John) and arranger dies at 52 2012 Mark Abrahamian, American rock guitarist (Starship, 2000-12), dies of a heart attack after a concert at 46 2013 Frederik Pohl, American sci-fi author (3 Hugo, Gateway, Bipohl), dies at 93 2015 Donny Conn, American musician (The Playmates), dies at 85 2017 Dave Hlubek, American rock guitarist (Molly Hatchet), dies at 66 2017 Halim El-Dabh, Egyptian-American pianist, darabukha drummer, and composer (Martha Graham ballet scores), dies at 96 2017 Murray Lerner, American documentary and experimental film director and producer (Secrets of the Reef), dies at 90 2020 William Yorzyk Jr., American swimmer (Olympic gold 200m butterfly, WR 2:19.3, 1956), dies at 87 2021 David Patten, American NFL football wide receiver (Super Bowl 2001, 2004, 2005; New England Patriots), dies in a car accident at 47 2021 Ryan Sakoda, Japanese-American professional wrestler (WWE Velocity, Wrestling Society X), dies at 48 2024 James Darren [Ercolani], American actor (TJ Hooker; Gidget movies -"Moondoggie"; Diamond Head; Venus in Furs), singer ("Goodbye Cruel World"), and director, dies of heart failure at 88 [1] Today in History by Country Abraham Lincoln Elizabeth Cady Stanton Frederick Douglass George Washington Martin Luther King Jr. Search the largest and most accurate independent site for today in history.