Today in History
Today is Sunday, Sept. 24, the 267th day of 2022. There are 98 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Sept. 24, 1957, the Los Angeles-bound Brooklyn Dodgers played their last game at Ebbets Field, defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-0.
On this date:
In 1789, President George Washington signed a Judiciary Act establishing America’s federal court system and creating the post of attorney general.
In 1869, thousands of businessmen were ruined in a Wall Street panic known as “Black Friday” after financiers Jay Gould and James Fisk attempted to corner the gold market.
In 1960, the USS Enterprise, the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, was launched at Newport News, Virginia.
In 1963, the U.S. Senate ratified a treaty with Britain and the Soviet Union limiting nuclear testing.
In 1968, the TV news magazine “60 Minutes” premiered on CBS.
In 1969, the trial of the Chicago Eight, later the Chicago Seven, began. (Five were later convicted of crossing state lines to incite riots at the 1968 Democratic convention, but the convictions were ultimately overturned.)
In 1976, former hostage Patricia Hearst was sentenced to seven years in prison for her part in a 1974 bank robbery in San Francisco carried out by the Symbionese Liberation Army.
In 2001, President George W. Bush ordered a freeze on the assets of 27 people and organizations with suspected links to terrorism, including Islamic militant Osama bin Laden, and urged other nations to do likewise.
In 2013, a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake rocked southwest Pakistan, killing at least 376 people.
In 2015, a stampede and crush of Muslim pilgrims occurred at an intersection near a holy site in Saudi Arabia; The Associated Press estimated that more than 2,400 people were killed, while the official Saudi toll stood at 769.
In 2017, more than 200 NFL players kneeled or sat during the national anthem after President Donald Trump criticized the players’ protests in a speech and a series of tweets.
In 2018, as the president and top GOP lawmakers continued an aggressive drive to rally the public behind his Supreme Court nomination, Brett Kavanaugh reiterated to Fox News that he had never sexually assaulted anyone.
In 2019, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi launched a formal impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump; the probe focused partly on whether Trump abused his presidential powers and sought help from the government of Ukraine to undermine Democratic foe Joe Biden.
In 2020, President Donald Trump’s refusal to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he were to lose the November election drew swift blowback from both parties in Congress, with Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell saying that the winner “will be inaugurated on January 20th.”
In 2022, Russian forces launched new strikes on Ukrainian cities as Kremlin-orchestrated votes took place in occupied regions of Ukraine to create a pretext for their annexation by Moscow.
Today’s Birthdays: Singer Phyllis “Jiggs” Allbut Sirico (The Angels) is 81. Political commentator Lou Dobbs is 78. Pro and College Football Hall of Famer Joe Greene is 77. Actor Gordon Clapp is 75. Actor Harriet Walter is 73. Songwriter Holly Knight is 67. Actor Kevin Sorbo is 65. Actor-writer Nia Vardalos is 61. Rock musician Shawn Crahan (AKA Clown) (Slipknot) is 54. Actor Megan Ward is 54. Singer-musician Marty Cintron (No Mercy) is 52.
Contemporary Christian musician Juan DeVevo (Casting Crowns) is 48. Actor Ian Bohen is 47. Actor Justin Bruening is 44. Olympic gold medal gymnast Paul Hamm (hahm) is 41. Actor Erik Stocklin is 41. Actor Spencer Treat Clark is 36. Actor Grey Damon is 36. Actor Kyle Sullivan is 35. Actor Ben Platt is 30.
