Today is Saturday, Aug. 15, the 227th day of 2009. There are 138 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Aug. 15, 1945, Japanese Emperor Hirohito announced to his subjects in a prerecorded radio address that Japan had accepted terms of surrender for ending World War II.

On this date:

In 1057, Macbeth, King of Scots, was killed in battle by Malcolm, the eldest son of King Duncan, whom Macbeth had slain.

In 1859, Chicago White Sox founder Charles Comiskey was born in Chicago.

In 1914, the Panama Canal opened to traffic.

In 1935, humorist Will Rogers and aviator Wiley Post were killed when their airplane crashed near Point Barrow in the Alaska Territory.

In 1944, during World War II, Allied forces landed in southern France in Operation Dragoon.

In 1947, India became independent after some 200 years of British rule.

In 1969, the Woodstock Music and Art Fair opened in upstate New York.

In 1971, President Richard Nixon announced a 90-day freeze on wages, prices and rents.

In 1979, Andrew Young resigned as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations after coming under fire for an unauthorized meeting with the U.N. observer for the Palestine Liberation Organization.

In 1998, 29 people were killed by a car bomb that tore apart the center of Omagh, Northern Ireland; a splinter group calling itself the Real IRA claimed responsibility.

Ten years ago: President Bill Clinton and his family went house-hunting in Westchester County, N.Y. (They later settled on a house in Chappaqua.) Tiger Woods won the PGA Championship, becoming at age 23 the youngest player to win two majors since Seve Ballesteros.

Five years ago: Residents left homeless by Hurricane Charley dug through their ravaged homes, rescuing what they could as President George W. Bush promised rapid delivery of disaster aid. In Athens, the U.S. men's basketball team lost 92-73 to Puerto Rico, only the third Olympic defeat ever for the Americans and the first since adding pros. Vijay Singh won the PGA Championship in Haven, Wis.

One year ago: Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili grudgingly signed a U.S.-backed truce with Russia, even as he denounced the Russians as invading barbarians and accused the West of all but encouraging them to overrun his country. Michael Phelps won his sixth gold medal with his sixth world record, in the 200-meter individual medley at the Summer Olympics. American Nastia Liukin won the gold in women's gymnastics; friend and teammate Shawn Johnson was second. Record producer Jerry Wexler, who coined the term "rhythm and blues," died in Sarasota, Fla. at age 91. National Public Radio commentator Leroy Sievers, who shared his struggle with cancer, died at his Maryland home at age 53.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Rose Marie is 86. Political activist Phyllis Schlafly is 85. Actor Mike Connors is 84. Actress Lori Nelson is 76. Civil rights activist Vernon Jordan is 74. Actor Jim Dale is 74. Actress Pat Priest is 73. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is 71. U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., is 71. Musician Pete York (Spencer Davis Group) is 67. Author-journalist Linda Ellerbee is 65. Songwriter Jimmy Webb is 63. Rock singer-musician Tom Johnston (The Doobie Brothers) is 61. Britain's Princess Anne is 59. Actress Tess Harper is 59. Actor Larry Mathews is 54. Actor Zeljko Ivanek is 52. Actor-comedian Rondell Sheridan is 51. Rock singer-musician Matt Johnson (The The) is 48. Movie director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu ("Babel") is 46. Actress Debi Mazar is 45. Country singer Angela Rae (Wild Horses) is 43. Actor Peter Hermann is 42. Actress Debra Messing is 41. Actor Anthony Anderson is 39. Actor Ben Affleck is 37. Singer Mikey Graham (Boyzone) is 37. Actress Natasha Henstridge is 35. Actress Nicole Paggi is 32. Figure skater Jennifer Kirk is 25. Latin pop singer Belinda (Film: "The Cheetah Girls 2") is 20. Rock singer Joe Jonas (The Jonas Brothers) is 20.

Thought for Today: "To feel that one has a place in life solves half the problem of contentment." — George Edward Woodberry, American poet, critic and educator (1855-1930).

Today is Saturday, Aug. 15, the 227th day of 2009. There are 138 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Aug. 15, 1945, Japanese Emperor Hirohito announced to his subjects in a prerecorded radio address that Japan had accepted terms of surrender for ending World War II.

On this date:

In 1057, Macbeth, King of Scots, was killed in battle by Malcolm, the eldest son of King Duncan, whom Macbeth had slain.

In 1859, Chicago White Sox founder Charles Comiskey was born in Chicago.

In 1914, the Panama Canal opened to traffic.

In 1935, humorist Will Rogers and aviator Wiley Post were killed when their airplane crashed near Point Barrow in the Alaska Territory.

In 1944, during World War II, Allied forces landed in southern France in Operation Dragoon.

In 1947, India became independent after some 200 years of British rule.

In 1969, the Woodstock Music and Art Fair opened in upstate New York.

In 1971, President Richard Nixon announced a 90-day freeze on wages, prices and rents.

In 1979, Andrew Young resigned as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations after coming under fire for an unauthorized meeting with the U.N. observer for the Palestine Liberation Organization.

In 1998, 29 people were killed by a car bomb that tore apart the center of Omagh, Northern Ireland; a splinter group calling itself the Real IRA claimed responsibility.

Ten years ago: President Bill Clinton and his family went house-hunting in Westchester County, N.Y. (They later settled on a house in Chappaqua.) Tiger Woods won the PGA Championship, becoming at age 23 the youngest player to win two majors since Seve Ballesteros.

Five years ago: Residents left homeless by Hurricane Charley dug through their ravaged homes, rescuing what they could as President George W. Bush promised rapid delivery of disaster aid. In Athens, the U.S. men's basketball team lost 92-73 to Puerto Rico, only the third Olympic defeat ever for the Americans and the first since adding pros. Vijay Singh won the PGA Championship in Haven, Wis.

One year ago: Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili grudgingly signed a U.S.-backed truce with Russia, even as he denounced the Russians as invading barbarians and accused the West of all but encouraging them to overrun his country. Michael Phelps won his sixth gold medal with his sixth world record, in the 200-meter individual medley at the Summer Olympics. American Nastia Liukin won the gold in women's gymnastics; friend and teammate Shawn Johnson was second. Record producer Jerry Wexler, who coined the term "rhythm and blues," died in Sarasota, Fla. at age 91. National Public Radio commentator Leroy Sievers, who shared his struggle with cancer, died at his Maryland home at age 53.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Rose Marie is 86. Political activist Phyllis Schlafly is 85. Actor Mike Connors is 84. Actress Lori Nelson is 76. Civil rights activist Vernon Jordan is 74. Actor Jim Dale is 74. Actress Pat Priest is 73. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is 71. U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., is 71. Musician Pete York (Spencer Davis Group) is 67. Author-journalist Linda Ellerbee is 65. Songwriter Jimmy Webb is 63. Rock singer-musician Tom Johnston (The Doobie Brothers) is 61. Britain's Princess Anne is 59. Actress Tess Harper is 59. Actor Larry Mathews is 54. Actor Zeljko Ivanek is 52. Actor-comedian Rondell Sheridan is 51. Rock singer-musician Matt Johnson (The The) is 48. Movie director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu ("Babel") is 46. Actress Debi Mazar is 45. Country singer Angela Rae (Wild Horses) is 43. Actor Peter Hermann is 42. Actress Debra Messing is 41. Actor Anthony Anderson is 39. Actor Ben Affleck is 37. Singer Mikey Graham (Boyzone) is 37. Actress Natasha Henstridge is 35. Actress Nicole Paggi is 32. Figure skater Jennifer Kirk is 25. Latin pop singer Belinda (Film: "The Cheetah Girls 2") is 20. Rock singer Joe Jonas (The Jonas Brothers) is 20.

Thought for Today: "To feel that one has a place in life solves half the problem of contentment." — George Edward Woodberry, American poet, critic and educator (1855-1930).

Today is Saturday, Aug. 15, the 227th day of 2009. There are 138 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Aug. 15, 1945, Japanese Emperor Hirohito announced to his subjects in a prerecorded radio address that Japan had accepted terms of surrender for ending World War II.

On this date:

In 1057, Macbeth, King of Scots, was killed in battle by Malcolm, the eldest son of King Duncan, whom Macbeth had slain.

In 1859, Chicago White Sox founder Charles Comiskey was born in Chicago.

In 1914, the Panama Canal opened to traffic.

In 1935, humorist Will Rogers and aviator Wiley Post were killed when their airplane crashed near Point Barrow in the Alaska Territory.

In 1944, during World War II, Allied forces landed in southern France in Operation Dragoon.

In 1947, India became independent after some 200 years of British rule.

In 1969, the Woodstock Music and Art Fair opened in upstate New York.

In 1971, President Richard Nixon announced a 90-day freeze on wages, prices and rents.

In 1979, Andrew Young resigned as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations after coming under fire for an unauthorized meeting with the U.N. observer for the Palestine Liberation Organization.

In 1998, 29 people were killed by a car bomb that tore apart the center of Omagh, Northern Ireland; a splinter group calling itself the Real IRA claimed responsibility.

Ten years ago: President Bill Clinton and his family went house-hunting in Westchester County, N.Y. (They later settled on a house in Chappaqua.) Tiger Woods won the PGA Championship, becoming at age 23 the youngest player to win two majors since Seve Ballesteros.

Five years ago: Residents left homeless by Hurricane Charley dug through their ravaged homes, rescuing what they could as President George W. Bush promised rapid delivery of disaster aid. In Athens, the U.S. men's basketball team lost 92-73 to Puerto Rico, only the third Olympic defeat ever for the Americans and the first since adding pros. Vijay Singh won the PGA Championship in Haven, Wis.

One year ago: Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili grudgingly signed a U.S.-backed truce with Russia, even as he denounced the Russians as invading barbarians and accused the West of all but encouraging them to overrun his country. Michael Phelps won his sixth gold medal with his sixth world record, in the 200-meter individual medley at the Summer Olympics. American Nastia Liukin won the gold in women's gymnastics; friend and teammate Shawn Johnson was second. Record producer Jerry Wexler, who coined the term "rhythm and blues," died in Sarasota, Fla. at age 91. National Public Radio commentator Leroy Sievers, who shared his struggle with cancer, died at his Maryland home at age 53.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Rose Marie is 86. Political activist Phyllis Schlafly is 85. Actor Mike Connors is 84. Actress Lori Nelson is 76. Civil rights activist Vernon Jordan is 74. Actor Jim Dale is 74. Actress Pat Priest is 73. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is 71. U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., is 71. Musician Pete York (Spencer Davis Group) is 67. Author-journalist Linda Ellerbee is 65. Songwriter Jimmy Webb is 63. Rock singer-musician Tom Johnston (The Doobie Brothers) is 61. Britain's Princess Anne is 59. Actress Tess Harper is 59. Actor Larry Mathews is 54. Actor Zeljko Ivanek is 52. Actor-comedian Rondell Sheridan is 51. Rock singer-musician Matt Johnson (The The) is 48. Movie director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu ("Babel") is 46. Actress Debi Mazar is 45. Country singer Angela Rae (Wild Horses) is 43. Actor Peter Hermann is 42. Actress Debra Messing is 41. Actor Anthony Anderson is 39. Actor Ben Affleck is 37. Singer Mikey Graham (Boyzone) is 37. Actress Natasha Henstridge is 35. Actress Nicole Paggi is 32. Figure skater Jennifer Kirk is 25. Latin pop singer Belinda (Film: "The Cheetah Girls 2") is 20. Rock singer Joe Jonas (The Jonas Brothers) is 20.

Thought for Today: "To feel that one has a place in life solves half the problem of contentment." — George Edward Woodberry, American poet, critic and educator (1855-1930).

Today is Saturday, Aug. 15, the 227th day of 2009. There are 138 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Aug. 15, 1945, Japanese Emperor Hirohito announced to his subjects in a prerecorded radio address that Japan had accepted terms of surrender for ending World War II.

On this date:

In 1057, Macbeth, King of Scots, was killed in battle by Malcolm, the eldest son of King Duncan, whom Macbeth had slain.

In 1859, Chicago White Sox founder Charles Comiskey was born in Chicago.

In 1914, the Panama Canal opened to traffic.

In 1935, humorist Will Rogers and aviator Wiley Post were killed when their airplane crashed near Point Barrow in the Alaska Territory.

In 1944, during World War II, Allied forces landed in southern France in Operation Dragoon.

In 1947, India became independent after some 200 years of British rule.

In 1969, the Woodstock Music and Art Fair opened in upstate New York.

In 1971, President Richard Nixon announced a 90-day freeze on wages, prices and rents.

In 1979, Andrew Young resigned as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations after coming under fire for an unauthorized meeting with the U.N. observer for the Palestine Liberation Organization.

In 1998, 29 people were killed by a car bomb that tore apart the center of Omagh, Northern Ireland; a splinter group calling itself the Real IRA claimed responsibility.

Ten years ago: President Bill Clinton and his family went house-hunting in Westchester County, N.Y. (They later settled on a house in Chappaqua.) Tiger Woods won the PGA Championship, becoming at age 23 the youngest player to win two majors since Seve Ballesteros.

Five years ago: Residents left homeless by Hurricane Charley dug through their ravaged homes, rescuing what they could as President George W. Bush promised rapid delivery of disaster aid. In Athens, the U.S. men's basketball team lost 92-73 to Puerto Rico, only the third Olympic defeat ever for the Americans and the first since adding pros. Vijay Singh won the PGA Championship in Haven, Wis.

One year ago: Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili grudgingly signed a U.S.-backed truce with Russia, even as he denounced the Russians as invading barbarians and accused the West of all but encouraging them to overrun his country. Michael Phelps won his sixth gold medal with his sixth world record, in the 200-meter individual medley at the Summer Olympics. American Nastia Liukin won the gold in women's gymnastics; friend and teammate Shawn Johnson was second. Record producer Jerry Wexler, who coined the term "rhythm and blues," died in Sarasota, Fla. at age 91. National Public Radio commentator Leroy Sievers, who shared his struggle with cancer, died at his Maryland home at age 53.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Rose Marie is 86. Political activist Phyllis Schlafly is 85. Actor Mike Connors is 84. Actress Lori Nelson is 76. Civil rights activist Vernon Jordan is 74. Actor Jim Dale is 74. Actress Pat Priest is 73. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is 71. U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., is 71. Musician Pete York (Spencer Davis Group) is 67. Author-journalist Linda Ellerbee is 65. Songwriter Jimmy Webb is 63. Rock singer-musician Tom Johnston (The Doobie Brothers) is 61. Britain's Princess Anne is 59. Actress Tess Harper is 59. Actor Larry Mathews is 54. Actor Zeljko Ivanek is 52. Actor-comedian Rondell Sheridan is 51. Rock singer-musician Matt Johnson (The The) is 48. Movie director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu ("Babel") is 46. Actress Debi Mazar is 45. Country singer Angela Rae (Wild Horses) is 43. Actor Peter Hermann is 42. Actress Debra Messing is 41. Actor Anthony Anderson is 39. Actor Ben Affleck is 37. Singer Mikey Graham (Boyzone) is 37. Actress Natasha Henstridge is 35. Actress Nicole Paggi is 32. Figure skater Jennifer Kirk is 25. Latin pop singer Belinda (Film: "The Cheetah Girls 2") is 20. Rock singer Joe Jonas (The Jonas Brothers) is 20.

Thought for Today: "To feel that one has a place in life solves half the problem of contentment." — George Edward Woodberry, American poet, critic and educator (1855-1930).

Today is Saturday, Aug. 15, the 227th day of 2009. There are 138 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Aug. 15, 1945, Japanese Emperor Hirohito announced to his subjects in a prerecorded radio address that Japan had accepted terms of surrender for ending World War II.

On this date:

In 1057, Macbeth, King of Scots, was killed in battle by Malcolm, the eldest son of King Duncan, whom Macbeth had slain.

In 1859, Chicago White Sox founder Charles Comiskey was born in Chicago.

In 1914, the Panama Canal opened to traffic.

In 1935, humorist Will Rogers and aviator Wiley Post were killed when their airplane crashed near Point Barrow in the Alaska Territory.

In 1944, during World War II, Allied forces landed in southern France in Operation Dragoon.

In 1947, India became independent after some 200 years of British rule.

In 1969, the Woodstock Music and Art Fair opened in upstate New York.

In 1971, President Richard Nixon announced a 90-day freeze on wages, prices and rents.

In 1979, Andrew Young resigned as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations after coming under fire for an unauthorized meeting with the U.N. observer for the Palestine Liberation Organization.

In 1998, 29 people were killed by a car bomb that tore apart the center of Omagh, Northern Ireland; a splinter group calling itself the Real IRA claimed responsibility.

Ten years ago: President Bill Clinton and his family went house-hunting in Westchester County, N.Y. (They later settled on a house in Chappaqua.) Tiger Woods won the PGA Championship, becoming at age 23 the youngest player to win two majors since Seve Ballesteros.

Five years ago: Residents left homeless by Hurricane Charley dug through their ravaged homes, rescuing what they could as President George W. Bush promised rapid delivery of disaster aid. In Athens, the U.S. men's basketball team lost 92-73 to Puerto Rico, only the third Olympic defeat ever for the Americans and the first since adding pros. Vijay Singh won the PGA Championship in Haven, Wis.

One year ago: Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili grudgingly signed a U.S.-backed truce with Russia, even as he denounced the Russians as invading barbarians and accused the West of all but encouraging them to overrun his country. Michael Phelps won his sixth gold medal with his sixth world record, in the 200-meter individual medley at the Summer Olympics. American Nastia Liukin won the gold in women's gymnastics; friend and teammate Shawn Johnson was second. Record producer Jerry Wexler, who coined the term "rhythm and blues," died in Sarasota, Fla. at age 91. National Public Radio commentator Leroy Sievers, who shared his struggle with cancer, died at his Maryland home at age 53.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Rose Marie is 86. Political activist Phyllis Schlafly is 85. Actor Mike Connors is 84. Actress Lori Nelson is 76. Civil rights activist Vernon Jordan is 74. Actor Jim Dale is 74. Actress Pat Priest is 73. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is 71. U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., is 71. Musician Pete York (Spencer Davis Group) is 67. Author-journalist Linda Ellerbee is 65. Songwriter Jimmy Webb is 63. Rock singer-musician Tom Johnston (The Doobie Brothers) is 61. Britain's Princess Anne is 59. Actress Tess Harper is 59. Actor Larry Mathews is 54. Actor Zeljko Ivanek is 52. Actor-comedian Rondell Sheridan is 51. Rock singer-musician Matt Johnson (The The) is 48. Movie director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu ("Babel") is 46. Actress Debi Mazar is 45. Country singer Angela Rae (Wild Horses) is 43. Actor Peter Hermann is 42. Actress Debra Messing is 41. Actor Anthony Anderson is 39. Actor Ben Affleck is 37. Singer Mikey Graham (Boyzone) is 37. Actress Natasha Henstridge is 35. Actress Nicole Paggi is 32. Figure skater Jennifer Kirk is 25. Latin pop singer Belinda (Film: "The Cheetah Girls 2") is 20. Rock singer Joe Jonas (The Jonas Brothers) is 20.

Thought for Today: "To feel that one has a place in life solves half the problem of contentment." — George Edward Woodberry, American poet, critic and educator (1855-1930).

Today is Thursday, Aug. 23, the 235th day of 2007. There are 130 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:
On Aug. 23, 1927, Italian-born anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were executed in Boston for the murders of two men during a 1920 robbery. (Fifty years later, on this date in 1977, Mass. Gov. Michael S. Dukakis proclaimed that “any stigma and disgrace should be forever removed” from their names.)

On this date:
In 1754, France’s King Louis the XVI was born at Versailles.
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In 1775, Britain’s King George III proclaimed the American colonies in a state of “open and avowed rebellion.”

In 1914, Japan declared war against Germany in World War I.

In 1926, silent film star Rudolph Valentino died in New York at age 31.

In 1939, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union agreed to a non-aggression treaty, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, in Moscow.

In 1944, Romanian prime minister Ion Antonescu was dismissed by King Michael, paving the way for Romania to abandon the Axis in favor of the Allies.

In 1960, Broadway librettist Oscar Hammerstein II died in Doylestown, Pa., at age 65.

In 1973, a bank robbery-turned-hostage standoff began in Stockholm, Sweden; by the time the crisis ended, the four hostages had come to empathize with their captors, an occurrence that came to be known as “Stockholm Syndrome.”

In 1982, Lebanon’s parliament elected Christian militia leader Bashir Gemayel president. (However, Gemayel was assassinated some three weeks later.)

In 1989, in a case that inflamed racial tensions in New York City, Yusuf Hawkins, a 16-year-old black youth, was shot dead after he and his friends were confronted by white youths in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn.

Ten years ago: In his weekly radio address, President Bill Clinton said he would ask Congress to renew his authority for speedy negotiation of trade agreements, saying the “fast track” approach was needed to make U.S. companies more competitive worldwide.

Five years ago: North Korean leader Kim Jong Il made his second visit to Russia in a year, meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Vladivostok. New York publicist Lizzie Grubman pleaded guilty in a hit-and-run crash that injured 16 people outside a Hamptons nightclub. (Grubman ended up serving 37 days of a 60-day sentence at the Suffolk County, N.Y., jail, with time off for good behavior.)

One year ago: A previously unknown militant group released the first video of two kidnapped Fox News journalists. (Correspondent Steve Centanni and cameraman Olaf Wiig were later freed.) The Citadel released the results of a survey in which almost 20 percent of female cadets reported being sexually assaulted since enrolling at the South Carolina military college. Jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson died in Ventura, Calif., at age 78.

Today’s Birthdays: Movie director Robert Mulligan is 82. Actress Vera Miles is 77. Political satirist Mark Russell is 75. Actress Barbara Eden is 73. Actor Richard Sanders is 67. Ballet dancer Patricia McBride is 65. Former Surgeon General Antonia Novello is 63. Country singer Rex Allen Jr. is 60. Singer Linda Thompson is 60. Actress Shelley Long is 58. Actor-singer Rick Springfield is 58. Country singer-musician Woody Paul (Riders in the Sky) is 58. Queen Noor of Jordan is 56. Actor-producer Mark Hudson is 56. Rock musician Dean DeLeo (Army of Anyone and Stone Temple Pilots) is 46. Country musician Ira Dean (Trick Pony) is 38. Actor Jay Mohr is 37. Actor Scott Caan is 31. Country singer Shelly Fairchild is 30. Rock singer Julian Casablancas (The Strokes) is 29.

Thought for Today: “All life is a concatenation of ephemeralities.” — Alfred Kahn, American economist.

Today is Wednesday, Aug. 26, the 238th day of 2009. There are 127 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Aug. 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing American women the right to vote, was certified in effect by Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby.

On this date:

In 55 B.C., Roman forces under Julius Caesar invaded Britain, but achieved limited success.

In 1883, the island volcano Krakatoa began cataclysmic eruptions, leading to a massive explosion the following day.

In 1939, the first televised major league baseball games were shown on experimental station W2XBS: a double-header between the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field. (The Reds won the first game, 5-2, the Dodgers the second, 6-1.)

In 1958, Alaskans went to the polls to overwhelmingly vote in favor of statehood.

In 1961, the original Hockey Hall of Fame was opened in Toronto.

In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson was nominated for a term of office in his own right at the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, N.J.

In 1968, the Democratic National Convention opened in Chicago.

In 1972, the summer Olympics games opened in Munich, West Germany.

In 1978, Cardinal Albino Luciani 1of Venice was elected the 264th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church following the death of Paul VI. The new pontiff took the name Pope John Paul I.

In 1986, in the so-called "preppie murder case," 18-year-old Jennifer Levin was found strangled in New York's Central Park; Robert Chambers later pleaded guilty to manslaughter and served 15 years in prison.

Ten years ago: Attorney General Janet Reno pledged that a new investigation of the 1993 Waco, Texas, siege would "get to the bottom" of how the FBI used potentially flammable tear gas grenades against her wishes and then took six years to admit it. (Special Counsel John Danforth later concluded a junior FBI lawyer had failed to tell superiors about the use of pyrotechnic tear gas canisters, and said he was certain federal agents did not start the fire that destroyed the Branch Davidian compound.)

Five years ago: The nation's supply of vaccine for the impending flu season took a big hit when Chiron Corp. announced it had found tainted doses in its factory, and would hold up shipment of about 50 million shots. At the Athens Olympics, the U.S. women's soccer team won the gold medal by beating Brazil, 2-1, in overtime; Shawn Crawford led a U.S. sweep of the 200 meters. Pop singer Laura Branigan died in East Quogue, N.Y., at age 47.

One year ago: Former First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton closed the book on her 2008 presidential bid by telling the Democratic National Convention in Denver the election wasn't about her and declaring herself a "proud supporter of Barack Obama." Russia recognized the independence claims of two Georgian breakaway regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Hurricane Gustav struck Haiti, causing widespread flooding and landslides. The storm goes on to kill at least 78 people in the Caribbean. Major League Baseball announced umpires would be allowed to check video on home run "boundary calls" starting Aug. 27.

Today's Birthdays: Former Washington Post Executive Editor Benjamin C. Bradlee is 88. Former Democratic vice-presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro is 74. Actress Francine York is 73. Singer Vic Dana is 67. R&B singer Valerie Simpson is 63. Pop singer Bob Cowsill is 60. Actor Brett Cullen is 53. Basketball coach Stan Van Gundy is 50. Jazz musician Branford Marsalis is 49. Country musician Jimmy Olander (Diamond Rio) is 48. Actor Chris Burke is 44. Actress-singer Shirley Manson (Garbage) is 43. Rock musician Dan Vickrey (Counting Crowes) is 43. TV writer-actress Riley Weston is 43. Rock musician Adrian Young (No Doubt) is 40. Actress Melissa McCarthy is 39. Latin pop singer Thalia is 38. Rock singer-musician Tyler Connolly (Theory of a Deadman) is 34. MLB player Morgan Ensberg is 34. NFL player Jamal Lewis is 30. Actor Macaulay Culkin is 29. Actor Chris Pine is 29. MLB player David Price is 24. R&B singer Cassie Ventura is 23. Actress Keke Palmer is 16.

Thought for Today: "Suffering belongs to no language." — Adelia Prado, Brazilian poet.

Today is Thursday, Aug. 27, the 239th day of 2009. There are 126 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Aug. 27, 1859, Edwin L. Drake drilled the first successful oil well in the United States, at Titusville, Pa.

On this date:

In 1858, the second debate between senatorial candidates Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas took place in Freeport, Ill.

In 1883, the island volcano Krakatoa blew up; the resulting tidal waves in Indonesia's Sunda Strait claimed some 36,000 lives in Java and Sumatra.

In 1892, fire seriously damaged New York's original Metropolitan Opera House.

In 1908, Lyndon Baines Johnson, the 36th president of the United States, was born near Stonewall, Texas.

In 1928, the Kellogg-Briand Pact was signed in Paris, outlawing war and providing for the peaceful settlement of disputes.

In 1962, the United States launched the Mariner 2 space probe, which flew past Venus in December 1962.

In 1975, Haile Selassie, the last emperor of Ethiopia's 3,000-year-old monarchy, died in Addis Ababa at age 83 almost a year after being overthrown.

In 1979, British war hero Lord Louis Mountbatten and three other people, including his 14-year-old grandson Nicholas, were killed off the coast of Ireland in a boat explosion claimed by the Irish Republican Army.

In 1989, the first U.S. commercial satellite rocket was launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla. — a Delta booster carrying a British communications satellite, the Marcopolo 1.

In 2006, a Comair CRJ-100 crashed after trying to take off from the wrong runway in Lexington, Ky., killing 49 people and leaving the co-pilot the sole survivor.

Ten years ago: The Federal Communications Commission announced new government wiretapping rules intended to help law enforcement authorities keep pace with advances in phone technology. (However, a federal appeals court later threw out some of the new rules, citing privacy concerns.)

Five years ago: President George W. Bush signed executive orders designed to strengthen the CIA director's power over the nation's intelligence agencies and create a national counterterrorism center. Three students were killed in a fire at a University of Mississippi fraternity house.

One year ago: Barack Obama was nominated for president by the Democratic National Convention in Denver. A federal judge in Boise, Idaho, sentenced longtime sex offender Joseph Edward Duncan III to death for the 2005 kidnapping, torture and murder of 9-year-old Dylan Groene.

Today's Birthdays: Cajun-country singer Jimmy C. Newman is 82. Author Antonia Fraser is 77. Actor Tommy Sands is 72. Bluegrass singer-musician J.D. Crowe is 72. Musician Daryl Dragon is 67. Actress Tuesday Weld is 66. Rock singer-musician Tim Bogert is 65. Actress Marianne Sagebrecht is 64. Actress Barbara Bach is 62. Ex-porn star Harry Reems is 62. Country musician Jeff Cook is 60. Actor Paul Reubens is 57. Rock musician Alex Lifeson (Rush) is 56. Actress Diana Scarwid is 54. Pro golfer Bernhard Langer is 52. Rock musician Glen Matlock (The Sex Pistols) is 53. Actor Peter Stormare is 51. Country singer Jeffrey Steele is 48. Gospel singer Yolanda Adams is 47. Country musician Matthew Basford (Yankee Grey) is 47. Writer-producer Dean Devlin is 47. Rock musician Mike Johnson is 44. Retired NFL player Michael Dean Perry is 44. Rap musician Bobo (Cypress Hill) is 41. Country singer Colt Ford is 40. Actress Chandra Wilson is 40. Rock musician Tony Kanal (No Doubt) is 39. Baseball All-Star Jim Thome is 39. Baseball All-star Jose Vidro is 35. Actress Sarah Chalke is 33. Actor RonReaco Lee is 33. Rapper Mase is 32. Actor Aaron Paul is 30. Rock musician Jon Siebels (Eve 6) is 30. Contemporary Christian musician Megan Garrett (Casting Crowns) is 29. Singer Mario is 23. Actress Alexa Vega ("Spy Kids") is 21.

Thought for Today: "In order to have wisdom we must have ignorance." — Theodore Dreiser, American author (born this date in 1871, died 1945).

Today is Friday, Aug. 28, the 240th day of 2009. There are 125 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Aug. 28, 1963, 200,000 people participated in a peaceful civil rights rally in Washington, D.C., where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

On this date:

In 1609, English sea explorer Henry Hudson and his ship, the Half Moon, reached present-day Delaware Bay.

In 1774, Mother Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American-born saint, was born in New York City.

In 1907, United Parcel Service had its beginnings as the American Messenger Company of Seattle.

In 1947, legendary bullfighter Manolete died after being gored during a fight in Linares, Spain; he was 30.

In 1955, Emmett Till, a black teenager from Chicago, was abducted from his uncle's home in Money, Miss., by two white men after he had supposedly whistled at a white woman; he was found brutally slain three days later.

In 1968, police and anti-war demonstrators clashed in the streets of Chicago as the Democratic national convention nominated Hubert H. Humphrey for president.

In 1973, more than 600 people died as an earthquake shook central Mexico.

In 1983, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin announced his resignation.

In 1988, 70 people were killed when three Italian stunt planes collided during an air show at the U.S. Air Base in Ramstein, West Germany.

In 1995, a mortar shell tore through a crowded market in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, killing some three dozen people and triggering NATO airstrikes against the Bosnian Serbs.

Ten years ago: Three crewmen aboard the Mir space station returned safely to Earth after bidding farewell to the 13-year-old Russian orbiter.

Five years ago: Islamic militants claiming to be holding two French journalists in Iraq gave France 48 hours to overturn the law banning the wearing of Islamic head scarves in schools. (The reporters, Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot, were released in December 2004.) The U.S. men's basketball team won the bronze, the 100th U.S. medal of the Athens Games.

One year ago: Surrounded by an enormous, adoring crowd at Invesco Field in Denver, Barack Obama accepted the Democratic presidential nomination, promising what he called a clean break from the "broken politics in Washington and the failed policies of George W. Bush." Former U.S. Marine Jose Luis Nazario Jr., accused of killing unarmed Iraqi detainees in the Iraqi city of Fallujah, was acquitted of voluntary manslaughter in Riverside, Calif.

Today's Birthdays: Country singer Billy Grammer is 84. Actor Ben Gazzara is 79. Actor Sonny Shroyer is 74. Actor Ken Jenkins is 69. Former Defense Secretary William S. Cohen is 69. Actor David Soul is 66. Baseball manager Lou Piniella is 66. Actress Debra Mooney is 62. Actress Alice Playten is 62. Singer Wayne Osmond (The Osmonds) is 58. Actor Daniel Stern is 52. Olympic gold medal figure skater Scott Hamilton is 51. Actor John Allen Nelson is 50. Actress Emma Samms is 49. Actress Jennifer Coolidge is 48. Movie director David Fincher (Film: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button") is 47. Actress Amanda Tapping is 44. Country singer Shania Twain is 44. Actor Billy Boyd is 41. Actor Jack Black is 40. Actor Jason Priestley is 40. Olympic gold medal swimmer Janet Evans is 38. Actor J. August Richards is 36. Rock singer-musician Max Collins (Eve 6) is 31. Actress Carly Pope is 29. Country singer LeAnn Rimes is 27. Actor Michael Galeota is 25. Country singer Jake Owen is 25. Actor Armie Hammer is 23. Actor Kyle Massey is 18.

Thought for Today: "The essence of immorality is the tendency to make an exception of one's self." — Jane Addams, American social worker and Nobel Peace laureate (1860-1935).

Today is Sunday, Aug. 30, the 242nd day of 2009. There are 123 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Aug. 30, 1983, Guion S. Bluford Jr. became the first black American astronaut to travel in space as he blasted off aboard the Challenger.

On this date:

In 1797, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, author of "Frankenstein," was born in London.

In 1861, Union Gen. John C. Fremont instituted martial law in Missouri and declared slaves there to be free. (However, Fremont's order was countermanded days later by President Abraham Lincoln).

In 1862, Union forces were defeated by the Confederates at the Second Battle of Bull Run in Manassas, Va.

In 1905, Ty Cobb made his major-league debut as a player for the Detroit Tigers, hitting a double in his first at-bat in a game against the New York Highlanders. (The Tigers won, 5-3.)

In 1945, Gen. Douglas MacArthur arrived in Japan to set up Allied occupation headquarters.

In 1963, the "Hot Line" communications link between Washington and Moscow went into operation.

In 1967, the Senate confirmed the appointment of Thurgood Marshall as the first black justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

In 1989, a federal jury in New York found "hotel queen" Leona Helmsley guilty of income tax evasion, but acquitted her of extortion. (Helmsley ended up serving 18 months behind bars, a month at a halfway house and two months under house arrest.)

In 1991, Azerbaijan declared its independence, joining the stampede of republics seeking to secede from the Soviet Union.

In 1997, Americans received word of the car crash in Paris that claimed the lives of Princess Diana, Dodi Fayed and their driver, Henri Paul. (Because of the time difference, it was Aug. 31st where the crash occurred.)

Ten years ago: Residents of East Timor voted for independence from Indonesia in a U.N.-sponsored ballot. (Afterward, pro-Indonesia militiamen reacted by going on a violent rampage that ended when international forces were sent in.)

Five years ago: Republicans opened their national convention in New York, with speakers belittling Democratic Sen. John Kerry as a shift-in-the-wind campaigner unworthy of the White House and lavishing praise on President George W. Bush as a steady, decisive leader in an age of terrorism. President Bush ignited a Democratic inferno of criticism by suggesting on NBC's "Today" show that an all-out victory against terrorism might not be possible.

One year ago: Hurricane Gustav slammed into Cuba as a monstrous Category 4 storm, damaging 100,000 homes and causing billions of dollars in damage, but no reported fatalities. Pro wrestling pioneer Walter "Killer" Kowalski died in Everett, Mass., at age 81.

Today's Birthdays: Country singer Kitty Wells is 90. Opera singer Regina Resnik is 87. Actor Bill Daily is 82. Actress Elizabeth Ashley is 70. Actor Ben Jones is 68. Cartoonist R. Crumb is 66. Skier Jean-Claude Killy is 66. Actress Peggy Lipton is 62. Comedian Lewis Black is 61. Actor Timothy Bottoms is 58. Actor David Paymer is 55. Jazz musician Gerald Albright is 52. Actor Michael Chiklis is 46. Music producer Robert Clivilles is 45. Actress Michael Michele is 43. Country musician Geoff Firebaugh is 41. Country singer Sherrie Austin is 38. Rock singer-musician Lars Frederiksen (Rancid) is 38. Actress Cameron Diaz is 37. Rock musician Leon Caffrey (Space) is 36. TV personality Lisa Ling is 36. Rock singer-musician Aaron Barrett (Reel Big Fish) is 35. Singer Rich Cronin (LFO) is 34. NFL player Shaun Alexander is 32. Rock musician Matt Taul (Tantric; Days of the New) is 31. Tennis player Andy Roddick is 27. Rock musician Ryan Ross is 23. Actor Cameron Finley is 22.

Thought for Today: "My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not." — Proverbs 1:10.