Monday, September 21st
The 264th day of 2009.
There are 101 days left in the year.
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Today's Highlights in History
On Sept. 21, 1938, a hurricane struck parts of New York and New England, causing widespread damage and claiming more than 600 lives. (Go to article.)
On Sept. 21, 1867, Henry Stimson, United States Secretary of War during World War II, was born. Following his death on Oct. 20, 1950, his obituary appeared in The Times. (Go to obit. | Other Birthdays)
Editorial Cartoon of the Day
On September 21, 1872, Harper's Weekly featured a cartoon about Horace Greeley, Andersonville prison camp, and the presidential election of 1872. (See the cartoon and read an explanation.)
On this date in:
1792 The French National Convention voted to abolish the monarchy.
1897 The New York Sun ran an editorial that answered a question from 8-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon: "Is there a Santa Claus?"
1931 Britain went off the gold standard.
1937 "The Hobbit" by J.R.R. Tolkien was published.
1948 Milton Berle debuted as permanent host of "The Texaco Star Theater" on NBC.
1957 "Perry Mason," starring Raymond Burr, premiered on CBS.
1964 Malta gained independence from Britain.
1970 "NFL Monday Night Football" debuted on ABC.
1977 President Jimmy Carter's budget director, Bert Lance, resigned amid controversy over past business and banking practices.
1982 National Football League players began a 57-day strike.
1983 Interior Secretary James G. Watt described a special advisory panel as consisting of "a black ... a woman, two Jews and a cripple." Watt later apologized and resigned.
1996 John F. Kennedy Jr. married Carolyn Bessette.
1996 The board of Virginia Military Institute voted to admit women.
1998 President Bill Clinton's videotaped grand jury testimony was publicly broadcast. In it, Clinton sparred with prosecutors about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky, at one point answering a question by saying, "It depends on what the meaning of 'is' is."
1998 Olympic gold medal track star Florence Griffith Joyner, 38, died in her sleep after suffering an epilectic seizure.
1999 A powerful earthquake struck Taiwan, killing at least 2,400 people.
2001 Congress approved $15 billion to help an airline industry reeling from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
2002 Angelo Buono Jr., the Hillside Strangler whose killings of young women terrorized Los Angeles in the 1970s, died in prison at age 67.
2003 NASA's Galileo spacecraft plunged into Jupiter's turbulent atmosphere, bringing a fiery conclusion to a 14-year exploration of the solar system's largest planet and its moons.
2008 "Mad Men" became the first basic-cable show to win a top series Emmy award.
2008 The last baseball game was played in the old Yankee Stadium as New York defeated Baltimore 7-3.
Current Birthdays
Leonard Cohen turns 75 years old today.
AP Photo/Chris Pizzello Poet-songwriter Leonard Cohen turns 75 years old today.
91 Karl Slover
Actor ("The Wizard of Oz")
78 Larry Hagman
Actor ("I Dream of Jeannie," "Dallas")
68 James Woolsey
Former CIA director
65 Steve Beshear
Governor of Kentucky
65 Fannie Flagg
Author, comedian
62 Jerry Bruckheimer
Producer ("CSI")
62 Don Felder
Rock musician (The Eagles)
62 Stephen King
Author
59 Bill Murray
Actor
55 Philthy Animal
Rock musician (Motorhead)
52 Ethan Coen
Writer, producer
50 Dave Coulier
Actor, comedian ("Full House")
49 David James Elliott
Actor ("JAG")
48 Serena Scott-Thomas
Actress
48 Nancy Travis
Actress
47 Rob Morrow
Actor ("Numb3rs," "Northern Exposure")
44 Cheryl Hines
Actress ("Curb Your Enthusiasm")
43 Mike Richter
Hockey player
42 Faith Hill
Country singer
42 Tyler Stewart
Rock musician (Barenaked Ladies)
41 Dave
Rapper (De La Soul)
41 Ricki Lake
Actress, talk show host
41 Ronna Reeves
Country singer
38 James Lesure
Actor
38 Alfonso Ribeiro
Actor
38 Luke Wilson
Actor
36 Virginia Ruano Pascual
Tennis player
31 Paulo Costanzo
Actor
30 Brian Westbrook
Football player
28 Nicole Richie
TV personality ("The Simple Life")
26 Maggie Grace
Actress ("Lost")
26 Joseph Mazzello
Actor
11 Lorenzo Brino
Actor ("7th Heaven")
11 Nikolas Brino
Actor ("7th Heaven")
Historic Birthdays
Henry Stimson
9/21/1867 - 10/20/1950
American statesman; served under five presidents
(Go to obit.)
80 John Loudon McAdam
9/21/1756 - 11/26/1836
Scottish inventor of macadamized road construction
69 Charles Nicolle
9/21/1866 - 2/28/1936
French Nobel Prize-winning bacteriologist (1928)
79 H. G. Wells
9/21/1866 - 8/13/1946
English novelist, historian and science fiction writer
59 Gustav Holst
9/21/1874 - 5/25/1934
English composer and teacher
67 Sir Allen Lane
9/21/1902 - 7/7/1970
English publisher; pioneered paperback publishing
63 Westbrook Van Voorhis
9/21/1904 - 7/14/1968
American radio announcer
85 Hans Hartung
9/21/1904 - 12/7/1989
German-born French painter
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SOURCE: The Associated Press
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