Today is Wednesday, Sept. 8, the 251st day of 2010. There are 114 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History:
On Sept. 8, 1935, Sen. Huey P. Long, D-La., "The Kingfish" of Louisiana politics, was shot and mortally wounded inside the State Capitol in Baton Rouge; he died two days later at age 42. The assailant was identified as Dr. Carl Weiss, who was gunned down by Long's bodyguards.
On this date:
In 1504, Michelangelo's towering marble statue of David was unveiled to the public in Florence, Italy.
In 1892, an early version of "The Pledge of Allegiance," written by Francis Bellamy, appeared in "The Youth's Companion."
In 1900, Galveston, Texas, was struck by a hurricane that killed an estimated 8,000 people.
In 1930, Scotch cellophane tape made its debut as a sample of the tape was shipped to a Chicago firm which specialized in wrapping bakery goods in cellophane. The comic strip "Blondie," created by Chic Young, was first published.
In 1941, the 900-day Siege of Leningrad by German forces began during World War II.
In 1951, a peace treaty with Japan was signed by 49 nations in San Francisco.
In 1960, American runner Wilma Rudolph won the third of her three gold medals at the Rome Olympics as she and teammates Barbara Jones, Martha Hudson and Lucinda Williams prevailed in the women's 4 x 100-meter relay.
In 1974, President Gerald R. Ford granted an unconditional pardon to former President Richard Nixon.
Today's Birthdays: Comedian Sid Caesar is 88. Ventriloquist Willie Tyler is 70. Actor Alan Feinstein is 69. Pop singer Sal Valentino (The Beau Brummels) is 68. Author Ann Beattie is 63. Cajun singer Zachary Richard (ree-SHARD') is 60. Musician Will Lee ("Late Show with David Letterman") is 58. Actress Heather Thomas is 53. Singer Aimee Mann is 50. Pop musician David Steele (Fine Young Cannibals) is 50. Actor Thomas Kretschmann is 48. Rhythm-and-blues singer Marc Gordon (Levert) is 46. Gospel singer Darlene Zschech (chehk) is 45. Alternative country singer Neko Case is 40. TV personality Brooke Burke is 39. Actor Martin Freeman is 39. Actor Henry Thomas is 39. Actor David Arquette is 39. Rock musician Richard Hughes (Keane) is 35. Actor Larenz Tate is 35. Actor Nathan Corddry is 33. Rhythm-and-blues singer Pink is 31. Actor Jonathan Taylor Thomas is 29.
Thought for Today: "Fools act on imagination without knowledge, pedants act on knowledge without imagination." — Alfred North Whitehead, English philosopher and mathematician (1861-1947).
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