This Day in History
1863: The three-day Battle of Chattanooga, an engagement of the Civil War, begins. Union forces under Ulysses S. Grant dislodge the Confederate defenders and force them into a disorderly retreat.
1919: The first play-by-play of a football game is broadcast on the radio.
1943: During World War II, U.S. Marines take control of the Gilbert Islands from the Japanese after fierce fighting.
1971: China's seat in the Security Council, formerly held by Taiwan, is transferred to the People's Republic of China.
1980: Some 3,000 die when a violent earthquake strikes southern Italy.
1981: Many federal offices are shut down temporarily when Pres. Ronald Reagan vetoes a bill to finance government operations.
2001: The UN International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia charges former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic with genocide for his role in the 1992-95 conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
2005: Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is confirmed as the winner of the Liberian presidential elections, becoming the first woman to be elected as a head of state in modern Africa.
Today's Birthdays
1749: Edward Rutledge, legislator, and signer of the Declaration of Independence (Charleston, SC; died 1800)
1804: Franklin Pierce, 14th president of the United States (Hillsboro, NH; died 1869)
1859: William "Billy the Kid" Bonney, Western outlaw (New York, NY; died 1881)
1876: Manuel de Falla, composer (Cádiz, Spain; died 1946)
1881: Enver Pasha, soldier and Turkish nationalist leader (Istanbul, Turkey; died 1922)
1887: Boris Karloff, actor (London, England; died 1969)
1915: Ellen Drew, actress (Kansas City, MO; died 2003)
1933: Krzysztof Penderecki, composer (Debica, Poland)
1945: Susan Anspach, actress (New York, NY)
1954: Bruce Hornsby, singer/musician (Williamsburg, VA)
