This day in history

[March 19, 2010]  (AP)  Today is Tuesday, Sept. 15, the 258th day of 2009. There are 107 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On Sept. 15, 1959, Nikita Khrushchev became the first Soviet head of state to visit the United States as he arrived at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington, where he was greeted by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The two leaders then met at the White House; a joint communique afterward described the talks as "friendly and frank."

On this date:

In 1776, British forces occupied New York City during the American Revolution.

In 1789, the U.S. Department of Foreign Affairs was renamed the Department of State.

In 1807, former Vice President Aaron Burr was acquitted of a misdemeanor charge two weeks after he was found not guilty of treason.

In 1821, the Kingdom of Guatemala proclaimed its independence from Spain.

In 1857, William Howard Taft -- who served as president of the United States and as U.S. chief justice -- was born in Cincinnati.

In 1935, the Nuremberg Laws deprived German Jews of their citizenship.

In 1940, during the Battle of Britain in World War II, the tide turned as the Luftwaffe sustained heavy losses inflicted by the Royal Air Force.

In 1949, "The Lone Ranger" premiered on ABC television with Clayton Moore as the masked hero and Jay Silverheels as Tonto.

In 1963, four black girls were killed when a bomb went off during Sunday services at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala. (Three Ku Klux Klansmen were eventually convicted for their roles in the blast.)

In 1982, Iran's former foreign minister, Sadegh Ghotbzadeh, was executed after he was convicted of plotting against the government.

Ten years ago: One month after being charged in the United States with laundering suspected drug payoffs, Mexico's former top drug prosecutor, Mario Ruiz Massieu, was found dead in his New Jersey apartment, an apparent suicide. Gunman Larry Ashbrook opened fire in a Fort Worth, Texas, Baptist church, killing seven people and himself.

Five years ago: Three Americans were found guilty in Kabul of torturing Afghans in a private jail and were sentenced to prison. (Edward Caraballo, a freelance cameraman, was released in May 2006; Brent Bennett was freed in Sept. 2006; Jack Idema, a former Green Beret, was pardoned in June 2007.) NHL owners agreed to lock out the players. Johnny Ramone, guitarist and co-founder of the seminal punk band The Ramones, died in Los Angeles at age 55.

One year ago: On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average fell 504.48, or 4.42 percent, to 10,917.51 while oil closed below $100 a barrel for the first time in six months amid upheaval in the financial industry as Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. filed for bankruptcy protection and Merrill Lynch & Co. was sold to Bank of America. Richard Wright, a founding member of Pink Floyd, died at age 65.

Today's birthdays: Actor-director Jackie Cooper is 87. Actor Forrest Compton is 84. Comedian Norm Crosby is 82. Actor Henry Darrow is 76. Baseball Hall-of-Famer Gaylord Perry is 71. Football Hall-of-Famer Merlin Olsen is 69. Opera singer Jessye Norman is 64. Writer-director Ron Shelton is 64. Actor Tommy Lee Jones is 63. Movie director Oliver Stone is 63. Rock musician Kelly Keagy (Night Ranger) is 57. Rock musician Mitch Dorge (Crash Test Dummies) is 49. Football Hall-of-Famer Dan Marino is 48. Actor Danny Nucci is 41. Rap DJ Kay Gee is 40. Actor Josh Charles is 38. Singer Ivette Sosa (Eden's Crush) is 33. Pop-rock musician Zach Filkins (OneRepublic) is 31. Actor Dave Annable is 30. Actress Amy Davidson is 30. Britain's Prince Henry of Wales is 25. TV personality Heidi Montag is 23.

Thought for today: "Somewhere the Sky touches the Earth, and the name of that place is the End." -- African saying

[Associated Press]

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