This day in history

[September 28, 2009]  (AP)  Today is Monday, Sept. 28, the 271st day of 2009. There are 94 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On Sept. 28, 1909, satirical cartoonist Al Capp, the creator of "Li'l Abner," was born in New Haven, Conn.

On this date:

In 1066, William the Conqueror invaded England to claim the English throne.

In 1542, Portuguese navigator Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo arrived at present-day San Diego.

In 1781, American forces in the Revolutionary War, backed by a French fleet, began their successful siege of Yorktown, Va.

In 1787, the Congress of the Confederation voted to send the just-completed Constitution of the United States to state legislatures for their approval.

In 1850, flogging was abolished as a form of punishment in the U.S. Navy.

In 1924, two U.S. Army planes landed in Seattle, having completed the first round-the-world flight in 175 days.

In 1939, during World War II, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed a treaty calling for the partitioning of Poland, which the two countries had invaded.

In 1967, Walter E. Washington was sworn in as the first mayor-commissioner of the District of Columbia. (He'd been appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson.)

In 1974, first lady Betty Ford underwent a mastectomy at Bethesda Naval Medical Center in Maryland, following discovery of a cancerous lump in her breast.

In 1989, deposed Philippine President Ferdinand E. Marcos died in exile in Hawaii at age 72.

Ten years ago: The Supreme Court agreed to decide whether a state can give visitation rights to grandparents when, after a divorce or some other family split, the children's parents say no. (The court later ruled that Washington state went too far in allowing grandparents and others to seek court-ordered visits against parents' wishes, but it stopped short of giving parents absolute veto power over who gets to visit their children.)

Five years ago: An earthquake measuring magnitude 6.0 rocked central California. Kidnappers in Iraq released two female Italian aid workers, Simona Torretta and Simona Pari, and five other hostages. Award-winning fashion designer Geoffrey Beene died in New York at age 77.

One year ago: President George W. Bush urged Congress to pass a $700 billion rescue plan for beleaguered financial companies, saying in a written statement, "Without this rescue plan, the costs to the American economy could be disastrous." Chinese astronauts aboard the Shenzhou 7 returned to Earth after completing their country's first-ever spacewalk mission. Austrian 16-year-olds voted for the first time in parliamentary elections under a law adopted in 2007.

Today's birthdays: Actor William Windom is 86. Actor Arnold Stang is 84. Actress Brigitte Bardot is 75. Singer Ben E. King is 71. Actor Joel Higgins is 66. Singer Helen Shapiro is 63. Actor Jeffrey Jones is 63. Movie writer-director-actor John Sayles is 59. Actress Sylvia Kristel is 57. Rock musician George Lynch is 55. Zydeco singer-musician C.J. Chenier is 52. Actor Steve Hytner is 50. Actress-comedian Janeane Garofalo is 45. Country singer Matt King is 43. Actress Mira Sorvino is 42. TV personality Moon Zappa is 42. Actress-model Carre Otis is 41. Actress Naomi Watts is 41. Country musician Chuck Crawford is 36. Country singer Mandy Barnett is 34. Rapper Young Jeezy is 32. World Golf Hall of Famer Se Ri Pak is 32. Actor Peter Cambor is 31. Writer-producer-director-actor Bam Margera is 30. Actress Hilary Duff is 22. Actress Skye McCole Bartusiak is 17.

Thought for today: "The secret of how to live without resentment or embarrassment in a world in which I was different from everyone else, was to be indifferent to that difference." -- Al Capp, American cartoonist (1909-1979)

[Associated Press]

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