This day in history

[September 10, 2011]  (AP)  Today is Saturday, Sept. 10, the 253rd day of 2011. There are 112 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On Sept. 10, 1813, an American naval force commanded by Oliver H. Perry defeated the British in the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812.

On this date:

In 1608, John Smith was elected president of the Jamestown colony council in Virginia.

In 1846, Elias Howe received a patent for his sewing machine.

In 1919, New York City welcomed home Gen. John J. Pershing and 25,000 soldiers who'd served in the U.S. First Division during World War I.

In 1939, Canada declared war on Nazi Germany as Parliament acted at the behest of Prime Minister Wiliam Lyon Mackenzie King.

In 1945, Vidkun Quisling was sentenced to death in Norway for collaborating with the Nazis (he was executed by firing squad in Oct. 1945).

In 1960, Hurricane Donna, a dangerous Category 4 storm eventually blamed for 364 deaths, struck the Florida Keys.

In 1961, a President Airlines DC-6B charter crashed after takeoff from Shannon, Ireland, killing all 83 people aboard. During the Italian Grand Prix, German driver Wolfgang von Trips lost control of his car and crashed into spectators, killing 14 of them as well as himself. (American Phil Hill won the race.)

In 1963, twenty black students entered Alabama public schools following a standoff between federal authorities and Gov. George C. Wallace.

In 1979, four Puerto Rican nationalists imprisoned for a 1954 attack on the U.S. House of Representatives and a 1950 attempt on the life of President Harry S. Truman were freed from prison after being granted clemency by President Jimmy Carter.

In 1987, Pope John Paul II arrived in Miami, where he was welcomed by President and Mrs. Reagan as he began a 10-day tour of the United States.

Ten years ago: A Marxist militant suicide bomber blew himself up in a popular Istanbul square, killing himself, two police officers and an Australian woman, Amanda Rigg. Charles Ingram won a million pounds during a taping of the British TV game show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," but was later exposed as a cheat who'd gotten help from a coughing accomplice in the studio.

Five years ago: On the eve of the anniversary of 9/11, President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, placed wreaths at ground zero in New York. Daniel Smith, the 20-year-old son of Anna Nicole Smith, died in the Bahamas of a lethal combination of drugs, five months before the death of his mother. Roger Federer defeated Andy Roddick 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 in the U.S. Open final. Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts defeated Eli Manning and the New York Giants 26-21 in the first NFL game to feature two brothers starting at quarterback. World Golf Hall of Famer Patty Berg died in Fort Myers, Fla., at age 88.

One year ago: During a White House press conference, President Barack Obama blamed Republicans and election-year politics for thwarting his efforts to do more to spur a listless national economy. Juan Mari Bras, 82, an elder statesman of Puerto Rico's independence movement, died in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico.

Today's birthdays: Golfer Arnold Palmer is 82. Actor Philip Baker Hall is 80. Country singer Tommy Overstreet is 74. Actor Greg Mullavey is 72. Jazz vibraphonist Roy Ayers is 71. Singer Danny Hutton (Three Dog Night) is 69. Singer Jose Feliciano is 66. Actor Tom Ligon is 66. Actress Judy Geeson is 63. Former Canadian first lady Margaret Trudeau is 63. Political commentator Bill O'Reilly is 62. Rock musician Joe Perry (Aerosmith) is 61. Actress Amy Irving is 58. Country singer Rosie Flores is 55. Actress Kate Burton is 54. Movie director Chris Columbus is 53. Actor Colin Firth is 51. Rock singer-musician David Lowery (Cracker) is 51. Actor Sean O'Bryan is 48. Retired MLB All-Star pitcher Randy Johnson is 48. Rock musician Robin Goodridge (Bush) is 46. Rock musician Stevie D. (Buckcherry) is 45. Rock singer-musician Miles Zuniga (Fastball) is 45. Actress Nina Repeta (NY'-nuh ruh-PEHT'-ah) is 44. Rapper Big Daddy Kane is 43. Movie director Guy Ritchie is 43. Contemporary Christian singer Sara Groves is 39. Actor Ryan Phillippe (FIHL'-ih-pee) is 37. Rock musician Mikey Way (My Chemical Romance) is 31. Olympic bronze medal figure skater Timothy Goebel is 31. Rock musician Matthew Followill (Kings of Leon) is 27. Singer Sanjaya Malakar ("American Idol") is 22. Actress Hannah Hodson is 20.

Thought for today: "If there is no knowledge, there is no understanding; if there is no understanding, there is no knowledge." -- The Talmud.

[Associated Press]

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