Today's Highlight in History:
On Sept. 8, 1900, Galveston, Texas, was struck by a hurricane that killed an estimated 8,000 people.
On this date:
In 1565, a Spanish expedition established the first permanent European settlement in North America at present-day St. Augustine, Fla.
In 1664, the Dutch surrendered New Amsterdam to the British, who renamed it New York.
In 1930, the comic strip "Blondie," created by Chic Young, was first published.
In 1934, 134 people lost their lives in a fire aboard the liner Morro Castle off the New Jersey coast.
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 1971, the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts had its official public debut in Washington, D.C., with a performance of Leonard Bernstein's "Mass."
In 1974, President Ford granted an unconditional pardon to former President Nixon.
In 1987, former Democratic presidential candidate Gary Hart admitted during an interview on ABC's "Nightline" that he had committed adultery, and said he had no plans to resume his White House bid.
In 1994, a USAir Boeing 737 crashed into a ravine as it was approaching Pittsburgh International Airport, killing all 132 people on board.
Ten years ago: Monday commuters in and around San Francisco faced huge traffic jams a day after workers for the Bay Area's commuter rail system went on strike. (An agreement ending the walkout was reached five days later.) A Haitian ferry, the Pride of Gonave, capsized, killing nearly 200 people. The TV series "Ally McBeal," starring Calista Flockhart, premiered on Fox.
