Today's Highlight in History:
On Aug. 30, 1983, Guion S. Bluford Jr. became the first black American astronaut to travel in space as he blasted off aboard the Challenger.
On this date:
In 1797, the creator of "Frankenstein," Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, was born in London.
In 1861, Union Gen. John C. Fremont instituted martial law in Missouri and declared slaves there to be free. (However, Fremont's order was countermanded days later by President Lincoln).
In 1862, Union forces were defeated by the Confederates at the Second Battle of Bull Run in Manassas, Va.
In 1905, Ty Cobb made his major-league debut as a player for the Detroit Tigers, hitting a double in his first at-bat in a game against the New York Highlanders. (The Tigers won, 5-3.)
In 1908, actor Fred MacMurray was born in Kankakee, Ill.
In 1945, Gen. Douglas MacArthur arrived in Japan to set up Allied occupation headquarters.
In 1963, the "Hot Line" communications link between Washington and Moscow went into operation.
In 1967, the Senate confirmed the appointment of Thurgood Marshall as the first black justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.
In 1991, Azerbaijan declared its independence, joining the stampede of republics seeking to secede from the Soviet Union.
In 1997, Americans received word of the car crash in Paris that claimed the lives of Princess Diana, Dodi Fayed and their driver, Henri Paul. (Because of the time difference, it was Aug. 31 where the crash occurred.)
Ten years ago: Members of U S West's largest union ended a 15-day strike after reaching a tentative agreement on a new three-year contract.
