Today is Thursday, Sept. 3, the 247th day of 2020. There are 119 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Sept. 3, 2005, President George W. Bush ordered more than 7,000 active duty forces to the Gulf Coast as his administration intensified efforts to rescue Katrina survivors and send aid to the hurricane-ravaged region in the face of criticism it did not act quickly enough.
On this date:
In 1861, during the Civil War, Confederate forces invaded the border state of Kentucky, which had declared its neutrality in the conflict.
In 1939, Britain, France, Australia and New Zealand declared war on Germany, two days after the Nazi invasion of Poland; in a radio address, Britain’s King George VI said, “With God’s help, we shall prevail.” The same day, a German U-boat torpedoed and sank the British liner SS Athenia some 250 miles off the Irish coast, killing more than 100 out of the 1,400 or so people on board.
In 1943, Allied forces invaded Italy during World War II, the same day Italian officials signed a secret armistice with the Allies.
In 1970, legendary football coach Vince Lombardi, 57, died in Washington, D.C.
In 1976, America’s Viking 2 lander touched down on Mars to take the first close-up, color photographs of the red planet’s surface.
In 1978, Pope John Paul I was installed as the 264th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church.
In 1995, the online auction site eBay was founded in San Jose, California, by Pierre Omidyar under the name “AuctionWeb.”
In 1999, a French judge closed a two-year inquiry into the car crash that killed Princess Diana, dismissing all charges against nine photographers and a press motorcyclist, and concluding the accident was caused by an inebriated driver.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor Pauline Collins is 80. Rock singer-musician Al Jardine is 78. Actor Valerie Perrine is 77. Rock musician Donald Brewer (Grand Funk Railroad) is 72. Rock guitarist Steve Jones (The Sex Pistols) is 65. Actor Steve Schirripa is 63. Actor Holt McCallany is 56. Rock singer-musician Todd Lewis is 55. Actor Costas Mandylor is 55. Actor Charlie Sheen is 55. Singer Jennifer Paige is 47.
