Today is Wednesday, Sept. 15, the 258th day of 2021. There are 107 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On Sept. 15, 2001, President George W. Bush ordered U.S. troops to get ready for war and braced Americans for a long, difficult assault against terrorists to avenge the Sept. 11 attack. Beleaguered Afghans streamed out of Kabul, fearing a U.S. military strike against Taliban rulers harboring Osama bin Laden.

On this date:

In 1776, British forces occupied New York City during the American Revolution.

In 1857, William Howard Taft — who served as President of the United States and as U.S. chief justice — was born in Cincinnati.

In 1935, the Nuremberg Laws deprived German Jews of their citizenship.

In 1963, four Black girls were killed when a bomb went off during Sunday services at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. (Three Ku Klux Klansmen were eventually convicted for their roles in the blast.)

In 1972, a federal grand jury in Washington indicted seven men in connection with the Watergate break-in.

In 1981, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted unanimously to approve the Supreme Court nomination of Sandra Day O’Connor.

In 1985, Nike began selling its “Air Jordan 1” sneaker.

Today’s Birthdays: Baseball Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry is 83. Actor Tommy Lee Jones is 75. Movie director Oliver Stone is 75. Rock musician Kelly Keagy (Night Ranger) is 69. Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino is 60. Britain’s Prince Harry is 37. TV personality Heidi Montag is 35.