Today in History

Today is Monday, Sept. 2, the 245th day of 2013. There are 120 days left in the year. This is Labor Day.

Today's Highlight in History:

On September 2, 1945, Japan formally surrendered in ceremonies aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, ending World War II.

On this date:

In 1666, the Great Fire of London broke out.

In 1789, the United States Treasury Department was established.

In 1864, during the Civil War, Union Gen. William T. Sherman's forces occupied Atlanta.

In 1901, Vice President Theodore Roosevelt offered the advice, "Speak softly and carry a big stick" in a speech at the Minnesota State Fair.

In 1924, the Rudolf Friml operetta "Rose Marie" opened on Broadway.

In 1935, a Labor Day hurricane slammed into the Florida Keys, claiming more than 400 lives.

In 1945, Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam an independent republic. (Ho died on this date in 1969.)

In 1963, Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace prevented the integration of Tuskegee High School by encircling the building with state troopers. "The CBS Evening News" with Walter Cronkite was lengthened from 15 to 30 minutes, becoming network television's first half-hour nightly newscast.

In 1972, Dave Wottle of the United States won the men's 800-meter race at the Munich Summer Olympics.

In 1986, a judge in Los Angeles sentenced Cathy Evelyn Smith to three years in prison for involuntary manslaughter for her role in the 1982 drug overdose death of comedian John Belushi. (Smith served 18 months.)

In 1993, the United States and Russia formally ended decades of competition in space by agreeing to a joint venture to build a space station.

In 1998, a Swissair MD-11 jetliner crashed off Nova Scotia, killing all 229 people aboard.

Ten years ago: A court in Jakarta, Indonesia, sentenced Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir to four years in prison for sedition (his conviction was later overturned after he'd spent more than two years behind bars.) A federal appeals court in San Francisco threw out more than 100 death sentences in Arizona, Montana and Idaho because the inmates had been sent to death row by judges instead of juries.

Five years ago: Republicans assailed Barack Obama as the most liberal, least experienced White House nominee in history at their convention in St. Paul, Minn., and enthusiastically extolled their own man, John McCain, as ready to lead the nation. President George W. Bush briefly addressed the convention by satellite from the White House. A gunman in Skagit County, Wash., killed six people and injured four others; a suspect, Isaac Zamora, later pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to two murders and guilty to the remaining four, and is being held in a mental hospital. Jaguars offensive tackle Richard Collier was left paralyzed in a shooting outside an apartment building in Jacksonville, Fla.; a suspect, Tyrone Hartsfield, was later convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

One year ago: Campaigning his way toward the Democratic National Convention, President Barack Obama slapped a "Romney doesn't care" label on his rival's health-care views and said Republicans wanted to repeal new protections for millions without offering a plan of their own. Mark Abrahamian, 46, lead guitarist for the rock group Starship, died in Norfolk, Neb., of a heart attack after a performance.

Today's Birthdays: Dancer-actress Marge Champion is 94. Jazz musician Horace Silver is 85. Former Sen. Alan K. Simpson, R-Wyo., is 82. Former United States Olympic Committee Chairman Peter Ueberroth is 76. Rhythm-and-blues singer Sam Gooden (The Impressions) is 74. Singer Jimmy Clanton is 73. Rhythm-and-blues singer Rosalind Ashford (Martha & the Vandellas) is 70. Singer Joe Simon is 70. Pro and College Football Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw is 65. Basketball Hall of Famer Nate Archibald is 65. Actor Mark Harmon is 62. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., is 62. International Tennis Hall of Famer Jimmy Connors is 61. Actress Linda Purl is 58. Rock musician Jerry Augustyniak (10,000 Maniacs) is 55. Country musician Paul Deakin (The Mavericks) is 54. Pro Football Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson is 53. Actor Keanu Reeves is 49. International Boxing Hall of Famer Lennox Lewis is 48. Actress Salma Hayek is 47. Actor Tuc Watkins is 47. Actress Kristen Cloke is 45. Actress Cynthia Watros is 45. Rhythm-and-blues singer K-Ci is 44. Actor-comedian Katt Williams is 40. Actor Michael Lombardi is 39. Actress Tiffany Hines is 36. Rock musician Sam Rivers (Limp Bizkit) is 36. Actor Jonathan Kite is 34. Actress Allison Miller is 28. Rock musician Spencer Smith (Panic! at the Disco) is 26.

Thought for Today: "Life is a tragic mystery. We are pierced and driven by laws we only half understand, we find that the lesson we learn again and again is that of accepting heroic helplessness." -- Florida Scott-Maxwell, American writer and psychologist (1884-1979).

Copyright 2013, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.