Today in History

Today is Saturday, September 13, the 256th day of 2014. There are 109 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On September 13, 1814, during the War of 1812, British naval forces began bombarding Fort McHenry in Baltimore but were driven back by American defenders in a battle that lasted until the following morning.

On this date:

In 1759, during the final French and Indian War, the British defeated the French on the Plains of Abraham overlooking Quebec City.

In 1788, the Congress of the Confederation authorized the first national election, and declared New York City the temporary national capital.

In 1803, Commodore John Barry, considered by many the father of the American Navy, died in Philadelphia.

In 1911, the song "Oh, You Beautiful Doll," a romantic rag by Nat D. Ayer and Seymour Brown, was first published by Jerome H. Remick & Co.

In 1948, Republican Margaret Chase Smith of Maine was elected to the U.S. Senate; she became the first woman to serve in both houses of Congress.

In 1959, Elvis Presley first met his future wife, 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu, while stationed in West Germany with the U.S. Army. (They married in 1967, but divorced in 1973.)

In 1971, a four-day inmates' rebellion at the Attica Correctional Facility in western New York ended as police and guards stormed the prison; the ordeal and final assault claimed the lives of 32 inmates and 11 employees.

In 1974, "Chico and the Man," starring Jack Albertson and Freddie Prinze, "The Rockford Files," starring James Garner, and "Police Woman," starring Angie Dickinson, premiered on NBC-TV.

In 1989, Fay Vincent was elected commissioner of Major League Baseball, succeeding the late A. Bartlett Giamatti.

In 1993, at the White House, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO chairman Yasser Arafat shook hands after signing an accord granting limited Palestinian autonomy. "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" premiered on NBC.

In 1996, rapper Tupac Shakur died at a Las Vegas hospital six days after he was wounded in a drive-by shooting; he was 25.

In 1998, former Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace died in Montgomery at age 79.

Ten years ago: U.S. warplanes in Iraq unleashed devastating airstrikes on a suspected hideout for operatives from an al-Qaida-linked group the same day a video posted on a website in the name of the militants purportedly showed the beheading of a kidnapped Turkish truck driver. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer agreed to a nearly $3 billion acquisition by a Sony-led consortium. Oakland posted a 7-6, 10-inning win over the Rangers in a game that was delayed in the ninth inning after Texas reliever Frank Francisco hurled a chair and injured two fans at the Coliseum; Francisco ended up pleading no contest to misdemeanor assault and was sentenced to 20 days in a work program. The wine-tasting comedy-drama "Sideways" premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Five years ago: The body of missing Yale University graduate student Annie Le was found behind a research lab wall on what would have been her wedding day. (A lab technician, Raymond Clark III, was later sentenced to 44 years in prison for murdering Le.) Kim Clijsters, capping a comeback from two years out of tennis, became the first unseeded woman to win the U.S. Open as she defeated No. 9 Caroline Wozniacki, 7-5, 6-3. At the MTV Video Music Awards, Taylor Swift's acceptance speech for best female video for "You Belong with Me" was disrupted by Kanye West, who took the microphone to praise Beyonce's video of "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)."

One year ago: By truck and helicopter, thousands of people stranded by floodwaters were brought down from the Colorado Rockies. A pre-dawn fire swept through a Russian psychiatric hospital, killing 37 people.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Barbara Bain is 83. Actress Eileen Fulton (TV: "As the World Turns") is 81. TV producer Fred Silverman is 77. Actor Richard Kiel is 75. Rock singer David Clayton-Thomas (Blood, Sweat & Tears) is 73. Actress Jacqueline Bisset is 70. Singer Peter Cetera is 70. Actress Christine Estabrook is 64. Actress Jean Smart is 63. Singer Randy Jones (The Village People) is 62. Record producer Don Was is 62. Actor Isiah Whitlock Jr. is 60. Actress-comedian Geri Jewell is 58. Country singer Bobbie Cryner is 53. Rock singer-musician Dave Mustaine (Megadeth) is 53. Radio-TV personality Tavis Smiley is 50. Rock musician Zak Starkey is 49. Actor Louis Mandylor is 48. Olympic gold medal runner Michael Johnson is 47. Rock musician Steve Perkins is 47. Actor Roger Howarth is 46. Actor Dominic Fumusa is 45. Actress Louise Lombard is 44. Tennis player Goran Ivanisevic is 43. Country singer Aaron Benward (Blue County) is 41. Country musician Joe Don Rooney (Rascal Flatts) is 39. Actor Scott Vickaryous is 39. Singer Fiona Apple is 37. Contemporary Christian musician Hector Cervantes (Casting Crowns) is 34. MLB pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka is 34. Actor Ben Savage is 34. Rock singer Niall Horan (One Direction) is 21. Actor Mitch Holleman ("Reba") is 19.

Thought for Today: "Revolt and terror pay a price. Order and law have a cost." -- Carl Sandburg, American poet and author (1878-1967).

Copyright 2014, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.