September seventh

Today's Highlight in History:
On September seventh, 1940, Nazi Germany began its initial "blitz" on London during World War Two.

On this date:
In 1825, the Marquis de Lafayette, the French hero of the American Revolution, bade farewell to President John Quincy Adams at the White House.

In 1901, the Peace of Beijing ended the Boxer Rebellion in China.

In 1936, rock legend Buddy Holly was born Charles Hardin Holley in Lubbock, Texas.

In 1963, the National Professional Football Hall of Fame was dedicated in Canton, Ohio.

In 1969, Senate Republican leader Everett M. Dirksen died in Washington DC.

In 1977, the Panama Canal treaties, calling for the US to eventually turn over control of the waterway to Panama, were signed in Washington.

In 1977, convicted Watergate conspirator G. Gordon Liddy was released from prison after more than four years.

In 1979, the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN) made its cable TV debut.

In 1986, Desmond Tutu was installed as the first black to lead the Anglican Church in southern Africa.

In 1998, St. Louis Cardinal Mark McGwire equaled Roger Maris' single-season home run record as he hit number 61 during a game against the Chicago Cubs.

Ten years ago: President Bush left for his one-day Finland summit with Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev. Kimberly Bergalis of Fort Pierce, Florida, came forward to identify herself as the young woman who had been infected with AIDS, apparently by her late dentist. (Bergalis died the following year.)

Five years ago: After 27 years in the Senate, Bob Packwood (Republican, Oregon) announced he would resign, heading off a vote by colleagues to expel him for allegations of sexual and official misconduct. The space shuttle "Endeavour" thundered into orbit with five astronauts on a mission to release and recapture a pair of science satellites.

One year ago: Indonesia imposed martial law in East Timor, promising to crack down on rampaging pro-Indonesian militias after the territory's vote for independence. A 5.9 earthquake in Athens, Greece, claimed 143 lives. It was announced that Viacom Incorporated was buying CBS Corporation for $36 billion -- the richest media merger in history.

"My definition of an educated man is the fellow who knows the right thing to do at the time it has to be done. ... You can be sincere and still be stupid."

-- Charles F. Kettering, American inventor (1876-1958).