September 26th

Today's Highlight in History:
On September 26th, 1960, the first televised debate between presidential candidates Richard M. Nixon and John F. Kennedy took place in Chicago.

On this date:
In 1777, British troops occupied Philadelphia during the American Revolution.

In 1789, Thomas Jefferson was appointed America's first secretary of state.

In 1898, American composer George Gershwin was born in Brooklyn, New York.

In 1914, the Federal Trade Commission was established.

In 1950, United Nations troops recaptured the South Korean capital of Seoul (sohl) from the North Koreans.

In 1957, the musical "West Side Story" opened on Broadway.

In 1969, the family comedy series "The Brady Bunch" premiered on ABC TV.

In 1986, William H. Rehnquist was sworn in as the 16th chief justice of the United States, while Antonin Scalia joined the Supreme Court as its 103rd member.

In 1991, four men and four women began a two-year stay inside a sealed-off structure in Oracle, Arizona, called "Biosphere Two."

In 1997, an Indonesian Airbus A-300 crashed while approaching Medan Airport in north Sumatra, killing all 234 people aboard.

Ten years ago: The Motion Picture Association of America announced it had created a new rating, "NC-17," designed to bar moviegoers under the age of 17 from certain films without the commercial stigma of the old "X" rating.

Five years ago: Bosnia's warring factions agreed on guidelines for elections and a future government. The prosecution began its closing argument in the murder trial of O.J. Simpson. A bond trader at Japan's Daiwa Bank was charged with doctoring records to hide $1.1 billion in losses.

One year ago: America won its first Ryder Cup since 1993 after trailing the European team 10-to-6 going into the final round. (To the anger of the Europeans, US players, along with caddies, officials and wives, stormed the green to congratulate Justin Leonard for a 45-foot putt that all but won the tournament for the Americans.)

"As in the physical world, so in the spiritual world, pain does not last forever."

-- Katherine Mansfield, New Zealand-born author (1888-1923).