Associated Press
On Sept. 23, 1952, Sen. Richard M. Nixon, R-Calif., salvaged his vice-presidential nomination by appearing live on television to refute allegations of improper campaign fundraising. (The address became known as the “Checkers” speech because of Nixon’s on-air reference to the family pet, a dog named “Checkers.”)
On this date in:
63- B.C. Caesar Augustus was born in Rome.
1779- American commander John Paul Jones is said to have declared, “I have not yet begun to fight!” during a Revolutionary War naval battle.
1806- The Lewis and Clark expedition returned to St. Louis from the Pacific Northwest.
1846- The planet Neptune was discovered by German astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle.
1926- Jazz saxophonist and composer John Coltrane was born in Hamlet, N.C.
1930- Musician Ray Charles was born Ray Charles Robinson in Albany, Ga.
1939- Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, died at age 83.
1957- Nine black students who had entered Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas were forced to withdraw because of a white mob outside.
1987- Choreographer-director Bob Fosse died at age 60.
1990- Iraq threatened to destroy Middle East oil fields and attack Israel if other nations tried to force it from Kuwait.
1999- The Mars Climate Observer apparently burned up as it was about to go into orbit around the Red Planet.
2011- The soap opera “All My Children” broadcast its final episode on ABC, ending a 41-year run.
Today’s Birthdays:
Rock musician Bruce Springsteen turns 66 years old today.
Julio Iglesias, Singer, 72
Marty Schottenheimer, Football coach ,72
Mary Kay Place, Actress, 68
Marvin Lewis, Football coach, 57
Jason Alexander, Actor (“Seinfeld”), 56
Chi McBride, Actor, 54
John Harbaugh, Football coach, 53
Ani DiFranco, Rock singer, 45
Jermaine Dupri, Rapper, producer, 43
Anthony Mackie, Actor, 37
Los Angeles Dodgers centerfielder Matt Kemp turns 31 years old today.