Today is Monday, Sept. 4, the 247th day of 2023.
There are 118 days left in the year.
Today's highlight
On Sept. 4, 2016, elevating the "saint of the gutters" to one of the Catholic Church's highest honors, Pope Francis canonized Mother Teresa, praising her radical dedication to society's outcasts and her courage in shaming world leaders for the "crimes of poverty they themselves created."
On this date
In 1781, Los Angeles was founded by Spanish settlers under the leadership of Governor Felipe de Neve.
In 1862, during the Civil War, Confederate forces led by Gen. Robert E. Lee began invading Maryland.
In 1888, George Eastman received a patent for his roll-film box camera, and registered his trademark: "Kodak."
In 1944, during World War II, British troops liberated Antwerp, Belgium.
In 1957, Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus used Arkansas National Guardsmen to prevent nine Black students from entering all-white Central High School in Little Rock.
In 1969, the Food and Drug Administration issued a report calling birth control pills "safe," despite a slight risk of fatal blood-clotting disorders linked to the pills.
In 1972, U.S. swimmer Mark Spitz won a seventh gold medal at the Munich Olympics in the 400-meter medley relay.
In 1974, the United States established diplomatic relations with East Germany.
In 1999, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat signed a breakthrough land-for-security agreement during a ceremony in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.
In 2005, six days after Hurricane Katrina left a devastated New Orleans in chaos, police stormed the Danziger Bridge, shooting and killing two unarmed people and wounding four others.
In 2006, "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin died at age 44 after a stingray's barb pierced his chest.
In 2018, the Senate Judiciary Committee began confirmation hearings for future Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on a day that saw rancorous exchanges between Democrats and Republicans.
In 2021, Willard Scott, the longtime weatherman on NBC's "Today" show who was known for his self-deprecating humor and daily happy birthdays to viewers turning 100 years old, died at age 87.
In 2022, a man killed 11 people and injured 18 more in stabbings in and around Weldon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
