Today in History: Sept. 12

In this Friday, Feb. 10, 2012 photo, a 19th century painting of poet Robert Browning is on display at the Margaret Clapp Library on the campus of Wellesley College, in Wellesley, Mass. Beginning Valentine's Day Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012, the famous love letters of Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning will be available on line as part of a digitization collaboration between Wellesley and Baylor University in Texas. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
In 1846, Elizabeth Barrett secretly married Robert Browning at St. Marylebone Church in London. In this Friday, Feb. 10, 2012 photo, a 19th century painting of poet Robert Browning is on display at the Margaret Clapp Library on the campus of Wellesley College, in Wellesley, Mass. Beginning Valentine’s Day Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012, the famous love letters of Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning will be available on line as part of a digitization collaboration between Wellesley and Baylor University in Texas. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
An actor dressed like a WWI soldier poses in front of a 1914 Renault AG1, known as Taxi de la Marne, during the Retromobile vintage cars exhibition, in Paris, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014. The exhibition runs until Friday Feb. 7, 2014. The name Taxi de la Marne was not used until the outbreak of World War I, when the fleet of Paris taxis was requisitioned by the French Army to transport troops from Paris to the First Battle of the Marne in early September 1914. (AP Photo/Jacques Brinon)
In 1914, during World War I, the First Battle of the Marne ended in an Allied victory against Germany. An actor dressed like a WWI soldier poses in front of a 1914 Renault AG1, known as Taxi de la Marne, during the Retromobile vintage cars exhibition, in Paris, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014. The exhibition runs until Friday Feb. 7, 2014. The name Taxi de la Marne was not used until the outbreak of World War I, when the fleet of Paris taxis was requisitioned by the French Army to transport troops from Paris to the First Battle of the Marne in early September 1914. (AP Photo/Jacques Brinon)
A new German U-boat returning from sea trials  on Oct. 27, 1943. (AP Photo)
In 1942, during World War II, a German U-boat off West Africa torpedoed the RMS Laconia, which was carrying Italian prisoners of war, British soldiers and civilians; it’s estimated more than 1,600 people died while some 1,100 survived after the ship sank. The German crew, joined by other U-boats, began rescue operations. (On September 16, the rescue effort came to an abrupt halt when the Germans were attacked by a U.S. Army bomber; as a result, U-boat commanders were ordered to no longer rescue civilian survivors of submarine attacks.) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
FILE -- Five former police officers have admitted killing Steve Biko, seen in an undated file photo, the renowned anti-apartheid activist who became a symbol of apartheid brutality. The South African Port Elizabeth Herald said Monday, Jan. 27, 1997 that the former policemen were finalizing amnesty applications that would be sent to South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission.  Biko was labeled a terrorist for preaching that blacks should take pride in their culture and fight for control of theircountry. He died in police custody in 1977. The newspaper did not identify the source for its report, but it said the source was close to one of the former policemen. (AP Photo)
In 1977, South African black student leader Steve Biko died while in police custody, triggering an international outcry. FILE — Five former police officers have admitted killing Steve Biko, seen in an undated file photo, the renowned anti-apartheid activist who became a symbol of apartheid brutality. The South African Port Elizabeth Herald said Monday, Jan. 27, 1997 that the former policemen were finalizing amnesty applications that would be sent to South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Biko was labeled a terrorist for preaching that blacks should take pride in their culture and fight for control of theircountry. He died in police custody in 1977. The newspaper did not identify the source for its report, but it said the source was close to one of the former policemen. (AP Photo)
Thomas Cicippio, left, brother of Joseph Cicippio, and David Cicippio, Joseph's son, sit in Thomas' Norristown, Pa., home Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2005. The two are among the relatives of Joseph Cicippio, a former U.S. hostage held in Lebanon, who were awarded $91 million by a U.S. judge for emotional distress in a lawsuit filed against the Islamic Republic of Iran. David Cicippio holds a copy of his father's book, which describes his 1986-1991 captivity. (AP Photo/George Widman)
In 1986, Joseph Cicippio, the acting comptroller at the American University in Beirut, was kidnapped (he was released in December 1991). Thomas Cicippio, left, brother of Joseph Cicippio, and David Cicippio, Joseph’s son, sit in Thomas’ Norristown, Pa., home Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2005. The two are among the relatives of Joseph Cicippio, a former U.S. hostage held in Lebanon, who were awarded $91 million by a U.S. judge for emotional distress in a lawsuit filed against the Islamic Republic of Iran. David Cicippio holds a copy of his father’s book, which describes his 1986-1991 captivity. (AP Photo/George Widman)
In 1992, the space shuttle Endeavour blasted off, carrying with it Mark Lee and Jan Davis, the first married couple in space; Mae Jemison, the first black woman in space; and Mamoru Mohri, the first Japanese national to fly on a U.S. spaceship. Former NASA astronaut Dr. Mae C. Jemison, listens during a press conference, where she was among a group of scientists announcing a new breakthrough initiative focusing on space exploration and the search for life in the universe, Tuesday April 12, 2016, at One World Observatory in New York. The $100 million project is aimed at establishing the feasibility of sending a swarm of tiny spacecraft, each weighing far less than an ounce, to the Alpha Centauri star system. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
A house sits upside down in a field Friday, Sept. 26, 2008 in Crystal Beach, Texas, nearly two weeks after Hurricane Ike struck the Texas Gulf coast. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)
Ten years ago: Hurricane Ike began battering the Texas coast. A house sits upside down in a field Friday, Sept. 26, 2008 in Crystal Beach, Texas, nearly two weeks after Hurricane Ike struck the Texas Gulf coast. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)
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In this Friday, Feb. 10, 2012 photo, a 19th century painting of poet Robert Browning is on display at the Margaret Clapp Library on the campus of Wellesley College, in Wellesley, Mass. Beginning Valentine's Day Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012, the famous love letters of Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning will be available on line as part of a digitization collaboration between Wellesley and Baylor University in Texas. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
An actor dressed like a WWI soldier poses in front of a 1914 Renault AG1, known as Taxi de la Marne, during the Retromobile vintage cars exhibition, in Paris, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014. The exhibition runs until Friday Feb. 7, 2014. The name Taxi de la Marne was not used until the outbreak of World War I, when the fleet of Paris taxis was requisitioned by the French Army to transport troops from Paris to the First Battle of the Marne in early September 1914. (AP Photo/Jacques Brinon)
A new German U-boat returning from sea trials  on Oct. 27, 1943. (AP Photo)
FILE -- Five former police officers have admitted killing Steve Biko, seen in an undated file photo, the renowned anti-apartheid activist who became a symbol of apartheid brutality. The South African Port Elizabeth Herald said Monday, Jan. 27, 1997 that the former policemen were finalizing amnesty applications that would be sent to South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission.  Biko was labeled a terrorist for preaching that blacks should take pride in their culture and fight for control of theircountry. He died in police custody in 1977. The newspaper did not identify the source for its report, but it said the source was close to one of the former policemen. (AP Photo)
Thomas Cicippio, left, brother of Joseph Cicippio, and David Cicippio, Joseph's son, sit in Thomas' Norristown, Pa., home Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2005. The two are among the relatives of Joseph Cicippio, a former U.S. hostage held in Lebanon, who were awarded $91 million by a U.S. judge for emotional distress in a lawsuit filed against the Islamic Republic of Iran. David Cicippio holds a copy of his father's book, which describes his 1986-1991 captivity. (AP Photo/George Widman)
A house sits upside down in a field Friday, Sept. 26, 2008 in Crystal Beach, Texas, nearly two weeks after Hurricane Ike struck the Texas Gulf coast. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)
A new German U-boat returning from sea trials on Oct. 27, 1943. (AP Photo)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Today is Wednesday, Sept. 12, the 255th day of 2019. There are 110 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On Sept. 12, 1942, during World War II, a German U-boat off West Africa torpedoed the RMS Laconia, which was carrying Italian prisoners of war, British soldiers and civilians; it’s estimated more than 1,600 people died while some 1,100 survived after the ship sank. The German crew, joined by other U-boats, began rescue operations. (On September 16, the rescue effort came to an abrupt halt when the Germans were attacked by a U.S. Army bomber; as a result, U-boat commanders were ordered to no longer rescue civilian survivors of submarine attacks.)

On this date:

In 1846, Elizabeth Barrett secretly married Robert Browning at St. Marylebone Church in London.

In 1914, during World War I, the First Battle of the Marne ended in an Allied victory against Germany.

In 1953, Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kennedy married Jacqueline Lee Bouvier (boo-vee-AY’) in Newport, Rhode Island.

In 1958, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Cooper v. Aaron, unanimously ruled that Arkansas officials who were resisting public school desegregation orders could not disregard the high court’s rulings.

In 1959, the Soviet Union launched its Luna 2 space probe, which made a crash landing on the moon. The TV Western series “Bonanza” premiered on NBC.

In 1960, Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kennedy addressed questions about his Roman Catholic faith, telling the Greater Houston Ministerial Association, “I do not speak for my church on public matters, and the church does not speak for me.”

In 1977, South African black student leader and anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko (BEE’-koh), 30, died while in police custody, triggering an international outcry.

In 1986, Joseph Cicippio (sih-SIH’-pee-oh), the acting comptroller at the American University in Beirut, was kidnapped (he was released in December 1991).

In 1987, reports surfaced that Democratic presidential candidate Joseph Biden had borrowed, without attribution, passages of a speech by British Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock (KIHN’-ik) for one of his own campaign speeches. (The Kinnock report, along with other damaging revelations, prompted Biden to drop his White House bid.)

In 1992, the space shuttle Endeavour blasted off, carrying with it Mark Lee and Jan Davis, the first married couple in space; Mae Jemison, the first black woman in space; and Mamoru Mohri, the first Japanese national to fly on a U.S. spaceship. Police in Peru captured Shining Path founder Abimael Guzman. Actor Anthony Perkins died in Hollywood at age 60.

In 1994, a stolen, single-engine Cessna crashed into the South Lawn of the White House, coming to rest against the executive mansion; the pilot, Frank Corder, was killed.

In 2012, the U.S. dispatched an elite group of Marines to Tripoli, Libya, after the mob attack in Benghazi that killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans. President Barack Obama strongly condemned the violence, and vowed to bring the killers to justice; Republican challenger Mitt Romney accused the administration of showing weakness in the face of tumultuous events in the Middle East.

Ten years ago: A Metrolink commuter train struck a freight train head-on in Los Angeles, killing 25 people. (Federal investigators said the Metrolink engineer, Robert Sanchez, who was among those who died, had been text-messaging on his cell phone and ran a red light shortly before the crash.) Hurricane Ike began battering the Texas coast. Grand Ole Opry star Charlie Walker died in Hendersonville, Tenn. at age 81.

Five years ago: Omar Hammami, an American who became one of Somalia’s most visible Islamic rebels, was killed by rivals in the al-Qaida-linked extremist group al-Shabab. The U.S. space agency NASA announced that Voyager 1, launched 36 years earlier, had crossed a new frontier, becoming the first man-made spacecraft ever to leave the solar system. American inventor Ray Dolby, 80, founder of Dolby Laboratories, died in San Francisco.

One year ago: Crews worked to repair the lone highway connecting the Florida Keys, where 25 percent of the homes were feared to have been destroyed by Hurricane Irma; more than 9 million Floridians, or nearly half the state’s population, were still without power in the late-summer heat. Seattle Mayor Ed Murray announced that he was resigning amid sex abuse allegations. Gay rights pioneer Edith Windsor, whose landmark Supreme Court case struck down parts of a federal anti-gay-marriage law, died in New York at the age of 88.

Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

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