Today in History: September 10, Clarence Thomas Supreme Court nomination hearings begin

Today in History

Today is Sunday, Sept. 10, the 253rd day of 2023. There are 112 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On Sept. 10, 1991, the Senate Judiciary Committee opened hearings on the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the U.S. Supreme Court. The proceedings would become a watershed moment in the discussion of sexual harassment when Anita Hill, a law professor who had previously worked under Thomas, came forward with allegations against him.

On this date:

In 1608, John Smith was elected president of the Jamestown colony council in Virginia.

In 1813, an American naval force commanded by Oliver H. Perry defeated the British in the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812. Afterward, Perry sent the message, “We have met the enemy and they are ours.”

In 1846, Elias Howe received a patent for his sewing machine.

In 1960, Hurricane Donna, a dangerous Category 4 storm eventually blamed for 364 deaths, struck the Florida Keys.

In 1962, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered the University of Mississippi to admit James Meredith, a Black student.

In 1963, 20 Black students entered Alabama public schools following a standoff between federal authorities and Gov. George C. Wallace.

In 1979, four Puerto Rican nationalists imprisoned for a 1954 attack on the U.S. House of Representatives and a 1950 attempt on the life of President Harry S. Truman were freed from prison after being granted clemency by President Jimmy Carter.

In 1987, Pope John Paul II arrived in Miami, where he was welcomed by President Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan as he began a 10-day tour of the United States.

In 1998, President Clinton met with members of his Cabinet to apologize, ask forgiveness and promise to improve as a person in the wake of the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

In 2005, cadaver dogs and boatloads of forensic workers fanned out across New Orleans to collect the corpses left behind by Hurricane Katrina; cleanup crews towed away abandoned cars and even began readying a hotel for reopening.

In 2015, New York State approved gradually raising the minimum wage for fast-food workers to $15 an hour — the first time any state had set the minimum that high.

In 2016, John Hinckley Jr., the man who tried to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981, was released from a Washington mental hospital for good. (Hinckley would be freed from all court oversight in June 2022.)

In 2017, Hurricane Irma, weakened slightly from Category 5 to Category 4, blew ashore on the Florida Keys with winds of 130 mph.

In 2018, Hurricane Florence exploded into a potentially catastrophic Category 4 hurricane as it closed in on North and South Carolina with winds up to 140 mph.

In 2022, King Charles III was officially proclaimed Britain’s monarch in a pomp-filled ceremony two days after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Greg Mullavey is 90. Jazz vibraphonist Roy Ayers is 83. Actor Tom Ligon is 83. Singer Danny Hutton (Three Dog Night) is 81. Singer Jose Feliciano is 78. Actor Judy Geeson is 75. Former Canadian first lady Margaret Trudeau is 75. Political commentator Bill O’Reilly is 74. Rock musician Joe Perry (Aerosmith) is 73. Country singer Rosie Flores is 73. Actor Amy Irving is 70. Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., is 69. Actor-director Clark Johnson is 69. Actor Kate Burton is 66. Movie director Chris Columbus is 65. Actor Colin Firth is 63. Rock singer-musician David Lowery (Cracker) is 63. Actor Sean O’Bryan is 60. Baseball Hall of Famer Randy Johnson is 60. Actor Raymond Cruz is 59. Rock singer-musician Miles Zuniga (Fastball) is 57. Actor Nina Repeta (NY’-nuh ruh-PEHT’-ah) is 56. Rapper Big Daddy Kane is 55. Movie director Guy Ritchie is 55. Actor Johnathon Schaech (shehk) is 54. Contemporary Christian singer Sara Groves is 51. Actor Ryan Phillippe (FIHL’-ih-pee) is 49. Actor Kyle Bornheimer is 48. Actor Jacob Young is 44. Rock musician Mikey Way (My Chemical Romance) is 43. Olympic bronze medal figure skater Timothy Goebel (GAY’-bul) is 43. Ballerina Misty Copeland is 41. MLB All-Star first-baseman Joey Votto (VAH’-toh) is 40. Rock musician Matthew Followill (Kings of Leon) is 39. Singer Ashley Monroe (Pistol Annies) is 37. MLB All-Star first-baseman Paul Goldschmidt is 36. Singer Sanjaya Malakar (san-JY’-uh MA’-luh-kar) (“American Idol”) is 34. Actor Chandler Massey is 33. Actor Hannah Hodson is 32. Actor Gabriel Bateman is 19.