On September 13, thousands of people are rescued in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike

Today is Friday, September 13, the 257th day of 2024. There are 109 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On September 13, 2008, crews rescued people from their homes in an all-out search for thousands of Texans who stayed behind overnight to brave Hurricane Ike.

Also on this date:

In 1788, the Congress of the Confederacy authorized the first national elections and declared New York City the temporary national capital.

In 1948, Republican Margaret Chase Smith of Maine was elected to the U.S. Senate; she became the first woman to serve in both houses of Congress.

In 1971, a four-day inmate uprising at the Attica Correctional Facility in western New York ended when police and guards stormed the prison; the ordeal and final attack claimed the lives of 32 prisoners and 11 hostages.

In 1997, a funeral was held for Nobel Prize winner Mother Teresa in Calcutta, India.

In 1993, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat shook hands at the White House after signing an agreement granting limited Palestinian autonomy.

In 2010, Rafael Nadal defeated Novak Djokovic to win his first US Open title and complete a career Grand Slam.

In 2021, school resumed for New York City public school students in the nation’s largest experiment in in-person learning during the coronavirus pandemic.

Today’s Birthdays:

• Actor Barbara Bain is 93.
• Nobel Peace Prize winner Óscar Arias is 84.
• Rock singer David Clayton-Thomas (Blood, Sweat & Tears) is 83.
• Actor Jacqueline Bisset is 80.
• Singer Peter Cetera turns 80.
• Actor Jean Smart is 73.
• Record producer Don Was is 72.
• Chef Alain Ducasse is 68.
• Rock singer-musician Dave Mustaine (Megadeth) is 63.
• Olympic gold medal sprinter Michael Johnson is 57.
• Filmmaker Tyler Perry is 55.
• Fashion designer Stella McCartney is 53.
• Former tennis player Goran Ivanisevic (ee-van-EE’-seh-vihch) is 53.
• Country musician Joe Don Rooney (Rascal Flatts) is 49.
• Singer-songwriter Fiona Apple is 47.
• Actor Ben Savage is 44.
• Footballer Thomas Müller is 35.
• Rock singer Niall Horan (One Direction) is 31.
• Actor Lili Reinhart (TV: “Riverdale”) is 28.