TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2008

Today is Tuesday, September 9, the 253rd day of 2008. There are 113 days left in the year.

1776 _ Continental Congress renames ``United Colonies," ``United States"

1867 _ Luxembourg gains independence

1943 _ Italy surrenders to the Allies

1945 _ Japanese in S. Korea, Taiwan, China, Indochina surrender to Allies

1948 _ People's Democratic Republic of Korea proclaimed

1956 _ Elvis Presley appears on national TV for first time (Ed Sullivan)

1965 _ Tibet is made an autonomous region of China

1968 _ First U.S. Open, held as an ``open" (Arthur Ashe wins)

1971 _ John Lennon releases the ``Imagine" album

1990 _ Bush & Gorbachev meet in Helsinki and urge Iraq to leave Kuwait