Today is Thursday, September 3, the 246th day of 2009. There are 119 days left in the year.
1189 _ England's King Richard I (the Lion-Hearted) crowned in Westminster
1783 _ Treaty of Paris signed (ending the U.S. Revolutionary War)
1833 _ NY Sun begins publishing (first daily newspaper)
1891 _ Cotton-pickers organize union and stage strike in Texas
1916 _ Allies turned back Germans in WW I's Battle of Verdun
1939 _ Britain declares war on Germany. France follows six hours later quickly joined by Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Canada
1935 _ First automobile to exceed 300 mph, Sir Malcolm Campbell (301.337 mph)
1935 _ Andrew Varipapa sets bowling record of 2,652 points in 10 games
1940 _ First showing of high definition color TV
1971 _ Watergate team breaks into Daniel Ellsberg's doctor's office