Today is Saturday, September 26, the 269th day of 2009. There are 96 days left in the year.
1687 _ Parthenon destroyed in war between Turks and Venetians
1789 _ Jefferson appointed first Secretary of State, and John Jay, first chief justice
1907 _ New Zealand becomes a dominion
1950 _ U.N. troops in Korean War recaptured South Korean capital of Seoul
1957 _ Musical ``West Side Story" opens on Broadway
1960 _ Longest speech in U.N. history (4 hours and 29 minutes by Fidel Castro)
1969 _ Beatles release ``Abbey Road" album
1984 _ Britain and China initial agreement return Hong Kong to China in 1997
1988 _ Canada's Ben Johnson stripped of his 100-m gold failing drug test
1988 _ Polish communist party picks propaganda chief Rakowski as new P.M.