Today's Highlight in History:
Five years ago, on Aug. 30, 1997, Americans learned of the car crash in Paris that claimed the lives of Princess Diana, Dodi Fayed and their driver, Henri Paul. (Because of the time difference, it was Aug. 31 in Paris.)
On this date:
In 30 B.C. (on Aug. 30th, by some estimates), the seventh and most famous queen of ancient Egypt, known as Cleopatra, committed suicide.
In 1862, Union forces were defeated by the Confederates at the Second Battle of Bull Run in Manassas, Va.
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In 1905, Ty Cobb made his major league batting debut, playing for the Detroit Tigers.
In 1945, Gen. Douglas MacArthur arrived in Japan, and set up Allied occupation headquarters.
In 1963, the "Hot Line" communications link between Washington and Moscow went into operation.
In 1967, the Senate confirmed the appointment of Thurgood Marshall as the first black justice on the Supreme Court.
In 1983, Guion S. Bluford, Jr., became the first black American astronaut to travel in space, blasting off aboard the Challenger.
In 1987, a redesigned space shuttle booster, created in the wake of the Challenger disaster, roared into life in its first full-scale test-firing near Brigham City, Utah.
Ten years ago: The television series "Northern Exposure" won six Emmy Awards, including best drama series, while "Murphy Brown" received three Emmys, including best comedy series, in a ceremony marked by satirical jabs directed at Vice President Dan Quayle.
Five years ago: Philip Noel Johnson, an armored car driver who had stolen $18.8 million, was arrested at the Texas border. (Johnson was later sentenced to 25 years in prison.)
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One year ago: Nikolay Soltys was captured hiding under a desk in his mother's back yard in Citrus Heights, Calif., after a ten-day nationwide manhunt for the Ukrainian immigrant accused of butchering six relatives. (Soltys committed suicide in his jail cell in February.)
