Today In History September 15, 2011
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Today is Thursday, Sept. 15, the 258th day of 2011. There are 107 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History: On Sept. 15, 1961, the United States began Operation Nougat, a series of underground nuclear explosions in the Nevada Test Site, two weeks after the Soviet Union resumed testing its nuclear weapons.
On this date: In 1776, British forces occupied New York City during the American Revolution.
In 1789, the U.S. Department of Foreign Affairs was renamed the Department of State.
In 1821, the Kingdom of Guatemala proclaimed its independence from Spain.
In 1857, William Howard Taft - who served as President of the United States and as U.S. chief justice - was born in Cincinnati, Ohio.
In 1935, the Nuremberg Laws deprived German Jews of their citizenship.
In 1940, during the World War II Battle of Britain, the tide turned as the Royal Air Force inflicted heavy losses against the Luftwaffe.
In 1950, during the Korean conflict, United Nations forces landed at Incheon in the south and began their drive toward Seoul (sohl).
In 1959, Nikita Khrushchev became the first Soviet head of state to visit the United States as he arrived at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington.
In 1963, four black girls were killed when a bomb went off during Sunday services at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala. (Three Ku Klux Klansmen were eventually convicted for their roles in the blast.)
In 1981, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted unanimously to approve the Supreme Court nomination of Sandra Day O'Connor.
Ten years ago: President George W. Bush ordered U.S. troops to get ready for war and braced Americans for a long, difficult assault against terrorists to avenge the Sept. 11 attack. Beleaguered Afghans streamed out of Kabul, fearing a U.S. military strike against Taliban rulers harboring Osama bin Laden. Frederick De Cordova, executive producer of "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson," died in Woodland Hills, Calif., at age 90.
Five years ago: Ford Motor Co. took drastic steps to remold itself into a smaller, more competitive company, slashing thousands of jobs and shuttering two additional plants. U.S. Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, agreed to plead guilty to two criminal charges in the congressional corruption probe spawned by disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. (Ney served nearly a year and a-half of a 2-½-year prison sentence.) Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci died in Florence at age 77.
One year ago: A mortar attack by Palestinian militants and airstrikes by Israel provided a grim backdrop as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ended their latest round of peace talks still divided on major issues.