Today in History - History - September 5th

19863rd MTV Awards: Whitney Houston wins

1915Tsar Nicholas II, distressed by increasing Russian losses, assumes personal command of his nation's military forces; clearly a symbolic act and devastating for his leadership

1975First Assassination attempt on US President Gerald Ford in Sacramento by Lynette Fromme in Sacramento

1939FDR declares US neutrality at start of WW II in Europe

1987John McEnroe is fined $17,500 for tirades at US Tennis Open

1966Jerry Lewis' 1st Muscular Dystrophy telethon raises $15,000

1957Cuban dictator Batista bombs Cienfuegos uprising

1698Russian Tsar Peter the Great imposes a tax on beards

196888th US Men's Tennis: Arthur Ashe beats Tom Okker (1412 57 63 36 63)

1995Cal Ripken Jr ties Gehrig's record of playing in 2,130 straight games

1940Raquel Welch, Chicago Illinois, (Myra Breckenridge, 1,000,000 BC, 100 Rifles)

1847Jesse James, Missouri, outlaw, son of a clergyman, (d. 1882)

1638Louis XIV, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, King of France (1643-1715), (Sun King), (d. 1715)

1951Michael Keaton, Pitts Pa, actor (Gung Ho, Batman, Beetlejuice)

1959Motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel (20) weds Linda Joan Bork

1987Actor Steven Seagal (36) weds actress Kelly LeBrock (27) in Beverly Hills, California

1970Producer Dick Wolf (23) weds Susan Scranton

1968Author Ken Follett (19) weds Mary Emma Ruth Elson

1997Mother Teresa, Nobel (1979), dies of cardiac arrest at 87

1877Crazy Horse [Tashunka Witko], last great Sioux war chief, dies at 37