Today is Sunday, Sept. 15, the 259th day of 2024. There are 107 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Sept. 15, 1963, four Black girls were killed when a bomb went off during Sunday services at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. (Three Ku Klux Klansmen were eventually convicted for their roles in the blast.)

Also on this date:

In 1835, Charles Darwin reached the Galápagos Islands aboard the HMS Beagle.

In 1935, the Nuremberg Laws were enacted in Nazi Germany, depriving German Jews of their citizenship.

In 1940, the tide turned in the Battle of Britain in World War II, as the Royal Air Force inflicted heavy losses upon the Luftwaffe.

In 1958, a commuter train headed for New York City plunged into Newark Bay after missing a stop signal and sliding off the open Newark Bay lift bridge, killing 48 people.

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 1978, Muhammad Ali became the first boxer to capture the heavyweight title three times, winning by unanimous decision in his rematch with Leon Spinks.

In 2008, as a result of the subprime mortgage crisis, Lehman Brothers filed for Chapter 11 in the largest bankruptcy filing in U.S. history.

Today’s Birthdays: Writer-director Ron Shelton is 79. Actor Tommy Lee Jones is 78. Film director Oliver Stone is 78. Football coach Pete Carroll is 73. TV personality Lisa Vanderpump is 64. Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino is 63. Actor Josh Charles is 53. Olympic gold medal swimmer Tom Dolan is 49. Actor Tom Hardy is 47. Actor Amy Davidson is 45. Actor Dave Annable is 45. Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, is 40. TV personality Heidi Montag is 38.

For Saturday, Sept. 14

Today in history:

On Sept. 14, 1901, President William McKinley died in Buffalo, New York, of gunshot wounds inflicted by an assassin eight days prior; Vice President Theodore Roosevelt succeeded him, becoming the youngest-ever U.S. president at age 42.

Also on this date:

In 1847, during the Mexican-American War, U.S. forces under Gen. Winfield Scott took control of Mexico City.

In 1861, the first naval engagement of the Civil War took place as the USS Colorado attacked and sank the Confederate private schooner Judah off the coast of Pensacola, Florida.

In 1927, modern dance pioneer Isadora Duncan died in Nice, France, when her scarf became entangled in a wheel of the sports car in which she was riding.

In 1982, Princess Grace of Monaco, formerly film star Grace Kelly, died at age 52 of injuries from a car crash the day before.

In 1991, the government of South Africa, the African National Congress and the Inkatha (in-KAH’-tah) Freedom Party signed a national peace pact.

In 1994, on the 34th day of a strike by players, Acting Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig announced the 1994 season was over.

In 2001, Americans packed churches and public squares on a day of remembrance for the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks. President George W. Bush prayed with his Cabinet and attended services at Washington National Cathedral, then flew to New York, where he waded into the ruins of the World Trade Center and addressed rescue workers in a show of resolve.

In 2012, fury over an anti-Muslim film ridiculing the Prophet Muhammad sparked violent clashes across the Muslim world.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Walter Koenig (KAY’-nihg) (“Star Trek”) is 88. Architect Renzo Piano is 87. Basketball Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown is 84. Actor Sam Neill is 77. Country singer John Berry is 65. Actor Melissa Leo is 64. Actor Faith Ford is 60. Film director Bong Joon-Ho is 55. Supreme Court justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is 54. Actor Kimberly Williams-Paisley is 53. Actor Andrew Lincoln is 51. Rapper Nas is 51. Olympic gold medal middle-distance runner Hicham El Guerrouj is 50. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is 46. Chef/TV personality Katie Lee is 43. Actor Jessica Brown Findlay is 37. NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler is 35. Golfer Tony Finau is 35. Actor Emma Kenney is 25.