HISTORY TODAY: September 19

1692

Giles Corey is pressed to death for standing mute and refusing to
answer charges of witchcraft brought against him. His last words were, ''More weight''.

''Knowing the past, we can make wise 

choices for a brighter, and more positive future.''

1356		In a landmark battle of the Hundred Years' War, English Prince Edward defeats the French at Poitiers.
1544		Francis, the king of France, and Charles V of Austria sign a peace treaty in Crespy, France, ending a 20-year war.
1692		Giles Corey is pressed to death for standing mute and refusing to answer charges of witchcraft brought against him. He is the only person in America to have suffered this punishment.
1777		American forces under Gen. Horatio Gates meet British troops led by Gen. John Burgoyne at Saratoga Springs, NY.
1783		The first hot-air balloon is sent aloft in Versailles, France with animal passengers including a sheep, rooster and a duck.
1788		Charles de Barentin becomes lord chancellor of France.
1841		The first railway to span a frontier is completed between Strasbourg and Basel, in Europe.
1863		In Georgia, the two-day Battle of Chickamauga begins as Union troops under George Thomas clash with Confederates under Nathan Bedford Forrest.
1893		New Zealand becomes the first nation to grant women the right to vote.
1900		President Emile Loubet of France pardons Jewish army captain Alfred Dreyfus, twice court-martialed and wrongly convicted of spying for Germany.
1918		American troops of the Allied North Russia Expeditionary Force receive their baptism of fire near the town of Seltso against Soviet forces.
1948		Moscow announces it will withdrawal soldiers from Korea by the end of the year.
1955		Argentina's President Juan Peron is overthrown by rebels.
1957		First underground nuclear test takes place in Nevada.
1970		First Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts (originally called the Pilton Festival) is held near Pliton, Somerset, England.
1973		Carl XVI Gustaf invested as King of Sweden, following the death of his grandfather King Gustaf VI Adolf.
1982		The first documented emoticons, :-) and :-(, posted on Carnegie Mellon University Bulletin Board System by Scott Fahlman.
1985		An earthquake kills thousands in Mexico City.
1985		Parents Music Resource Center formed by Tipper Gore (wife of then-Senator Al Gore) and other political wives lobby for Parental Advisory stickers on music packaging.
1991		German hikers near the Austria-Italy border discover the naturally preserved mummy of a man from about 3,300 BC; Europe's oldest natural human mummy, he is dubbed Otzi the Iceman because his lower half was encased in ice.
2006		Military coup in Bangkok, revokes Thailand's constitution and establishes martial law.
Born on September 19
1894		Rachel Field, novelist and playwright who wrote All This and Heaven Too and And Now Tomorrow.
1904		Bergen Evans, educator and author who wrote Dictionary of Contemporary American Usage.
1911		William Golding, novelist best known for Lord of the Flies.
1915		Elizabeth Stern, Canadian pathologist who first published a case report linking a specific virus to a specific cancer.
1926		Masatoshi Koshiba, Japanese physicist who jointly won the Nobel Prize in Physics (2002); his work focused on subatomic particles known as neutrinos.
1927		Helen Carter, singer, member of the pioneering all-female country group Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters.
1928		Adam West, actor (Batman in campy Batman TV series).
1930		Bettye Lane, photographer noted for documenting major events of the feminist, civil rights and gay rights movements in the US.
1932		Mike Royko, journalist, syndicated columnist; won Pulitzer Prize for commentary (1972).
1933		David McCallum, actor, musician (The Man from U.N.C.L.E, NCIS TV series).
1934		Brian Epstein, music entrepreneur, manager of the The Beatles.
1940		Paul Williams, composer, singer, songwriter, director, actor ("Evergreen," "Rainy Days and Mondays").
1947		Tanith Lee, author, screenwriter; first woman to win British Fantasy best novel award (Death's Master, 1980).
1948		Jeremy Irons, actor; won Tony Award for Best Actor (The Real Thing, 1984) and Academy Award for Best Actor (Reversal of Fortune, 1990).
1949		Twiggy, model known for her thin build and androgynous look .
1949		Barry Scheck, co-founder of Innocence Project dedicated to using DNA testing to exonerate wrongly convicted people.
1950		Joan Lunden, journalist, author, co-host of ABC's Good Morning America for 17 years (1980–1997).
1964		Trisha Yearwood, Grammy and Country Music Association award-winning singer-songwriter ("How Do I Live"), actress (JAG TV series recurring role).
1974		Jimmy Fallon, actor, comedian, musician, TV host (Late Night with Jimmy Fallon; currently scheduled to replace Jay Leno as host of The Tonight Show in 2014).

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