1908

A major earthquake followed by a tsunami devastated the Italian city of Messina, killing at least 70,000 people.

1912

San Francisco’s Municipal Railway began operations with Mayor James Rolph Jr. at the controls of Streetcar No. 1 as 50,000 spectators looked on.

1945

Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance.

1991

Nine people died in a crush of people trying to get into a rap celebrity basketball game at City College in New York.

2014

The U.S. war in Afghanistan, fought for 13 bloody years and still raging, came to a formal end with a quiet flag-lowering ceremony in Kabul that marked the transition of the fighting from U.S.-led combat troops to the country’s own security forces.

2016

Film star Debbie Reynolds, who lit up the screen in “Singin’ in the Rain” and other Hollywood classics, died at age 84, a day after losing her daughter, Carrie Fisher, who was 60.

Birthdays

Actor Dame Maggie Smith is 89. Actor Denzel Washington is 69. TV personality Gayle King is 69. Actor Mauricio Mendoza is 54. Actor Elaine Hendrix is 53. Talk show host Seth Meyers is 50. Actor Joe Manganiello is 47.Actor Vanessa Ferlito is 46.