Today is Wednesday, Sept. 21, the 264th day of 2011. There are 101 days left in the year.

Highlight in History

On Sept. 21, 1897, the New York Sun ran its famous editorial, written anonymously by Francis P. Church, that responded to a letter from 8-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon asking whether Santa Claus really existed. Church wrote, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy.”

On this date

In 1792, the French National Convention voted to abolish the monarchy.

In 1893, one of America’s first horseless carriages was taken for a short test drive in Springfield, Mass., by Frank Duryea, who had designed the vehicle with his brother, Charles.

In 1937, “The Hobbit,” by J.R.R. Tolkien, was first published.

In 1938, a hurricane struck parts of New York and New England, causing widespread damage and claiming some 700 lives.

In 1948, Milton Berle made his debut as permanent host of “The Texaco Star Theater” on NBC-TV.

In 1961, the first Boeing CH-47 Chinook military helicopter made its first hovering flight.

In 1970, “NFL Monday Night Football” made its debut on ABC-TV as the Cleveland Browns defeated the visiting New York Jets, 31-21.

In 1981, the Senate unanimously confirmed the nomination of Sandra Day O’Connor to become the first female justice on the Supreme Court. Belize attained full independence from Britain.

In 1989, Hurricane Hugo crashed into Charleston, S.C. Twenty-one students in Alton, Texas, died when their school bus, involved in a collision with a soft-drink delivery truck, careened into a water-filled pit.

In 1991, an 18-hour hostage drama ended in Sandy, Utah, as Richard L. Worthington, who’d killed a nurse and seized control of a hospital maternity ward, finally freed nine captives, including a baby who was born during the siege. (Worthington committed suicide in prison in 1993.) Armenians voted overwhelmingly to declare their independence from the Soviet Union.

Ten years ago

Congress again opened the federal coffers to those harmed by terrorism, providing $15 billion to the airline industry, which was suffering mounting economic losses since the Sept. 11 attacks. Hollywood’s finest paid tribute to real-life heroes during a telethon for victims of the terrorist attacks that was carried on more than 30 networks.

Five years ago

The White House and rebellious Senate Republicans announced agreement on rules for the interrogation and trial of suspects in the war on terror. Space shuttle Atlantis and its six astronauts safely returned from a 12-day mission to install a big new piece of the orbiting outpost. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced it would recommend all Americans ages 13 to 64 be routinely tested for HIV.

One year ago

The mayor and ex-city manager of the Los Angeles suburb of Bell were among eight current and former city officials arrested in a corruption scandal that authorities said cost the blue-collar city more than $5.5 million in excessive salaries and illegal personal loans. Two men filed a lawsuit accusing Atlanta megachurch pastor Bishop Eddie Long of coercing them into sexual relationships when they were teenage members of his congregation. (Long, who denied the allegations, later reached out-of-court settlements with them and two other men.)