Today in History: September 4, confirmation hearings begin for future Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh

Today is Wednesday, Sept. 4, the 248th day of 2024. There are 118 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Sept. 4, 2018, the Senate Judiciary Committee began confirmation hearings for future Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on a day that saw rancorous exchanges between Democrats and Republicans.

Also on this date:

In 1781, Los Angeles was founded by Spanish settlers under the leadership of Governor Felipe de Neve.

In 1944, during World War II, British troops liberated Antwerp, Belgium.

In 1949, more than 140 people were injured following a performance by singer Paul Robeson in Peekskill, N.Y. as an anti-Communist mob attacked departing concertgoers.

In 1957, Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus ordered Arkansas National Guardsmen to prevent nine Black students from entering all-white Central High School in Little Rock.

In 1972, U.S. swimmer Mark Spitz became the first to win seven medals at a single Olympic Games, winning a seventh gold at the Munich Olympics in the 400-meter medley relay.

In 1972, the longest-running game show in U.S. history, “The Price is Right,” debuted on CBS.

In 1974, the United States established diplomatic relations with East Germany.

In 1998, Google was founded by Stanford University Ph.D. students Sergey Brin and Larry Page.

In 2016, elevating the “saint of the gutters” to one of the Catholic Church’s highest honors, Pope Francis canonized Mother Teresa, praising her radical dedication to society’s outcasts and her courage in shaming world leaders for the “crimes of poverty they themselves created.”

Today’s Birthdays:

• Actor Mitzi Gaynor is 93.
• Golf Hall of Famer Raymond Floyd is 82.
• Golf Hall of Famer Tom Watson is 75.
• Actor Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs is 71.
• Actor Khandi Alexander is 67.
• Actor-comedian Damon Wayans Sr. is 64.
• Baseball Hall of Famer Mike Piazza is 56.
• DJ-musician-producer Mark Ronson is 49.
• Actor Wes Bentley is 46.
• Actor Max Greenfield is 45.
• Singer-actor Beyoncé is 43.
• Actor-comedian Whitney Cummings is 42.
• Actor-comedian Kyle Mooney (TV: “Saturday Night Live”) is 40.