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On Aug. 30, 1983, Guion S. Bluford Jr. became the 1st black American astronaut to travel in space

By The Associated Press

12:02 AM EDT, August 30, 2008

Today is Saturday, Aug. 30, the 243rd day of 2008. There are 123 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Aug. 30, 1983, Guion S. Bluford Jr. became the first black American astronaut to travel in space as he blasted off aboard the Challenger.

On this date:

In 1797, the creator of "Frankenstein," Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, was born in London.

In 1861, Union Gen. John C. Fremont instituted martial law in Missouri and declared slaves there to be free. (However, Fremont's order was countermanded days later by President Lincoln).

In 1862, Union forces were defeated by the Confederates at the Second Battle of Bull Run in Manassas, Va.

In 1905, Ty Cobb made his major-league debut as a player for the Detroit Tigers, hitting a double in his first at-bat in a game against the New York Highlanders. (The Tigers won, 5-3.)

In 1908, actor Fred MacMurray was born in Kankakee, Ill.

In 1945, Gen. Douglas MacArthur arrived in Japan to set up Allied occupation headquarters.

In 1963, the "Hot Line" communications link between Washington and Moscow went into operation.

In 1967, the Senate confirmed the appointment of Thurgood Marshall as the first black justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

In 1991, Azerbaijan declared its independence, joining the stampede of republics seeking to secede from the Soviet Union.

In 1997, Americans received word of the car crash in Paris that claimed the lives of Princess Diana, Dodi Fayed and their driver, Henri Paul. (Because of the time difference, it was Aug. 31 where the crash occurred.)

Ten years ago: Members of U S West's largest union ended a 15-day strike after reaching a tentative agreement on a new three-year contract.

Five years ago: A Russian submarine being towed to a scrap yard sank in a gale in the Barents Sea, killing nine of the 10-member crew. The World Trade Organization agreed to let impoverished nations import cheaper copies of patented medicines needed to fight killer diseases. Actor Charles Bronson died in Los Angeles at age 81. Inventor Robert Abplanalp, confidant of President Nixon, died in Bronxville, N.Y., at age 81. Writer Marion Hargrove died in Long Beach, Calif., at age 83.

One year ago: In a serious breach of nuclear security, a B-52 bomber armed with six nuclear warheads flew cross-country unnoticed; the Air Force later punished 70 people. Taliban militants in Afghanistan released the last seven South Korean hostages.

Today's Birthdays: Country singer Kitty Wells is 89. Opera singer Regina Resnik is 86. Actor Bill Daily is 81. Actress Elizabeth Ashley is 69. Actor Ben Jones is 67. Cartoonist R. Crumb is 65. Skier Jean-Claude Killy is 65. Actress Peggy Lipton is 61. Comedian Lewis Black is 60. Actor Timothy Bottoms is 57. Actor David Paymer is 54. Jazz musician Gerald Albright is 51. Actor Michael Chiklis is 45. Music producer Robert Clivilles is 44. Actress Michael Michele is 42. Country musician Geoff Firebaugh is 40. Country singer Sherrie Austin is 37. Actress Cameron Diaz is 36. Rock musician Leon Caffrey (Space) is 35. TV personality Lisa Ling is 35. Rock singer-musician Aaron Barrett (Reel Big Fish) is 34. Singer Rich Cronin (LFO) is 33. Rock musician Matt Taul (Tantric; Days of the New) is 30. Tennis player Andy Roddick is 26. Rock musician Ryan Ross (Panic at the Disco) is 22. Actor Cameron Finley is 21.

Thought for Today: "If you board the wrong train, it is no use running along the corridor in the other direction." — Dietrich Bonhoeffer, German theologian (1906-1945).