Today in History: September 16, massacre in Sabra and Shatila refugee camps

"On Sept. 16, 1982, the massacre of more than 1,300 Palestinian men, women and children at the hands of Israeli-allied Christian Phalange militiamen began in west Beirut's Sabra and Shatila refugee camps. Also on this date: In 1810, Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla called on his parishioners to join him in a rebellion against Spanish rule, marking the beginning of the Mexican War of Independence."

"In 1893, the largest land run in U.S. history occurred as more than 100,000 white settlers rushed to claim over more than 6 million acres of land in what is now northern Oklahoma. In 1908, General Motors was founded in Flint, Michigan, by William C. Durant. In 1940, Samuel T. Rayburn of Texas was first elected speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; he would hold the post for a record 17 years, spanning three separate terms."

"In 1966, the Metropolitan Opera officially opened its new opera house at New York's Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts with the world premiere of Samuel Barber's Antony and Cleopatra. In 1974, President Gerald R. Ford signed a proclamation announcing a conditional amnesty program for Vietnam war deserters and draft evaders. In 2007, O.J. Simpson was arrested in the alleged armed robbery of sports memorabilia collectors in Las Vegas."

Today is Tuesday, Sept. 16, the 259th day of 2025, with 106 days remaining in the year. Historical events on this date include the Sept. 16, 1982 massacre of more than 1,300 Palestinians in Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in west Beirut; Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla's 1810 call that began the Mexican War of Independence; the 1893 largest U.S. land run as over 100,000 white settlers claimed more than 6 million acres in northern Oklahoma; the 1908 founding of General Motors; Samuel T. Rayburn's 1940 election as House Speaker; the 1966 opening of the Metropolitan Opera's Lincoln Center house; and later arrests, attacks, and disasters. Birthdays listed include George Chakiris (93), Ed Begley Jr. (76), Henry Louis Gates Jr. (75), and David Bellamy.

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