Spotlight
Japanese officials formally surrendered to the United States on this date in 1945, bringing an end to the conflict between the two countries in World War II. On board the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, the American delegation was lead by Admiral Chester Nimitz and General Douglas MacArthur, with the Japanese represented by foreign minister Mamoru Shigemitsu. The war in the Pacific Theater had begun with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and ended with the US bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Quote
"We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction." — Douglas MacArthur

Word of the day
bastinado -- a beating with a stick or cudgel (© )

Today's News

• Angela Merkel: German chancellor replaces Condoleezza Rice as world's most powerful woman, according to Forbes (story)
• Alzheimer's: risk cut by fruit or vegetable juice (story)
• Skype: Philips to make cordless PC-free phone for Internet calls (story)

Today's History

• "Speak softly and carry a big stick": advice cited by US vice president Theodore Roosevelt at the Minnesota State Fair (1901)
• Florida Keys: ravaged by the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935; over 400 killed
• Ho Chi Minh: declared Vietnam independent of France (1945); he died on this day in 1969

Today's Birthdays

• Queen Liliuokalani: last Hawaiian monarch (1838-1917)
• Christa McAuliffe: teacher who died in Challenger space shuttle explosion (1948-1986)
• Terry Bradshaw: Pittsburgh Steelers star quarterback, actor, singer (58)
• Salma Hayek: actress, Frida (40)