On This Day: Friday September 16, 2005 This is the 259th day of the year, with 106 days remaining in 2005. Fact of the Day: whiskey, bourbon All bourbons are whiskey, but not all whiskeys are bourbon. Canadians and Scots spell it "whisky" and the Irish spell it "whiskey." Most U.S. dictionaries prefer the Irish spelling of "whiskey," but the U.S. Standards of Identity for Distilled Spirits, Congress spelled it "whisky." Whisky is an alcoholic distillate from a fermented mash of grain produced at less than 190 proof in such a manner that the distillate possesses the taste, aroma, and characteristics generally attributed to whiskey, stored in oak containers (except that corn whisky need not be so stored), and bottled at not less than 80 proof, and also includes mixtures of such distillates for which no specific standards of identity are prescribed. For a whiskey to qualify as bourbon, the (international) law stipulates that it must be made in the US. It must be made from at least 51% and no more than 79% Indian corn, and aged for at least two years (though most bourbon is aged for four years or more). The barrels for aging can be made of any kind of new oak, charred on the inside. It must be distilled at no more than 160 proof (80% alcohol by volume). Nothing can be added at bottling to enhance flavor or sweetness or alter color. The other grains used to make bourbon, though not stipulated by law, are malted barley and either rye or wheat. Holidays Papua New Guinea: National Day. Oklahoma: Cherokee Strip Day. Mexico: Independence Day. United States: Citizenship Day. Events 1620 - The Pilgrims set sail in the Mayflower for America from Plymouth, England. 1630 - Shawmut (also called Trimontaine), Massachusetts, was renamed Boston, and became the state capital. 1668 - King John Casimer V of Poland abdicated the throne. 1782 - George Washington first used the Great Seal of the United States on a document. 1810 - Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a Catholic priest, launched the Mexican War of Independence with the issuing of his Grito de Dolores, or "Cry of Delores," calling for an end to the 300 years of Spanish rule in Mexico. 1893 - More than 50,000 people claimed land in the Cherokee Strip during the first day of the Oklahoma land rush. 1908 - General Motors filed papers of incorporation. 1908 - Esperanto first taught at college (Clark University). 1915 - Haiti became a U.S. protectorate 1919 - The American Legion was incorporated by an act of Congress. 1940 - Samuel T. Rayburn of Texas was elected Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. 1942 - Japanese base at Kiska in the Aleutian Islands was raided by American bombers. 1945 - Japan surrendered Hong Kong to Britain. 1960 - College football coach Amos Alonzo Stagg announced his retirement after 71 years of coaching, including 40 at the University of Chicago. 1966 - The Metropolitan Opera opened its new opera house at New York's Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. 1974 - President Gerald R. Ford announced a conditional amnesty program for Vietnam War deserters and draft-evaders. 1975 - Rhodes Scholarships were first offered to women. 1982 - Hundreds of Palestinian refugees were massacred in Beirut by Lebanese Christian militia. 1987 - Two dozen nations signed the Montreal Protocol, an agreement to save the ozone layer by curbing harmful emissions. Births 1387 - Henry V, King of England. 1638 - France's King Louis XIV. 1875 - J.C. Penney, American merchant and chain store magnate. 1887 - Nadia Boulanger, French conductor and music teacher. 1891 - Karl Doenitz, German admiral who succeeded Adolf Hitler as supreme commander in Germany's government. 1893 - Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, Hungarian-born American biochemist who identified vitamin C. 1914 - Allen Funt, American radio/TV producer. 1925 - Lauren Bacall (Betty Perske), American actress. 1925 - Charlie Byrd, American jazz guitarist. 1925 - B.B. King, American musician, blues guitarist, and singer. 1930 - Anne Francis, American actress. 1934 - Elgin Baylor, American professional basketball player. 1956 - David Copperfield (Kotkin), American magician and illusionist. 1969 - Marc Anthony, American singer and actor. Deaths 1977 - American-born prima donna soprano, Maria Callas.