On This Day: Monday September 19, 2005 This is the 262nd day of the year, with 103 days remaining in 2005. Fact of the Day: Mexico Mexico is located in one of the Earth's most dynamic tectonic areas. It is a part of the Pacific "Ring of Fire," a region of active volcanism and frequent seismic activity. Towering peaks, such as Citlaltétl (also called Orizaba; 18,701 feet) and Popocatétl (17,883 feet), are extremely young in geologic terms (late Tertiary) and are examples of the volcanic forces that built much of the central and southern parts of the country. Mexico is situated on the western, or leading, edge of the huge North American Plate, whose interaction with the Pacific, Cocos, and Caribbean plates has, over geologic time, given rise to the earth-building processes of the area. The complexity found in southern Mexico's physiography is due to the interaction among these tectonic plates. Holidays St. Kitts (Christopher) and Nevis: Independence Day/St. Christopher's Day. Saint Januarius (Gennaro) Feast Day. Laos: Thanksgiving. Events 1356 - In an important battle of the Hundred Years' War, English Prince Edward defeated the French at Poitiers and took King John II as a prisoner. 1544 - Francis, king of France, and Charles V of Austria signed a peace treaty ending a 20-year war. 1676 - Jamestown was burned by Bacon's Rebellion. 1777 - Americans under General Horatio Gates won the Battle of Saratoga in the Revolutionary War. 1777 - The Continental Congress fled their capital in Philadelphia for the more secure site of York, Pennsylvania, upon learning of the approach of General William Howe and the British forces. 1783 - The Joseph-Michel Montgolfier and Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier sent up the first hot-air balloon with live creatures on board, in Versailles, France. 1796 - George Washington issued his farewell address as U.S. President. 1849 - First commercial laundry was established in Oakland, California. 1893 - New Zealand granted women the right to vote. 1934 - Bruno Hauptmann was arrested in New York and charged with the kidnap-murder of Charles Lindbergh's baby. 1948 - Moscow announced it would withdraw from Korea by the end of the year. 1955 - Juan Domingo Perón, president of Argentina since 1946, was deposed and exiled in a military coup. 1957 - U.S. conducted its first underground nuclear test, in the Nevada desert. 1964 - "Flipper" premiered on television. 1970 - "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" debuted on TV. 1980 - Titan II exploded in Damascus, AR, by accident. One person died. 1983 - St. Kitts and Nevis declared independence from England. 1984 - Great Britain and China announced their agreement to transfer Hong Kong to Chinese rule in 1997. 1985 - Mexico City was struck by the first of two huge earthquakes that claimed more than 10,000 lives. 1995 - The Washington Post published the so-called "Unabomber's Manifesto," a sixty-five-page thesis on what the "Unabomber" thought were the problems with America's society. 2002 - President George W. Bush asked Congress for authority to "use all means," including military force if necessary, to disarm and overthrow Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein if he did not quickly meet United Nations demands to abandon all weapons of mass destruction. Births 1904 - Bergen Evans, American educator, author, and lexicographer. 1905 - Leon Jaworski, American attorney and special Watergate prosecutor. 1910 - Frances Farmer, American actress. 1911 - Sir William Golding, British novelist. 1926 - Duke (Edwin) Snider, baseball Hall of Famer. 1929 - Adam West, American actor, famous for his role as "Batman." 1933 - David McCallum, Scottish-born American actor. 1934 - Brian Epstein, talent manager for The Beatles. 1940 - Paul Williams, American award-winning songwriter. 1943 - "Mama" Cass Elliott (Ellen Naomi Cohen), American singer. 1949 - Twiggy (Leslie Hornby), British model and actress. 1951 - Joan Lunden, American television journalist. 1964 - Trisha Yearwood, American country singer. Deaths 1881 - James A. Garfield, 20th President of the United States of America, 80 days after being shot.