Today in History: September 20, Billie Jean King wins 'Battle of the Sexes'

Today is Sunday, Sept. 20, the 263rd day of 2026. There are 102 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Sept. 20, 1973, in their so-called “Battle of the Sexes,” tennis star Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, in the Houston Astrodome.

Also on this date:

In 1519, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his crew set out from Spain on five ships to find a western passage to the Spice Islands. (Magellan was killed en route, but one of his ships completed the first circumnavigation of the globe three years later.)

In 1946, the first Cannes Film Festival, lasting 16 days, opened in France.

In 1962, James Meredith, a Black student, was blocked from enrolling at the University of Mississippi by Democratic Gov. Ross R. Barnett.

In 1964, The Beatles concluded their first full-fledged U.S. tour by performing in a charity concert at the Paramount Theater in New York.

In 1967, the Cunard liner Queen Elizabeth 2 was christened by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II in Clydebank, Scotland.

In 2011, the repeal of the U.S. military’s 18-year-old “don’t ask, don’t tell” compromise took effect, allowing gay and lesbian service members to serve openly.

In 2017, Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico, wiping out up to 75% of power distribution lines and causing an island-wide blackout. It was the strongest storm to hit the island in more than 80 years.

In 2019, Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania, the site of the nation’s worst commercial nuclear power accident in 1979, was shut down by its owner after producing electricity for 45 years.

In 2024, an Israeli airstrike in Beirut killed at least 14 people and wounded dozens more. It was the first such Israeli attack on the Lebanese capital in months and came shortly after the Shiite Muslim militant and political group Hezbollah pounded northern Israel with 140 rockets.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Sophia Loren is 92. Author George R. R. Martin is 78. Actor Gary Cole is 70. TV news correspondent Deborah Roberts is 66. Actor Maggie Cheung is 62. Actor Kristen Johnston is 59. Rock singers Gunnar and Matthew Nelson are 59. Race car driver Juan Pablo Montoya is 51. Actor Jon Bernthal is 50. Actor Aldis Hodge is 40. Retired mixed martial artist Khabib Nurmagomedov is 38. Singer-songwriter Phillip Phillips is 36. Singer Katrina Stuart is 27.