Today is Saturday, Aug. 30, the 243rd day of 2008. There are 123 days left in the year. On this date

Today is Saturday, Aug. 30, the 243rd day of 2008. There are 123 days left in the year. On this date in 1983, Guion S. Bluford Jr. becomes the first black American astronaut to travel in space as he blasts off aboard the Challenger.

In 1861, Union Gen. John C. Fremont institutes martial law in Missouri and declares slaves there to be free. (However, Fremont’s order is countermanded days later by President Lincoln). In 1905, Ty Cobb makes his major-league debut as a player for the Detroit Tigers, hitting a double in his first at-bat in a game against the New York Highlanders. (The Tigers win, 5-3.) In 1963, the “Hot Line” communications link between Washington and Moscow goes into operation. In 1967, the Senate confirms the appointment of Thurgood Marshall as the first black justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

August 30, 1983: The Youngstown Park and Recreation Commission says that council improperly transferred federal revenue-sharing funds from the park department to the purchase of equipment for a Kimmel Brook Homes recreation facility.

U.S. Sen John Glenn, D-Ohio, says the death of two Marines in Lebanon shows that American troops there are in a combat situation and says the War Powers Act should be invoked, which would require the withdrawal of troops there within 90 days unless Congress approves their presence.

August 30, 1968: A first-day attendance record of 77,847 people is set a the Canfield Fair.

Members of the Youngstown delegation to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago say they are pleased with Hubert Humphrey’s choice of Edmund Muskie of Maine as Humphrey’s vice presidential running mate, saying Muskie, as the son of a Polish immigrant, will have appeal in the area.

August 30, 1958: Diagnosis of the Youngstown area’s fourth polio case of the year is confirmed at South Side Hospital, a 25-year-old East Side man.

Lou “The Toe” Groza kicks a 50-yard field goal with 15 seconds remaining to give the Cleveland Browns a 13-10 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in a preseason game before 41,378 fans in Los Angeles.

August 30, 1933: Frank Purnell, Youngstown Sheet Tube Co. president, is named chairman of the labor committee of the American Iron Steel Institute and as such will be in charge of investigating all labor problems arising under the National Recovery Act steel code.

Harry Higbee, agent of the Mercer County, Pa., bureau of animal husbandry, finds a 16-inch snake in the stomach of a wild mastiff-sized dog killed because it was believed to be one of a pair attacking and killing sheep in the county.