Today is Friday, Sept. 8, the 251st day of 2017. There are 114 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History

On September 8, 1892, an early version of “The Pledge of Allegiance,” written by Francis Bellamy, appeared in “The Youth’s Companion.” It went: “I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

On this date

In 1504, Michelangelo’s towering marble statue of David was unveiled to the public in Florence, Italy.

In 1761, Britain’s King George III married Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz a few hours after meeting her for the first time.

In 1900, Galveston, Texas, was struck by a hurricane that killed an estimated 8,000 people.

In 1921, Margaret Gorman, 16, of Washington, D.C., was crowned the first “Miss America” in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

In 1935, Sen. Huey P. Long, D-La., was shot and mortally wounded inside the Louisiana State Capitol; he died two days later. (The assailant was identified as Dr. Carl Weiss, who was gunned down by Long’s bodyguards.)

In 1941, the 900-day Siege of Leningrad by German forces began during World War II.

In 1951, a peace treaty with Japan was signed by 49 nations in San Francisco.

In 1966, the science-fiction series “Star Trek” premiered on NBC; the situation comedy “That Girl,” starring Marlo Thomas, debuted on ABC.

In 1974, President Gerald R. Ford granted a “full, free, and absolute pardon” to former President Richard Nixon covering his entire term in office.

In 1985, Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds tied Ty Cobb’s career record for hits, singling for hit number 4,191 during a game against the Cubs in Chicago.

Ten years ago: Sheriff ’s deputies in Logan County, West Virginia, removed Megan Williams, a 20-year-old black woman, from a house in Big Creek, where she’d endured what authorities described as days of torture. (Seven white men and women pleaded guilty in connection with the case. In a strange twist, Williams recanted her accusations in 2009; however, one of the defendants, Frankie Brewster, said, “It did happen.”) Top-ranked Justine Henin overwhelmed Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-1, 6-3 to win her second U.S. Open women’s title and seventh Grand Slam championship.