The Siege of Yorktown, Virginia, the decisive battle in
America’s shocking triumph over the mighty British
Empire in its War of Independence, began on this day
in history, Sept. 28, 1781.

The siege ended three weeks later, on Oct. 19, with the
surrender of the British garrison led by Lord Charles
Cornwallis. 

Painting depicts the surrender of the British at Yorktown.

Portland, Oregon went 30 days with no reported
homicides, longest streak in years.

Sir Michael Gambon, who played Dumbledore in the
“Harry Potter” franchise, died Tuesday after suffering
from pneumonia .

Over his six-decade-long career,Gambon received
three Olivier Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards,
and four BAFTA Awards. In 1998, he was knighted by
Queen Elizabeth II for services to drama.

The Irish-English actor Sir Michael Gambon as
Denton Baxter in the great Kevin Costner
Revisionist Western film Open Range, 2003.

On September 28, 1941, the last day of Major League Baseball’s
regular season, the Boston Red Sox’s Ted Williams got six hits
in eight at-bats during a doubleheader in Philadelphia, boosting
his average to .406. He becomes the first player since 1930 to hit
.400. "I guess I’ll be satisfied with that thrill out there today," he
tells the Boston Globe about hitting .400. "… I never wanted
anything harder in my life."

In addition to his .406 batting average—no major league player
since Williams has hit .400—the left fielder led the big leagues
with 37 homers, 135 runs and a slugging average of .735.

Williams, nicknamed “The Splendid Splinter” and “The Thumper”,       
began his big-league career with the Red Sox in 1939.

Theodore Samuel Williams
(August 30, 1918 – July 5, 2002)