On This Day, Sept. 20: Hurricane Maria makes landfall in Puerto Rico

Sept. 20 (UPI) -- On this date in history:

In 1946, the first Cannes Film Festival opened on the French Riviera. An earlier attempt (in 1939) to begin the international movie showcase was halted by the outbreak of World War II.

In 1963, President John F. Kennedy proposed a joint venture between the United States and Russia to reach the moon.

In 1966, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II launched the Cunard liner bearing her name, often shortened to QE-2. It eventually became the only ocean liner on the once-thriving trans-Atlantic route.

Capt. John Burton Hall, head master of the luxury cruise liner Queen Elizabeth 2, stands at the helm on the bridge. UPI File Photo

In 1973, Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in a "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match.

In 1984, Muslim militants bombed the U.S. Embassy annex in Beirut, Lebanon, killing 23 people. It was the third terrorist attack on U.S. installations in the city in 17 months.

In 2000, the six-year Whitewater investigation of U.S. President Bill Clinton and first lady Hillary Clinton ended without any indictments being issued. Independent Counsel Robert Ray said there was insufficient evidence to establish criminal wrongdoing.

File Photo by Joel Rennich/UPI

In 2011, the "don't ask, don't tell" ban on openly gay U.S. service members was officially repealed at 1 minute past midnight, ending a policy under which about 14,000 men and women were discharged. The controversial 1993 law had allowed gays to serve only if they kept their sexual orientation private.

In 2012, a Cleveland jury found 16 Amish men and women guilty of hate crimes for cutting their Amish rivals' beards and head hair.

In 2013, Chicago police said at least three people were killed and 23 injured -- 13 in one gang-related outburst of gunfire in a park -- in a two-day spate of shootings. Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said it was "a miracle there has been no fatality" in the park attack. One of the victims was a 3-year-old boy, shot in the head. Days later, the child's mother said he would need surgery many times in the years ahead.

In 2014, the Vatican announced that Blase J. Cupich, bishop of Spokane, Wash., would become the archbishop of Chicago in November, succeeding the ailing Cardinal Francis George, who headed the 2.3-million-member diocese for 17 years.

In 2017, Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico as a Category 4 storm. The storm left the entire island without power and nearly 3,000 people dead over the next several months.