September 4

1682: English astronomer Edmund Halley first saw his namesake comet. 1833: The New York Sun hired the first newsboy, Barney Flaherty. 1882: Thomas Edison's Pearl Street electric power station began operations in New York City, becoming the first display of a practical electrical lighting system. 1888: George Eastman received a patent for his roll-film camera, and registered his trademark, "Kodak."  1941: The American destroyer USS Greer was attacked by German submarine U-652 off Iceland, marking the unofficial start of the shooting war. 1951: The first live, coast-to-coast TV broadcast took place by President Harry Truman from the Japanese Peace Treaty Conference. 1957: Ford began selling its ill-fated Edsel. 1964: The 6,156 foot long Forth Road Bridge, at that time the longest in Europe, opened. 1967: The last new episode of "Gilligan's Island" aired. 1989: The U.S. Air Force launched its last Titan III rocket.