This Day in History

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 23 1927 Sacco and Vanzetti executed Despite worldwide demonstrations in support of their innocence, Italian-born anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti are executed for murder. On April 15, 1920, a paymaster for a shoe company in South Braintree, Massachusetts, was shot and killed along with his guard. The murderers, who were described as two Italian men, escaped with more than... read more 21st CENTURY 2021 FDA fully approves the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine 1990s 1999 New York City reports first cases of West Nile virus 1960s 1968 Black soldiers stage sit-in at Fort Hood American Revolution 1784 State of Franklin declares independence Art, Literature, and Film History 1970 Lou Reed plays his last show with the Velvet Underground 2000 First "Survivor" finale airs Civil War 1861 Confederate spy Rose O'Neal Greenhow is arrested Crime 2006 Austrian teen escapes after eight years in captivity INVENTIONS & SCIENCE 1856 Eunice Foote’s research on global warming is presented publicly Roaring Twenties 1926 Valentino dies Sports 1947 First Little League World Series champion crowned 1989 Pete Rose gets booted from baseball U.S. Presidents 1814 Dolley Madison saves portrait from British World War I 1914 Battle of Mons World War II 1939 Germany, Soviet Union sign non-aggression pact 1945 Marcario García becomes first Mexican national to receive U.S. Medal of Honor

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 24 79 AD Mount Vesuvius erupts On August 24, after centuries of dormancy, Mount Vesuvius erupts in southern Italy, devastating the prosperous Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum and killing thousands. The cities, buried under a thick layer of volcanic material and mud, were never rebuilt and largely forgotten in the course of... read more Cold War 1954 Congress passes Communist Control Act Crime 1981 John Lennon's killer sentenced 1982 Wall Street informer, Martin Siegel, hatches insider trading scheme 2012 Killer in Norway massacre is sentenced France 1572 Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre Mexico 1821 Spain accepts Mexican independence Sports 1875 Captain Webb becomes first person to swim the English Channel Vietnam War 1969 U.S. unit refuses commander's order War of 1812 1814 British troops set fire to the White House Westward Expansion 1873 Elusive Mount of the Holy Cross photographed World War I 1914 Poet Alan Seeger volunteers in French army SPACE EXPLORATION 2006 Pluto is demoted

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 25 1944 Paris is liberated after four years of Nazi occupation After more than four years of Nazi occupation, Paris is liberated by the French 2nd Armored Division and the U.S. 4th Infantry Division. German resistance was light, and General Dietrich von Choltitz, commander of the German garrison, defied an order by Adolf Hitler to blow up Paris’ landmarks and burn the city... read more 1980s 1985 Samantha Smith dies in plane crash 21st Century 2009 Ted Kennedy, "liberal lion of the Senate," dies at 77 Art, Literature, and Film History 1939 "The Wizard of Oz" opens in U.S. theaters 1962 Little Eva earns a #1 hit with "Loco-Motion" Crime 1984 Truman Capote, author of "In Cold Blood," dies Exploration 1875 Englishman swims the Channel Natural Disasters & Environment 1979 Hurricane David is born Religion 325 Council of Nicaea concludes U.S. Presidents 1950 Truman orders army to seize control of railroads Westward Expansion 1896 Outlaw Bill Doolin is killed World War I 1914 Germans burn Belgian town of Louvain World War II 1945 An American missionary to China becomes the first casualty of the Cold War 19th Century 1835 "The Great Moon Hoax" is published in the "New York Sun"

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 26 1939 First televised Major League baseball game On August 26, 1939, the first televised Major League baseball game is broadcast on station W2XBS, the station that was to become WNBC-TV. Announcer Red Barber called the game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York. At the time, television was still... read more Art, Literature, and Film History 1978 "Grease" movie soundtrack earns its second #1 hit Cold War 1957 Russia tests an intercontinental ballistic missile Crime 1986 "Preppy Murder" stuns New York France 1346 Battle of Crecy U.S. Presidents 1794 President George Washington decides to subdue Whiskey Rebellion U.S. Politics 1968 Democratic convention besieged by protesters 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson receives Democratic nomination for president United States Constitution 1920 19th Amendment adopted World War I 1914 Battle of Tannenberg begins Sports 2016 Quarterback Colin Kaepernick sits during national anthem, gives interview about it for the first time

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 27 1883 Krakatoa explodes One of the most powerful volcanic eruptions in recorded history occurs on Krakatoa (also called Krakatau), a small, uninhabited volcanic island located west of Sumatra in Indonesia, on August 27, 1883. Heard 3,000 miles away, the explosions threw five cubic miles of earth 50 miles... read more American Revolution 1776 British forces defeat Patriots in the Battle of Brooklyn Art, Literature, and Film History 1955 "The Guinness Book of Records" debuts 1967 Beatles manager Brian Epstein dies Cold War 1952 "Red Scare" dominates American politics Crime 1979 Lord Mountbatten killed by IRA 2007 NFL star Michael Vick pleads guilty in dogfighting case SPORTS 1976 Transgender athlete Renée Richards barred from U.S. Open U.S. Presidents 1908 Lyndon B. Johnson is born Westward Expansion 1875 Tycoon William Ralston drowns World War I 1916 Romania enters World War I

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 28 1955 Emmett Till is murdered On August 28, 1955, while visiting family in Money, Mississippi, 14-year-old Emmett Till, an African American from Chicago, is brutally murdered for allegedly flirting with a white woman four days earlier. His assailants—the white woman's husband and her brother—made Emmett carry a 75-pound cotton ... read more   Watch a Video About Emmett Till After Emmett Till was accused of flirting with a white woman, he was brutally murdered. Find out how his death galvanized a movement. Watch Now Africa 1879 Zulu king captured Black History 1963 Martin Luther King, Jr. delivers "I Have a Dream" speech at the March on Washington Crime 1990 Murdered students are discovered at the University of Florida Germany 1988 Air-show accident burns spectators Great Britain 1996 Charles and Diana divorce Religion 1774 St. Elizabeth born in New York City U.S. Presidents 1917 President Woodrow Wilson picketed by women suffragists U.S. Politics 1968 Protests at Democratic National Convention in Chicago Westward Expansion 1869 Three leave Powell's Grand Canyon expedition World War II 1941 Mass slaughter in Ukraine

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 29 2005 Hurricane Katrina slams into Gulf Coast Hurricane Katrina makes landfall near New Orleans, Louisiana, as a Category 3 hurricane on August 29, 2005. Despite being only the third most powerful storm of the 2005 hurricane season, Katrina was among the worst natural disasters in the history of the United States. In the wake of the storm, there were over 50 failures of the levees and flood walls surrounding New Orleans and its sub... read more 1980s 1987 HIV-positive Ray brothers' home burned down Ancient Americas 1533 Pizarro executes last Inca emperor Art, Literature, and Film History 1958 Michael Jackson is born 1982 Actress Ingrid Bergman dies on her birthday Civil War 1862 North and South clash at the Second Battle of Bull Run Cold War 1949 Soviets explode atomic bomb Crime 2007 Richard Jewell, hero security guard wrongly accused as Olympic bombing suspect, dies Inventions & Science 1876 Charles F. Kettering, inventor of electric self-starter, is born Natural Disasters & Environment 1960 Hurricane Donna is born Sports 2004 Brazilian marathoner assaulted at Olympics U.S. GOVERNMENT & POLITICS 2008 Republican John McCain selects Sarah Palin as his running mate Vietnam War 1970 Thousands of Mexican-American antiwar activists march in Chicano Moratorium NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY 1911 Ishi discovered in California 1970 Native American group occupies Mount Rushmore to protest broken Treaty of Fort Laramie World War I 1914 Women join British war effort

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 30 1967 Thurgood Marshall confirmed as Supreme Court justice On August 30, 1967, Thurgood Marshall becomes the first African American to be confirmed as a Supreme Court justice. He would remain on the Supreme Court for 24 years before retiring for health reasons, leaving a legacy of upholding the rights of the individual as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution... read more American Revolution 1776 Washington refuses British general's letter of reconciliation Art, Literature, and Film History 1980 Christopher Cross has his first of two #1 hits with "Sailing" 2003 Movie tough guy Charles Bronson dies Black History 1983 Guion S. Bluford becomes the first African American to travel to space Crime 1989 A murdering couple is sentenced to death Inventions & Science 2006 California Senate passes Global Warming Solutions Act Russia 1918 Vladimir Lenin shot U.S. Presidents 1963 Hotline established between Washington and Moscow Vietnam War 1969 Ho Chi Minh responds to Nixon letter

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 31 1997 Princess Diana dies in a car crash Shortly after midnight on August 31, 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales—affectionately known as "the People's Princess"—dies in a car crash in Paris. She was 36. Her boyfriend, the Egyptian-born socialite Dodi Fayed, and the driver of the car, Henri Paul, died as well. Princess Diana was one of the m... read more American Revolution 1777 Sam Mason survives Native American attack Art, Literature, and Film History 1928 Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill's "The Threepenny Opera" premieres in Berlin Cold War 1980 Polish government signs accord with Gdansk shipyard workers Crime 1888 Jack the Ripper's first victim murdered 1985 Los Angeles mob attacks "Night Stalker" serial killer EUROPEAN HISTORY 2015 Angela Merkel says “Wir schaffen das” on accepting refugees Inventions & Science 1897 Thomas Edison patents the Kinetograph 1955 William Cobb demonstrates first solar-powered car Natural Disasters & Environment 1886 Earthquake shakes Charleston, South Carolina U.S. Presidents 1935 FDR signs Neutrality Act World War I 1916 American soldier Harry Butters killed in the Battle of the Somme

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY September 1 1972 Bobby Fischer becomes the first American to win the World Chess Championship On September 1, 1972, in what's billed as the "Match of the Century," American chess grandmaster Bobby Fischer defeats Russian Boris Spassky during the World Chess Championship in Reykjavik, Iceland. In the world's most publicized title match ever played, Fischer, a 29-year-old Brooklynite, became t... read more   HISTORY Store Labor Day Sale Gear up for the end of summer and get 30% off all Fast Ship items at the HISTORY Collection. Use code FASTSHIP30, valid until 9/5, Midnight PT. Shop the Sale 21st Century 2004 Chechen separatists storm Russian school Africa 1969 Qaddafi leads coup in Libya American Revolution 1775 King George refuses Olive Branch Petition Art, Literature, and Film History 1850 P.T. Barnum brings European opera star Jenny Lind to New York Holidays 2001 First Muslim holiday U.S. postage stamp is issued Civil War 1864 Atlanta falls to Union forces Cold War 1983 Korean Airlines flight shot down by Soviet Union Crime 1981 A teenage boy murders his father Early U.S. 1807 Aaron Burr acquitted of treason Inventions & Science 1985 Wreck of the Titanic found 1998 Federal legislation makes airbags mandatory NATURAL DISASTERS & ENVIRONMENT 1923 Japan’s Great Kanto Earthquake kills over 140,000 Sports 1964 First Japanese player makes MLB debut 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates field MLB's first all-Black lineup Vietnam War 1966 French president Charles de Gaulle urges the United States to get out of Vietnam World War I 1917 Soldier recounts brush with poison gas World War II 1939 Germany invades Poland

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY September 2 1945 Japan surrenders, bringing an end to WWII Aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, Japan formally surrenders to the Allies, bringing an end to World War II. By the summer of 1945, the defeat of Japan was a foregone conclusion. The Japanese navy and air force were destroyed. The Allied naval blockade of Japan and intensive bombing of Japanese ... read more 1960s 1969 First ATM opens for business American Revolution 1789 Congress founds U.S. Treasury Ancient Middle East 31 B.C. The Battle of Actium Art, Literature, and Film History 1996 Michael Jackson earns his 12th and final solo #1 with "You Are Not Alone" Civil War 1862 Union general George B. McClellan is restored to full command Great Britain 1666 Great Fire of London begins Sports 2013 Diana Nyad, 64, makes record swim from Cuba to Florida U.S. Presidents 1944 Navy aviator George H.W. Bush and his squadron attacked Vietnam War 1969 Vietnamese president and communist icon Ho Chi Minh dies Westward Expansion 1885 Chinese miners are massacred in Wyoming Territory World War II 1945 Vietnam declares its independence from France

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY September 3 1783 Treaty of Paris signed The American Revolution officially comes to an end when representatives of the United States, Great Britain, Spain and France sign the Treaty of Paris on September 3, 1783. The signing signified America's status as a free nation, as Britain formally recognized the independence of its 13 former Ameri... read more American Revolution 1777 The Stars and Stripes flies in battle for the first time Civil War 1861 Confederate forces enter Kentucky Crime 2004 Russian school siege ends in bloodbath Religion 1914 Pope Benedict XV named to papacy U.S. Presidents 1919 Wilson embarks on tour to promote League of Nations World War II 1939 Britain and France declare war on Germany 1943 Allies invade Italian mainland

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY September 4 1886 Geronimo surrenders On September 4, 1886, Apache leader Geronimo surrenders to U.S. government troops. For 30 years, the Native American warrior had battled to protect his tribe's homeland; however, by 1886 the Apaches were exhausted and hopelessly outnumbered. General Nelson Miles accepted Geronimo's surrende... read more Ancient Rome 476 Western Roman Empire falls Art, Literature, and Film History 2002 Kelly Clarkson wins first "American Idol" 2014 Comedy legend Joan Rivers dies Civil Rights Movement 1957 Arkansas troops block "Little Rock Nine" from entering segregated high school Sports 1972 U.S. swimmer Mark Spitz wins 7th gold medal U.S. Presidents 1951 President Truman makes first transcontinental television broadcast Vietnam War 1969 Radio Hanoi announces the death of Ho Chi Minh World War I 1918 American troops land at Archangel

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY September 5 1836 Sam Houston elected as president of Texas On September 5, 1836, Sam Houston is elected as president of the Republic of Texas, which earned its independence from Mexico in a successfu... read more GAY RIGHTS 1991 AIDS activists unfurl a giant condom over Senator Jesse Helms’ home Art, Literature, and Film History 1957 The New York Times gives "On the Road" a rave review 1958 "Doctor Zhivago" is published in the U.S. 2006 Katie Couric makes historic network anchor debut Native American History 1877 Sioux military leader Crazy Horse is killed Sports 1972 Massacre begins at Munich Olympics U.S. Presidents 1975 Gerald Ford survives first assassination attempt Vietnam War 1969 Lt. William Calley charged for My Lai massacre 1970 U.S. forces launch last major American operation of the war Westward Expansion 1847 Outlaw Jesse James is born in Missouri World War I 1914 French general gives order to attack at the Marne

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY September 6 1915 First tank produced On September 6, 1915, a prototype tank nicknamed Little Willie rolls off the assembly line in England. Little Willie was far from an overnight success. It weighed 14 tons, got stuck in trenches and crawled over rough terrain at only two miles per hour. However, improvements were made to the original... read more 21st Century 2018 Off-duty police officer mistakenly enters neighbor's apartment and shoots its owner to death Africa 1966 South African prime minister and architect of apartheid assassinated American Revolution 1781 Benedict Arnold orders burning of New London Art, Literature, and Film History 1847 Henry David Thoreau leaves Walden and moves in with the Emersons Exploration 1522 Magellan's expedition circumnavigates globe Great Britain 1997 Some 2.5 billion TV viewers watch Princess Diana's funeral Sports 1972 More Israeli hostages killed in Munich 1975 Teen tennis star Navratilova seeks political asylum in U.S. 1995 Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. breaks record for consecutive games played U.S. Presidents 1901 President William McKinley is shot World War I 1914 First Battle of the Marne begins

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY September 7

1813 United States nicknamed Uncle Sam On September 7, 1813, the United States gets its nickname, Uncle Sam. The name is linked to Samuel Wilson, a meat packer from Troy, New York, who supplied barrels of beef to the United States Army during the War of 1812. Wilson (1766-1854) stamped the barrels with "U.S." for United States, but soldi... read more

1960s 1968 Protesters disrupt the Miss America Pageant

American Revolution 1776 World's first submarine attack

Art, Literature, and Film History 1911 Guillaume Apollinaire is arrested for stealing the Mona Lisa 1936 Rock 'n' roll legend Buddy Holly is born

Civil War 1864 Atlanta is evacuated

Crime 1876 Minnesotans attack the James-Younger criminal gang 1996 Tupac Shakur is shot

Latin America 1977 U.S. agrees to transfer Panama Canal to Panama

World War II 1940 The Blitz begins as Germany bombs London

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY September 8 1974 Ford pardons Nixon In a controversial executive action, President Gerald Ford pardons his disgraced predecessor Richard M. Nixon for any crimes he may have committed or participated in while in office. Ford later defended this action before the House Judiciary Committee, explaining that he wanted to end the national d... read more 1960s 1965 Delano Grape Strike begins American Revolution 1781 Bloody battle begins at Eutaw Springs, South Carolina Art, Literature, and Film History 1504 Michelangelo's statue of David is unveiled to the public 1986 Oprah goes national 1993 “The Joy Luck Club” premieres 2003 RIAA begins suing individual sharers of copyrighted mp3 files Civil War 1863 Rebels thwart Yankees at the Second Battle of Sabine Pass Cold War 1945 American troops arrive in Korea to partition the country Colonial America 1664 New Amsterdam becomes New York Crime 1935 Louisiana senator Huey Long is shot EUROPEAN HISTORY 2022 Queen Elizabeth II dies; Charles becomes King Natural Disasters & Environment 1900 Deadly hurricane batters Texas Russia 1941 Siege of Leningrad begins Vietnam War 1954 SEATO established World War I 1915 German airship hits central London World War II 1943 Italian surrender is announced

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY September 9 1956 Elvis Presley makes first appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" The King of Rock and Roll teams up with TV's reigning variety program, as Elvis Presley appears on "The Ed Sullivan Show" for the first time on September 9, 1956. After earning big ratings for "The Steve Allen Show," the Dorsey Brothers "Stage Show" and "The Milton Berle Show," Sullivan finally rene... read more 19th Century 1850 California becomes the 31st state in record time American Revolution 1776 Congress renames the nation "United States of America" Art, Literature, and Film History 1910 Alice B. Toklas moves in permanently with Gertrude Stein 1939 Audiences are shown a surprise preview of "Gone with the Wind" Cold War 1976 Mao Zedong dies Crime 1919 The Boston police department goes on strike 1971 Uprising at Attica prison begins INVENTIONS & SCIENCE 2002 72-year-old Buzz Aldrin punches a moon landing conspiracy theorist in the face Sports 2007 NFL nabs New England Patriots in "Spygate" scandal U.S. Presidents 1893 President Cleveland's child is born in the White House Vietnam War 1967 Sergeant Duane D. Hackney receives Air Force Cross 1969 Ho Chi Minh buried in Hanoi World War II 1942 Japanese bomb U.S. mainland

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY September 10 1897 First drunk driving arrest On September 10, 1897, a 25-year-old London taxi driver named George Smith becomes the first person ever arrested for drunk driving after slamming his cab into a building. Smith later pleaded guilty and was fined 25 shillings. In the United States, the first laws against operating a motor vehicle wh... read more American Revolution 1776 Nathan Hale volunteers to spy behind British lines Art, Literature, and Film History 1981 Picasso's "Guernica" is returned to Spain 1991 Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is released as a single Colonial America 1608 John Smith elected to lead Jamestown Crime 1977 Serial killers Charlene Williams and Gerald Gallego meet France 1977 The guillotine falls silent Inventions & Science 2008 CERN Large Hadron Collider is powered up U.S. Presidents 1833 Andrew Jackson shuts down Second Bank of the U.S. War of 1812 1813 The Battle of Lake Erie World War I 1919 New York City parade honors World War I veterans World War II 1940 British War Cabinet reacts to the Blitz in kind

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY September 11 2001 Attack on America At approximately 8:45 a.m. on a clear Tuesday morning, an American Airlines Boeing 767 loaded with 20,000 gallons of jet fuel crashes into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. The impact left a gaping, burning hole near the 80th floor of the 110-story skyscraper, instantly kil... read more Abolitionist Movement 1851 The Christiana Riot American Revolution 1777 The Battle of Brandywine begins Art, Literature, and Film History 1971 Donny Osmond has the #1 hit on the U.S. pop charts with "Go Away Little Girl" 1987 "Fatal Attraction" premieres Cold War 1971 Nikita Khrushchev dies Crime 1921 Silent film star Fatty Arbuckle arrested for murder Latin America 1973 Chilean president Salvador Allende dies in coup Vietnam War 1965 1st Cavalry Division arrives in South Vietnam War of 1812 1814 America victorious on Lake Champlain Westward Expansion 1857 120 emigrants murdered at the Mountain Meadows Massacre WORLD WAR II 1940 Hitler focuses East, sends troops to Romania

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY September 12 1940 Lascaux cave paintings discovered Near Montignac, France, a collection of prehistoric cave paintings are discovered by four teenagers who stumbled upon the ancient artwork after following their dog down a narrow entrance into a cavern. The 15,000- to 17,000-year-old paintings, consisting mostly of animal representations, are among t... read more Art, Literature, and Film History 1846 Poets Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning elope 1944 Singer-songwriter Barry White is born 1972 Hopalong Cassidy rides off into his last sunset Black History 1974 Violence erupts in Boston over desegregation busing Inventions & Science 1993 New floating bridge opens in Seattle; I-90 stretches from coast to coast Natural Disasters & Environment 1988 Hurricane Gilbert slams Jamaica Russia 1953 Nikita Khrushchev elected Soviet leader Sports 1951 Sugar Ray Robinson wins back belt 1955 Harlem Globetrotters’ 8,829-game winning streak snapped U.S. Politics 2009 Tea Party protest draws thousands to Washington, D.C. U.S. Presidents 1953 John F. Kennedy marries Jacqueline Bouvier in Newport, Rhode Island World War II 1942 The Laconia is sunk

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY September 13 1993 Israel-Palestine peace accord signed After decades of bloody animosity, representatives of Israel and Palestine meet on the South Lawn of the White House and sign a framework for peace. The "Declaration of Principles" was the first agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians towards ending their conflict and sharing the holy land b... read more 21st CENTURY 2007 UN’s watershed Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is adopted Art, Literature, and Film History 1916 Children's author Roald Dahl is born 1990 "Law & Order" debuts 1996 Tupac Shakur dies 2004 Oprah gives away nearly 300 new cars Civil War 1862 Union troops discover Rebels' Antietam battle plan Crime 1971 Massacre at Attica Prison WOMEN'S HISTORY 1963 Mary Kay launches her namesake company World War II 1940 Italy invades Egypt Editor's Note: The September 12 This Day in History newsletter incorrectly listed the year for: Harlem Globetrotters’ 8,829-game winning streak snapped. The correct year is 1995.

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY September 14 1901 President McKinley dies of infection from gunshot wounds U.S. President William McKinley dies after being shot by a deranged anarchist during the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York on September 14, 1901. McKinley won his first Congressional seat at the age of 34 and spent... read more 19th CENTURY 1814 Francis Scott Key pens “The Star-Spangled Banner” 21st Century 2015 Muslim teen arrested for bringing reassembled clock to school Art, Literature, and Film History 1927 Dancer Isadora Duncan is killed in car accident 1964 John Steinbeck awarded the Medal of Freedom 1974 "I Shot the Sheriff" hits the song charts 1982 Hollywood star and real-life princess Grace Kelly dies Civil War 1862 North and South clash at the Battle of South Mountain Cold War 1959 Soviet probe reaches the moon France 1812 Napoleon enters Moscow Mexican-American War 1847 General Winfield Scott captures Mexico City Natural Disasters & Environment 1999 Millions flee from Hurricane Floyd Religion 1975 Elizabeth Ann Seton becomes first American-born saint SPORTS 1994 MLB cancels playoffs, World Series

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY September 15 1978 Muhammad Ali wins world heavyweight championship On September 15, 1978, boxer Muhammad Ali defeats Leon Spinks at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans to win the world heavyweight boxing title for the third time in his career, the first fighter ever to do so. Following his victory, Ali retired from boxing, only to make a brief comeback two years... read more 1950s 1950 U.S. forces land at Inchon 1970s 1971 Greenpeace is born 21st Century 2008 Lehman Brothers declares bankruptcy Art, Literature, and Film History 1890 Agatha Christie is born 1954 Famous Marilyn Monroe "skirt" scene filmed 1962 The Four Seasons earn their first #1 hit with "Sherry" Civil Rights Movement 1963 Four Black schoolgirls killed in Birmingham church bombing Civil War 1862 Confederates capture Harpers Ferry Cold War 1959 Khrushchev arrives in Washington Crime 1990 A Bible school instructor abducts a teenage girl Holocaust 1935 Nuremberg race laws imposed U.S. Presidents 1857 Future President William Taft born Westward Expansion 1858 The first transcontinental mail service to San Francisco begins World War I 1914 First trenches are dug on the Western Front 1916 Tanks introduced into warfare at the Somme World War II 1940 Tide turns in the Battle of Britain 1944 Americans launch Operation Stalemate—at extraordinary cost

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY September 16 1932 Gandhi begins fast in protest of caste separation On September 16, 1932, in his cell at Yerwada Jail in Pune, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi begins a hunger strike in protest of the British government's decision to separate India's electoral system by caste. A leader in the Indian campaign for home rule, Gandhi worked all his life to ... read more Art, Literature, and Film History 1977 Opera star Maria Callas dies Colonial America 1620 Mayflower departs England Crime 1845 Suspected Christian spy is murdered 2013 Gunman kills 12 in D.C. Navy Yard massacre Inventions & Science 1908 William Durant creates General Motors Mexico 1810 Mexican War of Independence begins VIETNAM WAR 1972 South Vietnamese forces retake Quang Tri City Westward Expansion 1893 Settlers race to claim land in Oklahoma World War II 1940 United States imposes the draft