September 30
INTERNATIONAL Podcast Day
NATIONAL Save Your Photos Day
NATIONAL Mud Pack Day
NATIONAL Extra Virgin Olive Oil Day
NATIONAL Chewing Gum Day
NATIONAL Ghost Hunting Day [last Saturday in September]
Today in legal and military [and occasional oddities] history
1846 The first anesthetized tooth extraction is performed by Dr. William Morton in Charleston, Massachusetts
1867 Midway Island is formally declared a US possession
1927 Babe Ruth hit his 60th home run. The record stood until Roger Maris hit 61 in 1961. Mark McGwire beat Maris's record in 1998 by hitting 70 and Barry Bonds topped this in 2001 with 73.
1946 Twenty-two Nazi leaders were found guilty at the Nuremberg trials
1949 The Berlin Airlift is officially halted after 277,264 flights
1954 The first atomic-powered submarine, the Nautilus, is commissioned in Groton, Connecticut
1955 Actor James Dean is killed in a car crash while driving his Porsche on his way to enter it into a race in Salinas, California
1996 The United States Congress passes the Lautenburg Amendment that bars the possession of firearms for people who were convicted of domestic violence, even misdemeanor level
September 29
WORLD Heart Day
NATIONAL Coffee Day
Today in legal and military [and occasional oddities] history
1513 Spanish explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa discovers the Pacific Ocean
1789 Congress votes to create a US army
1932 A five-day work week is established for General Motors workers
1943 Adolf Hitler‘s book Mein Kampf is published in the United States
1966 Chevrolet introduces the Camaro
1982 Seven people died after taking Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules laced with cyanide. This led to the use of safety seals on most consumer products.
2004 A US federal judge ruled that a section of the Patriot Act, that allowed the search of phone and Internet records, was unconstitutional
2008 Dow Jones Industrial Average plummets 777.68 points in the wake of Lehman Brothers and Washington Mutual bankruptcies, the largest single-day point loss in Wall Street history
September 28
NATIONAL Ask a Stupid Question Day
NATIONAL Good Neighbor Day
NATIONAL Strawberry Cream Pie Day
NATIONAL Drink Beer Day
Today in legal and military [and occasional oddities] history
1066 William, Duke of Normandy, soon to be known as William the Conqueror, invades England
1904 A woman is placed under arrest for smoking a cigarette on New York’s Fifth Avenue
1928 Sir Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin when he notices a bacteria-killing mold growing in his laboratory
2008 SpaceX launches the first private spacecraft
September 27
NATIONAL Crush a Can Day
NATIONAL Tourism Day
NATIONAL Corned Beef Hash Day
NATIONAL Ancestor Appreciation Day
NATIONAL Chocolate Milk Day
Today in legal and military [and occasional oddities] history
1869 Wild Bill Hickok, sheriff of Hays City, Kansas, shoots down Samuel Strawhim, a drunken teamster causing trouble
1920 Eight Chicago White Sox players are charged with fixing the 1919 World Series
1957 The Dodgers leave Brooklyn
1964 The Warren Commission report concluded that there was no conspiracy in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy; Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.
1979 The US Congress approves the Department of Education as the 13th agency in the US Cabinet
September 26
NATIONAL Johnny Appleseed Day
NATIONAL Batman Day
NATIONAL Love Note Day
NATIONAL Lumberjack Day
NATIONAL Voter Registration Day [fourth Tuesday in September]
Today in legal and military [and occasional oddities] history
1786 Protestors shut down the court in Springfield, Massachusetts in a military standoff that begins Shays’ Rebellion
1789 Thomas Jefferson was appointed America’s first Secretary of State; John Jay the first chief justice of the United States; Samuel Osgood the first Postmaster-General; and Edmund Jennings Randolph the first Attorney General
1829 Scotland Yard, the official British criminal investigation organization, is formed
1913 The first boat is raised in the locks of the Panama Canal
1914 The Federal Trade Commission is established to foster competition by preventing monopolies in business
1941 The US Army establishes the Military Police Corps
1955 The New York Stock Exchange suffers a $44 million loss
1960 Vice President Richard Nixon and Senator John F. Kennedy participate in the first nationally televised debate between presidential candidates
1961 Nineteen-year-old Bob Dylan makes his New York singing debut at Gerde’s Folk City
1969 The Beatles last album, Abbey Road, is released
September 25
WORLD Dream Day
WORLD Pharmacists Day
NATIONAL Comic Book Day
NATIONAL Cooking Day
NATIONAL Better Breakfast Day
NATIONAL Family Day
NATIONAL Psychotherapy Day
NATIONAL Math Storytelling Day
NATIONAL Lobster Day
Today in legal and military [and occasional oddities] history
1639 The first printing press in America began operating
1789 The first Congress adopted 12 amendments to the Constitution and sent them to the states for ratification. The first ten became the Bill of Rights.
1804 The 12th Amendment is ratified, changing the procedure of choosing the president and vice-president
1839 France recognizes the Republic of Texas
1890 President Benjamin Harrison signed a measure establishing Sequoia National Park, the nation’s second oldest. The army was assigned park patrol duty.
1942 The War Labor Board orders equal pay for women in the United States
1957 Nine black children were escorted to Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, under heavily armed guard, because of racial violence
1974 Scientists warn that continued use of aerosol sprays will cause ozone depletion, which will lead to an increased risk of skin cancer and global weather changes
1981 Sandra Day O’Connor, the first female Supreme Court Justice, is sworn in
September 24
NATIONAL Cherries Jubilee Day
NATIONAL Pony Express Day
NATIONAL Punctuation Day
NATIONAL Gold Star Mother's Day [last Sunday in September]
Today in legal and military [and occasional oddities] history
1789 Congress passes the Judiciary Act of 1789, establishing a strong federal court system with the powers it needs to ensure the supremacy of the Constitution and federal law
1957 President Dwight D. Eisenhower sends federal troops into Little Rock, Arkansas, to protect nine black students entering its newly integrated high school
1957 The Brooklyn Dodgers played their last game at Ebbets Field
1960 The Enterprise, the first nuclear powered aircraft carrier, is launched
1969 The trial of the “Chicago Eight” (later seven) began
1979 CompuServe launches the first consumer internet service, which features the first public electronic mail service
September 23
INTERNATIONAL Rabbit Day [fourth Saturday in September]
Oktoberfest begins in Germany
NATIONAL Checkers Day
NATIONAL Restless Legs Awareness Day
Today in legal and military [and occasional oddities] history
1846 German astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle discovered the planet Neptune
1942 Auschwitz begins experimental executions using poison gas
1950 Congress adopted the Internal Security Act, which provided for registration of communists. The Act was ruled later unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court.
1996 "JAG" premiers on NBC, later moves to CBS, and runs for ten seasons
2001 President George W. Bush returned the American flag to full staff at Camp David, symbolically ending a period of national mourning for the 9/11 attacks
September 22
First Day of Autumn
WORLD Rhino Day
WORLD Car Free Day
NATIONAL White Chocolate Day
NATIONAL Business Women's Day
NATIONAL Elephant Appreciation Day
NATIONAL Hobbit Day
NATIONAL Ice Cream Cone Day
NATIONAL Doodle Day
NATIONAL Hug a Vegetarian Day
NATIONAL Dear Diary Day
NATIONAL Native American Day [fourth Friday in September]
Today in legal and military [and occasional oddities] history
1656 The General Provincial Court in Patuxent, Maryland, empanels the first all-woman jury in the Colonies to hear evidence against Judith Catchpole, who is accused of murdering her child. The jury acquits her after hearing her defense of never having been pregnant.
1776 American Captain Nathan Hale is hanged as a spy by the British in New York City. His last words are reputed to have been, “I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country.”
1862 President Abraham Lincoln changes the course of the war and American history by issuing the Emancipation Proclamation
1961 President John Kennedy signs a congressional act establishing the Peace Corps
1964 Premiere of "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." on NBC-TV, which runs for four seasons
1970 President Richard M. Nixon signs a bill giving the District of Columbia representation in the US Congress
1980 The Persian Gulf conflict between Iran and Iraq erupted into full-scale war
September 21
WORLD Gratitude Day
WORLD Alzheimer's Day
INTERNATIONAL Peace Day
NATIONAL Miniature Golf Day
Today in legal and military [and occasional oddities] history
1792 The French National Convention voted to abolish the monarchy
1897 The New York Sun published its famous editorial, "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus"
1937 JRR Tolkien’s fantasy novel The Hobbit is published
1989 General Colin Powell is confirmed by the US Senate as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
1996 The board of all-male Virginia Military Institute voted to admit women
September 20
NATIONAL Pepperoni Pizza Day
NATIONAL Punch Day
NATIONAL String Cheese Day
Today in legal and military [and occasional oddities] history
1990 Both Germanys ratified reunification
2001 US President George W. Bush, addressing a joint session of Congress, declares a “war on terror”
2011 The US military ends its “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy and allows gay men and women to serve openly
September 19
INTERNATIONAL Talk Like a Pirate Day
NATIONAL Butterscotch Pudding Day
NATIONAL Gymnastics Day
NATIONAL IT Professionals Day [third Tuesday in September]
Today in legal and military [and occasional oddities] history
1892 The first documented emoticons, :-) and :-(, are posted on the Carnegie Mellon University Bulletin Board System by Scott Fahlman
1893 New Zealand becomes the first nation to grant women the right to vote
1957 The United States conducted its first underground nuclear test in the Nevada desert
September 18
US Air Force Birthday
NATIONAL Cheeseburger Day
NATIONAL Respect Day
NATIONAL Hug a Greeting Card Writer Day
NATIONAL First Love Day
NATIONAL Rice Krispie Treat Day
Today in legal and military [and occasional oddities] history
1502 Christopher Columbus landed at Costa Rica on his fourth and last voyage
1793 George Washington lays the foundation stone for the US Capitol
1830 Tom Thumb, the first locomotive built in the United States, loses a nine-mile race in Maryland to a horse
1850 Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act, which required the return of escaped slaves to their owners
1851 The New York Times begins publication
1873 The US bank Jay Cooke & Company declares bankruptcy, triggering a series of bank failures, the beginning of the Panic of 1873
1947 The National Security Act, which unified the Army, Navy, and Air Force, was passed. The US Air Force was formed as a separate military service out of the old Army Air Corps.
1975 Patty Hearst, granddaughter of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, is kidnapped by violent radical group SLA (Symbionese Liberation Army)
1977 Voyager I takes first photo of Earth and the Moon together
1998 ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) is formed to coordinate unique identifying addresses for Websites worldwide
2009 The US television soap opera The Guiding Light broadcasts its final episode, ending a 72-year run that began on radio
September 17
INTERNATIONAL Country Music Day
NATIONAL Locate an Old Friend Day
NATIONAL Citizenship Day
NATIONAL Constitution Day
NATIONAL Apple Dumpling Day
NATIONAL Women's Friendship Day [third Sunday in September]
NATIONAL Wife Appreciation Day [third Sunday in September]
Today in legal and military [and occasional oddities] history
1787 The Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia approves the constitution for the United States of America
1796 President George Washington delivers his “Farewell Address” to Congress before concluding his second term in office
1908 Lt. Thomas Selfridge, a passenger in a plane piloted by Orville Wright, became the first airplane fatality when the craft crashed
1916 Germany’s “Red Baron,” Manfred von Richthofen, wins his first aerial combat
1920 The American Professional Football Association - a precursor of the NFL - was formed in Canton, Ohio
1962 The first federal suit to end public school segregation is filed by the US Justice Department
1972 Premiere of "M*A*S*H", on CBS-TV
1976 The Space Shuttle is unveiled to the public
1994 Heather Whitestone of Alabama became the first deaf Miss America
1997 Dedication of a monument commemorating the horses and mules who died in military service during the Civil War, Virginia Historical Society, Richmond
2001 The New York Stock Exchange reopens for the first time since the September 11 terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers; the longest period of closure since the Great Depression of the 1930s
2001 President Bush said the United States wanted terrorism suspect Osama bin Laden “dead or alive”
2004 The Coast Guard made the largest cocaine seizure in its history (to date) when Coast Guard and Navy forces located and seized 30,000 pounds of cocaine aboard the fishing vessel Lina Maria approximately 300 miles southwest of the Galapagos Islands
2004 Barry Bonds became the third baseball player to hit 700 career home runs, joining Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth
2006 Alaska’s Fourpeaked Mountain erupts for the first time in at least 10,000 years
2011 Occupy Wall Street movement calling for greater social and economic equality begins in New York City’s Zuccotti Park, coining the phrase “We are the 99%”
September 16
WORLD Ozone Day
INTERNATIONAL Eat an Apple Day
INTERNATIONAL Read an E-Book Day
NATIONAL Gymnastics Day
NATIONAL Coastal Cleanup Day
NATIONAL Guacamole Day
NATIONAL American Legion Day
NATIONAL Collect Rocks Day
NATIONAL Step Family Day
NATIONAL Mayflower Day
NATIONAL Play Doh Day
NATIONAL Working Parents Day
MEXICAN Independence Day
Today in legal and military [and occasional oddities] history
1620 The Pilgrims sail from England on the Mayflower
1630 The Massachusetts village of Shawmut changed its name to Boston
1908 General Motors files papers of incorporation
1917 Navy Department authorizes establishment of 16 Naval air stations overseas
1919 American Legion incorporated by an act of Congress
1991 The trial of Manuel Noriega, deposed dictator of Panama, begins in the United States. A federal judge in Washington dismissed all Iran-Contra charges against Oliver North.
September 15
NATIONAL Make a Hat Day
NATIONAL Concussion Awareness Day
NATIONAL Greenpeace Day
NATIONAL Double Cheeseburger Day
NATIONAL POW/MIA Recognition Day [third Friday in September]
Today in legal and military [and occasional oddities] history
1789 The United States Department of State is established (formerly known as the Department of Foreign Affairs)
1858 The Butterfield Overland Mail Company begins delivering mail from St. Louis to San Francisco. The company’s motto is “Remember, boys, nothing on God’s earth must stop the United States mail!”
1928 Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming discovers, by accident, that the mold penicillin has an antibiotic effect
1971 The environmental group Greenpeace is founded
1981 Sandra Day O’Connor is unanimously approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee to become the first female justice on the US Supreme Court
2008 The largest Chapter 11 bankruptcy in US history is filed by Lehman Brothers financial services firm
September 14
NATIONAL Cream Filled Donut Day
NATIONAL Eat a Hoagie Day
NATIONAL Gobstopper Day
Today in legal and military [and occasional oddities] history
1814 Francis Scott Key writes the words to the “Star Spangled Banner” as he waits aboard a British launch in Chesapeake Bay for the outcome of the British assault on Fort McHenry during the War of 1812
1940 Congress passed the Selective Service Act, providing for the first peacetime draft in US history. It passed by one vote.
1959 The Soviet space probe Luna 2 became the first man-made object to reach the Moon when it crashed onto the lunar surface
1994 Major League Baseball players strike over a salary cap and other proposed changes, forcing the cancellation of the entire postseason and the World Series
September 13
NATIONAL Defy Superstition Day
NATIONAL Fortune Cookie Day
NATIONAL Peanut Day
NATIONAL Positive Thinking Day
NATIONAL Quiet Day
NATIONAL Celiac Disease Awareness Day
NATIONAL Kids Take Over the Kitchen Day
Today in legal and military [and occasional oddities] history
1789 Start of the US National Debt as the government took out its first loan, borrowed from the Bank of North America (NYC) at 6 percent interest
1814 British commence an overnight bombardment of Fort McHenry, inspiring "The Star Spangled Banner"
1898 Hannibal Goodwin patents celluloid photographic film
1956 IBM introduced the Model 305 computer capable of storing 20 megabytes of data
1988 Hurricane Gilbert becomes the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere, based on barometric pressure. Hurricane Wilma will break that record in 2005.
2001 Civilian aircraft traffic resumes in the United States after the September 11 attacks. The data flight recorder for United Flight 93 was found at the Pennsylvania crash site. Eighteen hijackers were identified as ticketed passengers.
2008 Hurricane Ike makes landfall in Texas. It had already been the most costly storm in Cuba’s history and becomes the third costliest in the US.
September 12
NATIONAL Chocolate Milk Shake Day
NATIONAL Video Games Day
Today in legal and military [and occasional oddities] history
1609 Henry Hudson began his exploration of the Hudson River
1940 The Lascaux Caves in France, with their prehistoric wall paintings, are discovered
1974 In Boston, Massachusetts, opposition to court-ordered school “busing” turns violent on the opening day of classes
2011 In New York City, the 9/11 Memorial Museum opens to the public
September 11
Patriot Day / 911 Remembrance Day
NATIONAL Make Your Bed Day
NATIONAL No News is Good News Day
NATIONAL Hot Cross Bun Day
Today in legal and military [and occasional oddities] history
1847 Stephen Foster’s “Oh! Susanna” is first performed in a saloon in Pittsburgh
1916 The “Star Spangled Banner” is sung at the beginning of a baseball game for the first time in Cooperstown, New York
1962 The Beatles recorded their first single, Love Me Do
2001 In a highly coordinated attack, terrorists hijack four US passenger airliners, flying two into the World Trade Center towers in New York and one into the Pentagon. The fourth airliner, headed toward Washington and likely to strike the White House or Capitol, crashed just over 100 miles away in Pennsylvania after passengers storm the cockpit and overtake the hijackers.
September 10
WORLD Suicide Prevention Day
NATIONAL Sewing Machine Day
NATIONAL TV Dinner Day
NATIONAL Swap Ideas Day
NATIONAL Grandparents' Day [first Sunday after Labor Day]
NATIONAL Pet Memorial Day [second Sunday in September]
NATIONAL Hug Your Hound Day [second Sunday in September]
Today in legal and military [and occasional oddities] history
1623 Lumber and furs are the first cargo to leave New Plymouth in North America for England
1846 Elias Howe patents the first practical sewing machine in the United States
1942 President Franklin D. Roosevelt mandated gasoline rationing in the US as part of the country’s wartime efforts
1997 The $250 million Mars Global Surveyor successfully went into orbit around Mars for its two year mapping mission
September 9
NATIONAL Teddy Bear Day
NATIONAL Wiener Schnitzel Day
NATIONAL Wonderful Weirdos Day
Today in legal and military [and occasional oddities] history
1753 The first steam engine arrived in the US colonies
1776 The term “United States” is adopted by the Continental Congress to be used instead of the “United Colonies”
1791 Washington, DC, the capital of the United States, is named after President George Washington
1850 California, in the midst of a gold rush, enters the Union as the 31st state
1926 The Radio Corporation of America creates the National Broadcasting Company
1956 Elvis Presley makes his first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. Cameras focus on his upper torso and legs to avoid showing his pelvis gyrations, which many Americans — including Ed Sullivan — thought unfit for a family show.
1965 The US Department of Housing and Urban Development is established
1965 Hurricane Betsy, the first hurricane to exceed $1 billion in damages, makes its second landfall near New Orleans
2003 Twenty-four tons of steel from the World Trade Center are melted & poured at a steel mill in Louisiana to form the bow section of the new USS New York (LPD-21)
September 8
WORLD Physical Therapy Day
INTERNATIONAL Literacy Day
NATIONAL Pardon Day
NATIONAL Iguana Awareness Day
NATIONAL Actors Day
NATIONAL Star Trek Day
Today in legal and military [and occasional oddities] history
1504 Michelangelo’s 13-foot marble statue of David is unveiled in Florence, Italy
1900 Galveston is devastated by a hurricane: 6,000-8,000 die
1952 Ernest Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea was published
1960 Penguin Books in Britain is charged with obscenity for trying to publish the DH Lawrence novel Lady Chatterley’s Lover
1960 NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, was dedicated
1966 "Star Trek" debuts on NBC
1974 President Gerald Ford pardons former President Richard M Nixon for any crimes arising from the Watergate scandal he may have committed while in office
1988 Wildfires in Yellowstone National Park in the US, the world’s first national park, force evacuation of the historic Old Faithful Inn. Visitors and employees evacuate but the inn is saved.
September 7
NATIONAL Salami Day
NATIONAL Beer Lovers Day
NATIONAL Buy a Book Day
NATIONAL Grandma Moses Day
NATIONAL Neither Snow nor Rain Day
Today in legal and military [and occasional oddities] history
1813 The earliest known printed reference to the United States by the nickname “Uncle Sam” occurs in the Troy Post
1822 Brazil declared its independence from Portugal
1864 In preparation for his march to the sea, Union General William T. Sherman orders residents of Atlanta, Georgia, to evacuate the city
1888 An incubator is used for the first time on a premature infant
1916 The US Congress passes the Workman’s Compensation Act
1979 ESPN, the Entertainment and Sports Programing Network, debuts
2001 The US State Department issued a memo that warned Americans “may be the target of a terrorist threat”
2008 The US Government assumes conservatorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the country’s two largest mortgage financing companies, during the subprime mortgage crisis
September 6
NATIONAL Fight Procrastination Day
NATIONAL Read a Book Day
NATIONAL Coffee Ice Cream Day
Today in legal and military [and occasional oddities] history
1847 Henry David Thoreau leaves Walden Pond and moves back into town, to Concord, Massachusetts
1901 President William McKinley is shot while attending a reception at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, by 28-year-old anarchist Leon Czolgosz. McKinley dies eight days later, the third American president assassinated.
1941 Nazi Germany required all Jews over the age of six to wear a yellow Star of David on their clothes
1983 The Soviet Union admits to shooting down Korean Air Lines Flight 007, stating that the pilots did not know it was a civilian aircraft when it violated Soviet airspace
1995 The Baltimore Orioles’ Cal Ripken Jr. plays in his 2,131st consecutive game, breaking a 56-year MLB record held by Lou Gehrig. In 2007, fans voted this achievement the most memorable moment in MLB history.
1997 The funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales takes place. More than one million people line London’s streets to honor her and 2.5 billion watch the event on TV.
September 5
INTERNATIONAL Day of Charity
NATIONAL Be Late for Something Day
NATIONAL Cheese Pizza Day
Today in legal and military [and occasional oddities] history
1664 After days of negotiation, the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam surrenders to the British, who rename it New York
1698 Russia's Peter the Great levied a tax on bearded men
1774 The first Continental Congress met in Philadelphia
1972 Palestinian terrorists murder 11 Israelis at the Munich Olympics
1975 In Sacramento, California, an assassination attempt against President Gerald Ford is thwarted when a Secret Service agent wrests a semi-automatic .45-caliber pistol from Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, a follower of incarcerated cult leader Charles Manson
1991 Jury selection began in Miami in the drug and racketeering trial of former Panamanian ruler Manuel Noriega
September 4
Labor Day
NATIONAL Newspaper Carrier Day
NATIONAL Wildlife Day
NATIONAL Macadamia Nut Day
NATIONAL Eat an Extra Dessert Day
Today in legal and military [and occasional oddities] history
1781 The city of Los Angeles was founded by Spanish settlers
1807 Robert Fulton began operating his steamboat
1881 The Edison electric lighting system goes into operation as a generator serving 85 paying customers is switched on
1888 George Eastman patented his roll-film camera and registered the Kodak trademark
1893 Beatrix Potter sends a note to her governess’ son with the first drawing of Peter Rabbit, Cottontail and others. The Tale of Peter Rabbit is published eight years later.
1950 First appearance of the comic strip "Beetle Bailey"
1972 Mark Spitz becomes the first Olympic competitor to win 7 medals during a single Olympics Games.
1998 Google is founded by Stanford University students Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
September 3
NATIONAL Pet Rock Day
NATIONAL Skyscraper Day
NATIONAL Welsh Rarebit Day
Today in legal and military [and occasional oddities] history
1189 Richard I (the Lion-Hearted) was crowned king of England at Westminster Abbey
1783 The Treaty of Paris is signed by Great Britain and the new United States, formally bringing the American Revolution to an end
1939 Great Britain and France declared war on Germany during World War II
1974 Frank Robinson was named the first African-American manager in major league baseball
1976 The unmanned US spacecraft Viking II landed on Mars and took the first pictures of the planet's surface
September 2
WORLD Beard Day
INTERNATIONAL Bacon Day [Saturday before Labor Day]
INTERNATIONAL Turkey Vulture Day
NATIONAL V-J Day
NATIONAL Calendar Adjustment Day
Today in legal and military [and occasional oddities] history
1666 The Great Fire of London, which devastates the city, begins
1789 The Treasury Department, headed by Alexander Hamilton, is created in New York City
1859 A solar super storm affects electrical telegraph service
1901 Vice President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt utters the famous phrase “Speak softly and carry a big stick” at the Minnesota State Fair
1912 Arthur Rose Eldred is awarded the first Eagle Scout award of the Boy Scouts of America
1944 Anne Frank is sent to Auschwitz
1945 Japan signs the document of surrender aboard the USS Missouri, ending World War II
1945 Vietnam declares its independence and Nationalist leader Ho Chi Minh proclaims himself its first president
1963 The US gets its first half-hour TV weeknight national news broadcast when CBS Evening News expands from 15 to 30 minutes
1992 The US and Russia agree to a joint venture to build a space station
September 1
NATIONAL Cherry Popover Day
NATIONAL Letter Writing Day
NATIONAL Ginger Cat Appreciation Day
NATIONAL Bring Your Manners to Work Day
NATIONAL College Colors Day
NATIONAL Lazy Moms Day [first Friday in September]
Today in legal and military [and occasional oddities] history
1752 The Liberty Bell arrived in Philadelphia
1882 The first Labor Day is observed in New York City by the Carpenters and Joiners Union
1894 By an act of Congress, Labor Day is declared a national holiday
1904 Helen Keller graduates with honors from Radcliffe College
1905 Alberta and Saskatchewan become Canadian provinces
1923 An earthquake levels the Japanese cities of Tokyo and Yokohama, killing 300,000
1939 Germany invades Poland, beginning World War II in Europe
1942 A federal judge in Sacramento, California, upholds the government’s detention of Japanese-Americans and Japanese nationals as a war measure
1985 The wreck of the Titanic is found by Dr. Robert Ballard and Jean Louis Michel in a joint US and French expedition
