Today in History

Today in History

31 B.C. – The Roman leader Octavian defeated the alliance of Mark Antony and Cleopatra. Octavian, as Augustus Caesar, became the first Roman emperor.

1666 – The Great Fire of London broke out. The fire burned for three days destroying 10,000 buildings including St. Paul's Cathedral. Only 6 people were killed.

1775 – Hannah, the first American war vessel was commissioned by General George Washington.

1789 – The U.S. Treasury Department was established.

1864 – During the U.S. Civil War Union forces led by Gen. William T. Sherman occupied Atlanta following the retreat of the Confederates.

1897 – The first issue of 'McCall’s' magazine was published. The magazine had been known previously as 'Queens Magazine' and 'Queen of Fashion.'

1901 – Theodore Roosevelt, then Vice President, said 'Speak softly and carry a big stick' in a speech at the Minnesota State Fair.

1930 – The 'Question Mark' made the first non-stop flight from Europe to the U.S. The plane was flown by Captain Dieudonne Coste and Maurice Bellonte.

1938 – The first railroad car to be equipped with fluorescent lighting was put into operation on the New York Central railroad.

1945 – Japan surrendered to the U.S. aboard the USS Missouri, ending World War II. The war ended six years and one day after it began.

1945 – Ho Chi Minh declared the independence the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

1961 – The U.S.S.R. resumed nuclear weapons testing. Test ban treaty negotiations had failed with the U.S. and Britain when the three nations could not agree upon the nature and frequency of on-site inspections.

1962 – Ken Hubbs (Chicago Cubs) set a major-league baseball fielding record when he played errorless for his

74th consecutive game.

1963 – The integration of Tuskegee High School was prevented by state troopers assigned by Alabama Gov. George Wallace. Wallace had the building surrounded by state troopers.

1963 – 'The CBS Evening News' was lengthened from

15 to 30 minutes.

1969 – NBC-TV canceled 'Star Trek.' The show had debuted on September 8, 1966.

1973 – Billy Martin was fired as manager of the Detroit Tigers. Martin was relieved of his duties three days after ordering his pitchers to throw spitballs against Cleveland Indians batters.

1985 – It was announced that the Titanic had been found on September 1 by a U.S. and French expedition

560 miles off Newfoundland. The luxury liner had been missing for 73 years.

1991 – The U.S. formally recognized the independence of Lithuania, Lativa and Estonia.

1992 – The U.S. and Russia agreed to a joint venture to build a space station.

1996 – Muslim rebels and the Philippine government signed a pact formally ending 26-years of insurgency that had killed more than 120,000 people.

1998 – In Canada, pilots for Canada's largest airline launch their first strike in Air Canada's history.

Born

1838 Lydia Kamakaeha Liliuokalani, last sovereign before annexation of Hawaii by the United States.

1850 Eugene Field, poet and journalist.

1877 Frederick Soddy, named an isotope and received

1921 Nobel prize for chemistry.

1901 Adolph Rupp, basketball coach at the University of Kentucky who achieved a record 876 victories.

1946 Dan White, politician; assassinated San Francisco mayor George Moscone and San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk.

1948 Christa McAuliffe, the first civilian passenger on a space mission. During that mission, she and the six other crew members on the space shuttle Challenger perished in an explosion shortly after launch.

1948 Terry Bradshaw, athlete, TV sports analyst, actor; first quarterback to win four Super Bowls (Pittsburgh Steelers); Pro Football Hall of Fame.

1951 Mark Harmon, actor (St. Elsewhere, NCIS TV series).

1952 Jimmy Connors, former World No. 1 tennis player; reached more Grand Slam quarterfinals than any other male.

1964 Keanu Reeves, actor (Speed, The Matrix trilogy).

History