50+ Lifestyles

Historical Dates of September

By Eloise Graham

1666 – The Great Fire of London began accidentally in the house of the king’s baker. It burned for four days and destroyed a large part of the city, including Old Saint Paul’s Cathedral and about 13,000 homes.

1776 – Nathan Hale, an American patriot, was hanged for spying on the British troops. As he was led to the gallows, his famous last words were “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.”

1787 – The U. S. Constitution was signed by 39 delegates of the Constitutional Convention. There were 55 delegates in attendance.

1849 – Harriet Tubman escaped from the Southern plantation where she was enslaved. She later led other enslaved people to freedom in the North along the route of the Underground Railroad.

1882 – Union forces halted the Confederate advance on Maryland during the Battle of Antietam, resulting in more than 26,000 casualties. This was one of the bloodiest days of the American Civil War.

1901 – American politician Theodore Roosevelt, a vice-presidential candidate, gave his first public speech in which he said, “Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.” The Big Stick policy later became a central feature of his presidency.

1945 – Japan formally surrenders to the Allies bringing an end to World War II.

1972 – The American TV series M*A*S*H debuted on CBS

1978 – The Camp David Accords, negotiated by U. S. President Jimmy Carter were completed. This led to a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel and a broader framework for pursuing peace in the Middle East.

1980 – The Iran-Iraq War began when Iraqi armed forces invaded western Iran along the countries’ joint border. Fighting continued until 1988.

1991 – North Korea and South Korea were admitted to the United Nations

1994 – The first episode of Friends aired on NBC. The show became one of the most popular sitcoms in the United States.

1998 – Swissair flight 111 crashed off the coast of Nova Scotia, killing all 229 on board.

2002 – Hundreds of thousands of rural protesters converged on London to demonstrate in favor of fox hunting.

2016 – Following much speculation, the death of Islam Karimov, the first president of Uzbekistan, was officially announced.