1878 The first woman telephone operator, Emma Nutt, begins working in Boston, Massachusetts
1945 The Japanese sign the World War II surrender agreement
1985 The wreckage of the "Titanic" is found by a U.S. and French team@
September 2
1789 The Treasury Department is established by the U.S. Congress
1901 Theodore Roosevelt advises: "Speak softly and carry a big stick"
1987 People meters make a debut in the U.S. in an attempt to find a new way of monitoring television viewing@
September 3
1639 The first U.S. lawyer to be disbarred is Thomas Lechford
1783 The Treaty of Paris is signed by Great Britain and the U.S., formally ending the Revolutionary War
1987 A study finds that Vietnam veterans have a higher death rate from cancer@
September 4
1882 Electricity begins to be supplied to New York City from Thomas Edison's steam powered plant
1904 The St. Regis Hotel in New York City is the first to have individual air conditioning and heating in every room
1991 Computer hackers devise a program to decipher the tightly held secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls.@
September 5
1645 Peace is declared between the Dutch and the Hudson River Valley Indians
1844 Iron ore is discovered in the Mesabi Mountains in Minnesota
1975 Lynette Alice "Squeaky" Fromme makes an assassination attempt on President Gerald Ford@
September 6
1781 Benedict Arnold loots and burns the American port of New London, Connecticut
1901 President William McKinley is shot by Leon Czolgosz in Buffalo, New York and dies on September 14th
1970 The first African American contestant in the Miss America Pageant is C. A. Browne@
September 7
1899 The first automobile parade is held in Newport, Rhode Island by socialites
1921 The first Miss America Pageant is held at Keith's Theater on the Garden Pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey
1963 The Football Hall of Fame is dedicated in Canton, Ohio@
September 8
1565 Spaniard Pedro Menendez founds the first permanent colony in North America at St. Augustine
1858 Abraham Lincoln makes a speech in Clinton, Illinois which includes: "You can fool all of the people some of the time, some of the people all of the time, but not all of the people all of the time"
1974 President Gerald Ford grants Richard M. Nixon "a full, free and absolute pardon"@
September 9
1753 The first steam engine arrives in the colonies from England
1836 Abraham Lincoln receives his license to practice law
1945 U.S. troops land in South Korea, as Soviet forces begin to occupy the northern half of the country. The 38th parallel officially begins to serve as the boundary between the two new nations.@
September 10
1608 John Smith is chosen the new president of the Jamestown, Virginia council
1890 During a rain storm in Cairo, Illinois a number of live fish fall in various parts of the city
1927 An American meat packing plant announces that it has perfected a frankfurter with a zipper@
September 11
1609 Henry Hudson discovers that Manhattan is an island
1875 The first newspaper cartoon strip appears in the "Daily Graphic", New York City
1883 The postal mail chute is patented by J. G. Cutter of Rochester, New York@
September 12
1944 The U.S. Army enters Germany for the first time
1953 John F. Kennedy marries Jacqueline Bouvier
1983 In the U.S., two Picasso paintings worth a million dollars are stolen from a South Texas art museum@
September 13
1814 Francis Scott Key writes "The Star Spangled Banner" as the British shell Ft. McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland
1898 H. W. Goodwin of Newark, New Jersey patents celluloid photographic film
1976 New Jersey has the first state-regulated lottery winning number of three zeros (000)@
September 14
1861 The first naval battle of the Civil War occurs between the Colorado and the Judah near Pensacola, Florida
1956 The first lobotomy is performed at the George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C.
1987 The Reynolds Corporation announces a new smokeless cigarette to be marketed in 1988@
September 15
1492 Christopher Columbus sees a meteor fall into the sea
1959 Soviet Union Premier Nikita Khrushchev begins a six-day U.S. visit
1987 The Pope urges Hollywood, California film makers to shun violence, sex and fantasy in American films@
September 16
1620 The "Mayflower" Puritans sail from Great Britain for America
1953 The first film made in Cinema Scope, which enhances the depth of the film image, is released by 20th Century Fox
1991 A federal judge overturns a previous conviction and drops all charges against former National Security Council Aide Oliver North.@
September 17
Constitution Day
1630 The settlement of Boston is established by Massachusetts Bay colonists
1787 The Federal Constitution of the U.S. is passed
1926 Miami, Florida is devastated by a hurricane that kills 370 people and causes $100,000,000 property damage@
September 18
1793 George Washington lays the cornerstone for the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.
1851 The first issue of the "New York Daily News" is published and later becomes the "New York Times"
1975 Patricia Hearst, the kidnapped heiress, is captured by police after a 19-month search@
September 19
1881 President Garfield dies from wounds received in an assassination attempt
1928 Mickey Mouse's first appearance is in the cartoon feature "Steamboat Willie" by Walt Disney
1957 The first U.S. underground nuclear explosive is tested@
September 20
1644 Colonel George Cartwright accepts the surrender of the Dutch at Fort Orange, New York
1881 Chester A. Arthur becomes the 21st U.S. president
1974 The first female police officer killed in the line of duty is Gail Cobb of Washington, D.C.@
September 21
1776 A fire sweeps through New York City, destroying nearly 300 buildings
1814 "The Star Spangled Banner" is published as a poem in the Baltimore "American"
1981 The first female justice, Sandra Day O'Connor, joins the U.S. Supreme Court@
September 22
1776 Nathan Hale is executed as a spy by the British in New York City
1862 President Abraham Lincoln declares all U.S. slaves free
1919 A steel strike in the U.S. lasts until January 20@
September 23
1890 American Association member Ed Cartwright of St. Louis becomes the only major league player to hit seven runs in one inning
1911 Earl Ovington is sworn in as "air mail pilot number one" and delivers the first air mail authorized by the U.S. Post Office
1987 The rose is voted by the House of Representatives, in agreement with the Senate, to become America's national flower@
September 24
1657 The first autopsy and coroner's jury verdict is recorded in the state of Maryland
1869 This day becomes known as Black Friday as the price of gold rises to panic-causing heights
1955 President Eisenhower suffers a heart attack in Denver and is hospitalized for three weeks@
September 25
1804 The twelfth Constitutional Amendment is added and provides for a change in the method of electing the President and Vice President
1956 The first telephone conversation over transoceanic telephone cable takes place
1960 The first atomic powered aircraft carrier, the "U.S.S. Enterprise", is launched in the U.S.@
September 26
1772 The New Jersey Legislature passes a bill forbidding the practice of medicine without a license
1914 The Federal Trade Commission is established
1960 The first televised Presidential candidate debate is held between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy@
September 27
1779 The U.S. Congress appoints John Adams to negotiate peace with Great Britain
1937 The first Santa Claus Training School is opened in Albion, New York
1964 The Warren Commission releases its report on the assassination of President Kennedy@
September 28
1781 9,000 American forces and 7,000 French forces begin the siege of Yorktown
1850 The U.S Navy abolish flogging as a form of punishment
1920 Eight players of the Chicago White Sox are indicted for throwing the 1919 World Series between their team and the Cincinnati Reds@
September 29
1608 Captain Newport arrives from England with supplies for the colonists
1927 Telephone service begins between the U.S. and Mexico
1977 Eva Shain becomes the first woman to referee a heavyweight championship when she monitors the fight between Ali and Shavers in New York City@
September 30
1630 The first public execution in the American colonies takes place
1946 The International Military Tribunal ends in Nuremberg, Germany. Twenty-two top officials in Hitler's Nazi regime are found to be guilty of war crimes, and eleven of them are sentenced to death.
1972 Roberto Clemente of the Pittsburgh Pirates is the only player to end his career with exactly 3,000 hits@