This Week in History: Sep. 18-24

Sept 18- 1793: With President George Washington in attendance to officiate the event, the cornerstone is laid for the US Capitol Building in Washington, DC. 1947: The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officially comes into existence, after being established by President Harry Truman in July. 1975: Patty Hearst, the granddaughter of newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst, is apprehended by FBI agents in San Francisco. She had been kidnapped a year earlier by the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) and been subjected to torture and brainwashing to the point that she claimed to have joined the group, and was caught on camera participating in a bank robbery with members of the SLA. She was convicted of bank robbery among other crimes and sentenced to seven years in prison. President Jimmy Carter commuted her sentence in 1979 and she was released from prison.

Sept 19- 1893: New Zealand becomes the first country to grant women the right to vote. (Good on you, Kiwis!) 1960: Singer and dancer Chubby Checker’s “The Twist” reaches #1 on Billboard’s chart. 1970: “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” debuts on CBS. 1986: US health officials announce the development of the first drug, dubbed AZT, to treat victims of the AIDS epidemic. 1991: Ötzi “The Iceman” is discovered by tourists in the Italian Alps. Archaeologists estimated that Ötzi had died (or been killed) more than FIVE THOUSAND YEARS EARLIER, making him the oldest natural mummy ever discovered. His remains and belongings remain on exhibit at a museum in Bolzano, Italy.

The Tyrolean Iceman Ötzi is the oldest known human glacier mummy. Südtiroler Archäologiemuseum / Eurac / Marco Samadelli-Gregor Staschitz

Sept 20- 1519: A Spanish expedition of five ships with a crew of 270 men, led by Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan, sets off on the first successful circumnavigation of the world. Unfortunately, Magellan would die in the Philippines during the voyage. 1995: The Washington Post publishes the 35,000-word manifesto written by the so-called Unabomber, who had carried out a series of bombings that killed three and injured 23 more over several years. The author’s brother recognized similarities between the manifesto and papers he had found at their mother’s home. Authorities were able to track down and arrest Ted Kaczynski at his isolated cabin near Lincoln, MT. He would plead guilty to his crimes and is serving four life sentences at a maximum security prison in Colorado. 2001: President George W. Bush declares “war on terror” in the aftermath of the attacks on September 11th.

Sept 21- 1792: The French National Convention formally abolishes the monarchy. 1915: Wealthy lawyer Cecil Chubb buys Stonehenge at an auction for £6,600 (just over $1 million in today’s money). Legend has it that Chubb’s wife had sent him to the aution to buy a set of dining chairs and was not happy with his “monumental” purchase. He donated the historic site to the British people in October, 1918 and it was named a World Heritage Site in 1986. The mysterious monument continues to attract more than one million visitors annually. 1922: President Warren G. Harding signs a Joint Resolution approving a Jewish homeland in Palestine. 1937: J. R. R. Tolkiens’ “The Hobbit” is published in London.

Sept 22- 1692: The Salem (MA) Witch Trials end with six final hangings, bringing the grisly total to 19. 1862: President Abraham Lincoln issues a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, threatening to free slaves in states that had seceded from the Union. No state reversed its decision and Lincoln’s proclamation took effect on January 1, 1863. 1994: The weekly situation comedy “Friends” debuts on NBC.

Sept 23- 1779: The USS Bonhomme Richard, commanded by Captain John Paul Jones, engages in a fierce duel with the powerful British warship HMS Serapis off the coast of England during the American Revolution. When challenged to surrender early in the battle, the captain famously responded, “I have not yet begun to fight!” Though his ship was sinking, John Paul Jones bravely continued the battle and forced his adversary to surrender instead! 1962: Hanna-Barbera’s animated classic “The Jetsons” makes its debut on ABC-TV, the first TV series broadcast in color. Despite lasting just a single season (24 episodes), the prime-time cartoon was moved to Saturday mornings where it achieved wide popularity and was shown for decades in syndication. (And how many of you are humming “Meet George Jetson…?”)

Sept 24- 1493: Christopher Columbus embarks on his second voyage to the “New World,” commanding a fleet of some 17 ships (a considerable upgrade from the Nińa, Pinta, and Santa Maria!). 1789: Congress passes the Federal Judiciary Act, establishing a 6-man Supreme Court (later expanded to nine justices). 1890: Willford Woodruff, president of the Church of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), issues a manifesto saying the teaching and practice of polygamy should be abandoned. 1964: The Warren Commission, named for its chairman Chief Justice Earl Warren, issues its final report on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, concluding that assassin Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. 1968: The weekly news program “60 Minutes” premiers on CBS (and is still ticking 56 years later!).