Sept 25- 1789: The US Congress approves 12 amendments to the Constitution and sends them to state legislatures for ratification. Two of the proposed changes, involving Congressional representation and pay, were not adopted, but the first ten amendments were ratified in December 1791 and are best-known as “The Bill of Rights.” 1957: Previously all-white Central High School in Little Rock, AR is integrated as nine African American students are escorted inside by members of the 101st Airborne Unit of the US Army at the direction of President Eisenhower. 1981: Sandra Day O’Conner is sworn in as the first female justice of the US Supreme Court.
Sept 26- 1960: Cuban revolutionary leader and President Fidel Castro delivers a speech to the United Nations General Assembly that lasts four hours and 29 minutes. (Clearly, brevity was not a strong suit of El Comandante!). 1969: Apple Records releases “Abbey Road,” the 11th (and final) studio album recorded by the Beatles. A twelfth album would be released after the group’s breakup in 1970 but contained material recorded earlier in 1969. 1969: “The Brady Bunch” debuts on ABC. 1983: The racing yacht Australia II wins the America’s Cup competition, the first non-American winner in the event’s history!
Sept 27- 1822: More than 20 years after the discovery of the Rosetta Stone in Egypt, French scholar Jean-François Champollian announces that hieroglyphics can be deciphered. 1905: Albert Einstein’s paper laying out his theory of special relativity is published in the journal Annals of Physics. 1912: Composer and musician W. C. Handy publishes sheet music for his song “The Memphis Blues,” considered the first song of the “blues” genre. 1937: A hunter kills the last Bali tiger and the species is declared extinct. 1940: Germany, Japan, and Italy sign the mutual support Tripartite Pact, formalizing the relationship of the Axis powers.
Sept 28- 1781: American and French troops begin the Siege of Yorktown, leading to the British surrender three weeks later and ending the American Revolution. 1887: The Yellow River in China floods, resulting in the deaths of as many as two million people, one of the deadliest natural disasters in history. 1889: The First General Conference on Weights and Measures meets in Paris and defines the length of a meter as “the distance between two lines on a bar made of an alloy of platinum with 10% iridium, measured at the melting point of ice.” (Well, THAT wasn’t so hard…)
Sept 29- 1829: The London Metropolitan Police, known as “Bobbies” and considered the world’s first modern police force, begin patrolling city streets. 1916: Oil magnate John D. Rockefeller becomes the world’s first billionaire. (Not a bad distinction if you ask me!) 1954: Center fielder Willie Mays makes what is known in baseball lore as “The Catch” in game 1 of the World Series, catching Cleveland Indians’ Vic Wertz’ 460 foot rocket over his shoulder and propelling the NY Giants to victory at the Polo Grounds in New York.
Sept 30- 1846: Dr. William Morton successfully uses ether as an anesthetic during a tooth extraction in Boston, paving the way for the medical world’s acceptance of surgical anesthesia. 1938: The Treaty of Munich is signed, giving territory from Czechoslovakia to Germany as demanded by Adolf Hitler, leading British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain to infamously declare that appeasement of Germany would ensure “peace for our time.” 1946: 22 Nazi leaders are sentenced to death or long prison terms for war crimes committed during World War II at the Nuremberg trials. 1960: America’s first animated sitcom, Hanna-Barbera’s “The Flintstones,” premieres in prime time on ABC. Yabba-dabba-do!
Oct 1- 1908: Ford Motor Company introduces the Model T. With a price tag starting at $825, the car was within financial reach of many American families and would revolutionize society. More than 15 million Model T cars were built and sold by 1927, making it the world’s best-selling automobile until the Volkswagen Beetle surpassed it in 1972. 1924: The future 39th US president, James Earl Carter, Jr., is born in Plains, GA. Today he celebrates his 100th birthday! 1968: The cult classic film “Night of the Living Dead,” directed by George Romero, premieres in Pittsburgh, PA. 1975: Heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali successfully defends his title, stopping Joe Frazier in the 14th round of their bout in the Philippines, known as the “Thrilla in Manila.”
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