Sept. 21, on this day in history 1792 the French National Convention voted to abolish the monarchy. 1893 one of Americas first horseless carriages was taken for a short test drive in Springfield, Massachusetts, by Frank Duryea, who had designed the vehicle with his brother, Charles. 1897 the New York Sun ran its famous editorial, written anonymously by Francis P. Church, which declared, Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. 1912 magician Harry Houdini first publicly performed his Water Torture Cell trick at the Circus Busch in Berlin. 1938 a hurricane struck parts of New York and New England, causing widespread damage and claiming some 700 lives. 1948 Milton Berle made his debut as permanent host of The Texaco Star Theater on NBC-TV. 1957 Norways King Haakon VII died in Oslo at age 85. The legal mystery-drama Perry Mason, starring Raymond Burr, premiered on CBS-TV. 1964 Malta gained independence from Britain. 1970 NFL Monday Night Football made its debut on ABC-TV as the Cleveland Browns defeated the visiting New York Jets, 31-21. 1982 Amin Gemayel, brother of Lebanons assassinated president-elect, Bashir Gemayel, was himself elected president. National Football League players began a 57-day strike, their first regular-season walkout ever. 1987 NFL players called a strike, mainly over the issue of free agency. (The 24-day walkout prompted football owners to hire replacement players.) 1989, Hurricane Hugo crashed into Charleston, South Carolina (the storm was blamed for 56 deaths in the Caribbean and 29 in the United States). Twenty-one students in Alton, Texas, died when their school bus, hit by a soft-drink delivery truck, careened into a water-filled pit. General Colin Powell is confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 1991 an 18-hour hostage drama ended in Sandy, Utah, as Richard L. Worthington, whod seized control of a hospital maternity ward and killed a nurse, finally freed his nine captives, including a baby born during the siege. (Worthington committed suicide in prison in 1993.) Ten years ago: President George W. Bush, defending his decision to invade Iraq, urged the U.N. General Assembly to stand united with the countrys struggling government. Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, was taken off a London-to-Washington United Airlines flight because his name had shown up on a government no-fly list. (Islams brother and business manager, David Gordon, denied the singer had any ties to suspected terrorists.) The death toll in Haiti from deluges caused by Tropical Storm Jeanne topped 700. Five years ago: Record flooding hit the Atlanta area, leaving neighborhoods, schools and even sections of roller coasters submerged in several feet of water. Deposed President Manuel Zelaya (zuh-LY-uh) of Honduras defied threats of arrest and returned to his country, three months after he was forced into exile. (Zelaya took shelter at the Brazilian Embassy for four months until he was allowed to fly to the Dominican Republic.) One year ago: Days after mass shootings in Washington and Chicago, President Barack Obama urged the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation to help push stalled legislation out of Congress so dangerous people wouldnt get their hands on guns. Islamic militants attacked an upscale shopping center in Nairobi, killing at least 67 people in the deadliest terrorist attack in Kenya in 15 years. An Afghan wearing a security forces uniform turned his weapon against U.S. troops, killing three in eastern Afghanistan.
Posted on: Sun, 21 Sep 2014 09:44:13 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015