1814 – Francis Scott Key pens the poem “Defence of Fort McHenry”, later known as “The Star-Spangled Banner” while witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry from a ship in Baltimore harbor.
1899 – Henry Bliss becomes 1st automobile fatality in the US (NY)
1901 – Theodore Roosevelt is sworn in as the youngest man to serve as US President, after William McKinley finally dies after an anarchist shoots him in Buffalo.
1923 – In his 4th heavyweight boxing title defense Jack Dempsey recovers after being sent through the ropes to KO Argentine challenger Luis Firpo in the 2nd round at the Polo Grounds, NYC.
1930 – Detroit Lions (as Portsmouth Spartans) play 1st NFL game, win 13-6.
1937 – President Franklin D. Roosevelt bans US ships from trading arms with China or Japan.
1939 – World’s 1st practical helicopter, the VS-300 designed by Igor Sikorsky takes (feathered) flight in Stratford, Connecticut.
1940 – US Congress passes 1st peace time conscription bill (draft law)
1944 – Great Atlantic hurricane hits New England, 300-400 die along the US East Coast.
1954 – Giant’s Willie Mays gets 82nd extra-base hit….breaks Mel Ott’s record.
1955 – Little Richard records “Tutti Fruti” at J & M Studio in New Orleans.
1956 – IBM introduces the RAMAC 305, 1st commercial computer with a hard drive that uses magnetic disk storage, weighs over a ton.
1964 – Walt Disney awarded Medal of Freedom at White House.
1972 – “The Waltons” TV program premieres on CBS starring Richard Thomas, Ralph Waite, Michael Learned, and Will Geer.
1981 – Judge Wapner & People’s Court premiere on TV.
1983 – US House of Representatives votes, 416-0, in favor of a resolution condemning Russia for shooting down a Korean jetliner.
1994 – MLB team owners vote to cancel remainder of 1994 season, as well as the World Series for only the second time in history, continuing labor dispute with Players Association.
2001 – Historic National Prayer Service held at Washington National Cathedral for victims of the September 11 attacks. A similar service is held in Canada on Parliament Hill, the largest vigil ever held in the nation’s capital.
2018 – Hurricane Florence makes landfall near Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina as a category 1 hurricane.
2018 – Former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort pleads guilty to conspiracy charges and agrees to co-operate with Government investigations.
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