September 14

A quick look at Today in History, check out some Celebrity Birthdays, and find out what Days of the Year to celebrate.

TODAY IN HISTORY:

1814 – The poem “Defence of Fort McHenry” was written by Francis Scott Key after witnessing the British bombardment of Fort McHenry, MD, during the War of 1812. The poem was later used as the lyrics of the “Star-Spangled Banner”. The song became the official National Anthem of the United States on March 3, 1931.

1866 – The typewriter ribbon was patented by George K. Anderson.

1901 – President William McKinley died of gunshot wounds inflicted by an assassin on September 6th. Vice President Theodore Roosevelt succeeded him.

1936 – The first prefrontal lobotomy was performed.

1940 – Congress passed the Selective Service Act, providing for the first peacetime draft in U.S. history.

1948 – A ground-breaking ceremony took place in New York, NY, at the site of the future United Nations’ world headquarters.

1959 – The Soviet space probe Luna 2 became the first man-made object to reach the Moon. It crashed onto the lunar surface.

1960 – The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was founded. The core members were Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela.

1963 – The first surviving quintuplets in the United States were born to Mary Ann Fischer.

1964 – In Cleveland, OH, Pop-Tarts went on sale as a new breakfast option.

1965 – TV’s “My Mother The Car” premiered on NBC. The series was cancelled a few weeks later.

1967 – Raymond Burr returned to TV, playing a wheelchair-bound detective in “Ironside”.

1968 – “The Archies” premiered on CBS. The cartoon was based on the comic book series.

1968 – Denny McClain, of the Detroit Tigers, became the first pitcher to win 30 games in a season since Dizzy Dean 34 years earlier. He went on to win 31.

1972 – TV’s “The Waltons” premiered on CBS.

1978 – The TV show “Mork & Mindy” premiered on ABC.

1979 – Kenny Rogers received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1984 – MTV held its first annual Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York, NY. Bette Midler and Dan Aykroyd co-hosted the event, which was highlighted by Madonna’s memorable performance of “Like a Virgin.” Video of the Year went to The Cars’ “You Might Think.”

1984 – Joe Kittinger became the first person to fly a balloon solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

1985 – The animated TV series “The Care Bears” debuted.

1994 – Baseball’s acting Major League commissioner Bud Selig announced the cancellation of the 1994 season on the 34th day of strike by players.

1995 – Earth, Wind and Fire received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1998 – Telecommunications companies MCI Communications and WorldCom completed their $37 billion merger to form MCI WorldCom.

1998 – Jaime Jarrin received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1999 – Disney World closed down for the first time in its 28-year history. The closure was due to Hurricane Floyd heading for Florida.

2000 – Microsoft released the Windows ME operating system.

2001 – In Japan, Nintendo released the GameCube home video game console.

2001 – President George W. Bush led the United States in a day of mourning for the victims of a terrorist attack. Standing on top of the rubble, Bush responded to a fireman’s shouts by saying, “I can hear you, the rest of the world hears you, and the people … and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon.” In Washington, the Senate voted 98-0 to give the President “all necessary and appropriate force” to respond to the terrorist attack. On the same day, the FBI released the names of the 19 suspected hijackers that had taken part in the attacks.

2007 – O.J. Simpson was questioned by Las Vegas, NV police about his possible role in a burglary a day earlier at the Palace Station Casino. A memorabilia dealer claimed that Simpson led a team of armed men into his hotel room to steal items that once belonged to the former football star. Simpson claimed he was just retrieving things that were rightfully his.

2008 – Tina Fey unveiled her Sarah Palin impression on the “Saturday Night Live” season premiere.

2010 – George Michael was sentenced to eight weeks in jail after he pleaded guilty to driving under the influence and drug possession. The incident occurred on July 4 when he crashed his car into a store.

2018 – Hurricane Florence hit the North Carolina shore. The rain continued for days and caused billions of dollars in damage and more than 50 deaths.

2022 – Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin was taken from Buckingham Palace, placed on a gun carriage of The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery and moved in a procession to Westminster Hall for her lying in state for four days with the line of mourners stretching for miles.

BIRTHDAYS:

Walter Koenig – 89 years old (1936) – Actor, producer, and screenwriter

Larry Brown – 85 years old (1940) – Basketball player and coach

Joan Trumpauer Mulholland – 84 years old (1941) – Civil rights activist

Oliver Lake – 83 years old (1942) – Saxophonist, flute player, and composer

Joey Heatherton – 81 years old (1944) – Actress, singer, and dancer

Jon Bauman – 78 years old (1947) – Singer

Mike Nifong – 75 years old (1950) – Lawyer and politician

Robert Wisdom – 72 years old (1953) – Actor

Steve Berlin – 70 years old (1955) – Saxophonist, keyboard player, and producer

Geraldine Brooks – 70 years old (1955) – Australian-American novelist and journalist

Edu Manzano – 70 years old (1955) – American-Filipino actor and politician

Beth Nielsen Chapman – 69 years old (1956) – Singer-songwriter

Tim Wallach – 68 years old (1957) – Baseball player and coach

John Berry – 66 years old (1959) – Singer-songwriter and guitarist

Mary Crosby – 66 years old (1959) – Actress

Melissa Leo – 65 years old (1960) – Actress

Wendy Thomas – 64 years old (1961) – Businesswoman

Bonnie Jo Campbell – 63 years old (1962) – Novelist and short story writer

Faith Ford – 61 years old (1964) – Actress

Michelle Stafford – 60 years old (1965) – Actress, producer, and screenwriter

Ben Garant – 55 years old (1970) – Actor, director, producer, and screenwriter

Ketanji Brown Jackson – 55 years old (1970) – Lawyer and jurist, associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States

Craig Montoya – 55 years old (1970) – Singer-songwriter and bass player

Jeff Loomis – 54 years old (1971) – Guitarist and songwriter

Christopher McCulloch – 54 years old (1971) – Voice actor, producer, and screenwriter

Kimberly Williams-Paisley – 54 years old (1971) – Actress, director, and producer

Notah Begay III – 53 years old (1972) – Golfer

David Bell – 53 years old (1972) – Baseball player and coach

Terrell Fletcher – 52 years old (1973) – Football player

Nas – 52 years old (1973) – Rapper

Chad Bradford – 51 years old (1974) – Baseball player

Austin Basis – 49 years old (1976) – Actor

Ron DeSantis – 47 years old (1978) – Politician, 46th Governor of Florida

Danielle Peck – 47 years old (1978) – Singer-songwriter

Katie Lee – 44 years old (1981) – Chef, author, and critic

SoShy – 43 years old (1982) – French-American singer-songwriter

Josh Outman – 42 years old (1983) – Baseball player

Frostee Rucker – 42 years old (1983) – Football player

Adam Lamberg – 41 years old (1984) – Actor

Paolo Gregoletto – 40 years old (1985) – Bass player and songwriter

Trevis Smith – 40 years old (1985) – Football player

Delmon Young – 40 years old (1985) – Baseball player

Jonathan Monaghan – 39 years old (1986) – Director, producer, and screenwriter

Reggie Williams – 39 years old (1986) – Basketball player

Michael Crabtree – 38 years old (1987) – Football player

Jimmy Butler – 36 years old (1989) – Basketball player

Tony Finau – 36 years old (1989) – Golfer

Logan Henderson – 36 years old (1989) – Singer-songwriter

Jesse James – 36 years old (1989) – Actor

Jonathon Simmons – 36 years old (1989) – Basketball player

Dee Milliner – 34 years old (1991) – Football player

Shayne Topp – 34 years old (1991) – Actor and Smosh cast member

Connor Fields – 33 years old (1992) – Cyclist

Brandon Brown – 32 years old (1993) – Race car driver

Gary Harris – 31 years old (1994) – Basketball player

Jevon Carter – 30 years old (1995) – Basketball player

Deshaun Watson – 30 years old (1995) – Football player

Emma Kenney – 26 years old (1999) – Actress

TODAY IS:

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For additional information check out websites like: www.on-this-day.com, www.born-today.com, www.famousbirthdays.com, www.daysoftheyear.com, and www.nationaldaycalendar.com.