September 14

Scott Winters September 14, 2024 1 Comment

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 – 88 years old (1936) – Actor (Played Chekov on TV’ “Star Trek”, “Babylon 5”)

Joey Heatherton – 80 years old (1944) – Singer, dancer, actress (“Cry-Baby”, “The Happy Hooker Goes to Washington”, TV’s “I Spy”, “Dean Martin Presents the Golddiggers”)

Pete Agnew – 78 years old (1946) – Bassist, vocalist (Nazareth)

Sam Neill – 77 years old (1947) – Actor (“Jurassic Park” 1-3, “The Piano”, “The Horse Whisperer”, “Hunt for Red October”)

Jon “Bowzer” Bauman – 77 years old (1947) – Singer (Sha Na Na)

Steve Berlin – 69 years old (1955) – Saxophonist, keyboardist (Los Lobos)

Mary Crosby – 65 years old (1959) – Actress (Played Kristin Shepard on TV’s “Dallas”)

Melissa Leo – 64 years old (1960) – Actress (“The Fighter”, “Frozen River”, TV’s “Homicide: Life on the Street”, “All My Children”, “The Young Riders”)

Faith Ford – 60 years old (1964) – Actress (TV’s “Murphy Brown”, “The Norm Show”, “Hope and Faith”)

Dan Cortese – 57 years old (1967) – Actor (TV’s “Veronica’s Closet”, “Melrose Place”, “MTV Sports”)

Craig Montoya – 54 years old (1970) – Bassist (Everclear)

Kimberly Williams-Paisley – 53 years old (1971) – Actress (TV’s “Nashville”, “Relativity”, “According to Jim”)

Andrew Lincoln – 51 years old (1973) – Actor (TV’s “The Walking Dead”)

Adam Lamberg – 40 years old (1984) – Actor (Played David “Gordo” Gordon on TV’s “Lizzie McGuire”)