September 17

Scott Winters September 17, 2024 0 Comments

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:

1787 – The Constitution of the United States of America was signed by 39 delegates at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, PA. This monumental document established the framework of the United States government and is considered one of the most important legal documents in history.

1796 – President George Washington’s Farewell Address was read before the U.S. Congress.

1814 – Francis Scott Key finished his poem “Defence of Fort McHenry”, which would later become the lyrics to “The Star Spangled Banner”.

1862 – The Battle of Antietam, also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg, occurred on September 17, 1862, during the American Civil War. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with over 22,000 casualties. The battle marked a strategic victory for the Union and led President Abraham Lincoln to issue the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.

1872 – The sprinkler system was patented by Phillip W. Pratt.

1908 – The Wright Flyer, flown by Orville Wright, with Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge as a passenger, crashed in Fort Myer, VA, killing Selfridge. He became the first airplane fatality.

1911 – The first transcontinental airplane flight started. It took pilot C.P. Rogers 3 days, 10 hours to fly from New York, NY to Pasadena, CA.

1920 – The American Professional Football Association was formed in Canton, OH. It was the precursor to the National Football League.

1930 – Construction on Boulder Dam (now called Hoover Dam) began in Black Canyon, near Las Vegas, NV.

1931 – RCA Victor Records demonstrated the long-playing (LP), 33-1/3 RPM phonograph record.

1932 – Sir Malcolm Campbell set a speed record when he reached 276.27 mph over a half mile.

1937 – Abraham Lincoln’s face was dedicated at Mt. Rushmore, in South Dakota.

1947 – James V. Forrestal, the first U.S. Secretary of Defense, was sworn into office.

1953 – Ernie Banks became the first black baseball player to wear a Chicago Cubs uniform. He retired in 1971 known as ‘Mr. Cub’.

1953 – The Ochsner Foundation Hospital in New Orleans, LA, successfully separated Siamese twins. Carolyn Anne and Catherine Anne Mouton were connected at the waist when born.

1961 – The world’s first retractable-dome stadium, the Civic Arena, opened in Pittsburgh, PA.

1961 – The Minnesota Vikings debuted as a new National Football League team.

1962 – U.S. space officials announced the selection of Neil A. Armstrong and eight others as new astronauts.

1963 – The television show “The Fugitive” premiered on ABC.

1964 – TV’s “Bewitched” debut on ABC.

1965 – “The Smothers Brothers Show” premiered on CBS.

1965 – “Hogan’s Heroes” premiered on CBS-TV.

1966 – “Mission Impossible” debuted on CBS.

1968 – The first episode of “Julia” debuted on NBC. On the TV series, Diahann Carroll portrayed a widowed nurse raising a young son.

1972 – The TV series “M*A*S*H” premiered on CBS and ran for 11 seasons.

1973 – Illinois becomes the first state to make Martin Luther King Junior’s birthday a holiday.

1976 – NASA unveiled the first Space Shuttle, Enterprise, at ceremonies in Palmdale, CA. Although it never flew in space, the Enterprise was used for atmospheric test flights and helped pave the way for the operational shuttle fleet.

1983 – Vanessa Williams (Miss New York) became the first black Miss America, a title she is later forced to resign after naked photos of her surfaced.

1983 – Johnny Bench, of the Cincinnati Reds, retired after 16 years as a catcher.

1984 – 9,706 immigrants became naturalized citizens when they were sworn in by Vice President George Bush in Miami, FL. It was the largest group to become U.S. citizens.

1984 – Gordon P. Getty was named the richest person in the United States His fortune was $4.1 billion.

1984 – Reggie Jackson hit his 500th career home run. It was exactly 17 years from the day he hit his first major league home run.

1988 – The cartoon “Garfield & Friends” premiered on television.

1991 – The TV show “Home Improvement” debuted on ABC. It ran for 8 years. The series launched Tim Allen’s acting career.

1992 – “The Cosby Show” aired for the last time on NBC.

1994 – Heather Whitestone of Alabama was crowned Miss America and became first deaf woman to win the title.

2001 – Wall Street trading resumed for the first time since the September 11th terrorist attacks. It was the longest shutdown since the Depression. The Dow lost 684.81 points — its worst-ever one-day point drop.

2010 – The soap opera “As the World Turns” ended its 54-year run.

2011 – The Occupy Wall Street movement began in Zuccotti Park in New York, NY.

2013 – The video game “Grand Theft Auto V” earned more than half a billion dollars on its first day of release.

2014 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at an all time high of 17,156.

BIRTHDAYS:

Pat Crowley – 91 years old (1933) – Actress (TV’s “Please Don’t Eat the Daisies”, “Dynasty”, movie “61”)

David Souter – 85 years old (1939) – Supreme Court Justice (retired in 2009)

Fee Waybill – 74 years old (1950) – Singer (The Tubes)

Cassandra “Elvira” Peterson – 73 years old (1951) – Ghoulish and sexy TV hostess-actress

Rita Rudner – 71 years old (1953) – Comedian, actress

Baz Luhrmann – 62 years old (1962) – Director (“Moulin Rouge”, “Strictly Ballroom”, “Romeo + Juliet”, “The Great Gatsby”)

Kyle Chandler – 59 years old (1965) – Actor (TV’s “Early Edition”, “Friday Night Lights”, movies “King Kong”, “Super 8”, “Argo”, “The Wolf of Wall Street”, Netflix’s “Bloodline”)

Malik Yoba – 57 years old (1967) – Actor (TV’s “New York Undercover”)

Matthew Settle – 55 years old (1969) – Actor (TV’s “Band of Brothers, “Gossip Girl”)

Jimmie Johnson – 49 years old (1975) – Nascar driver