TODAY’S HISTORY LESSON – SEPT 21
454 In Italy, Aetius, the supreme army commander, is murdered in Ravenna by Valentinian III, the emperor of the West.
1327 Edward II of England is murdered by order of his wife.
1348 Jews in Zurich Switzerland are accused of poisoning wells
1673 James Needham returns to Virginia after exploring the land to the west, which would become Tennessee.
1784 “The Pennsylvania Packet and Daily Advertiser” was published for the first time in Philadelphia. It was the first daily paper in America.
1792 French Revolution: The National Convention passes a proclamation announcing the formal abolition of the French monarchy
1879 The New York Sun published its famous editorial, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.”
1893 Frank Duryea drives 1st US made gas propelled vehicle (car)
1904 Exiled Nez Perce leader Chief Joseph dies of a “broken heart”.
1915 Stonehenge is sold by auction for 6,600 pounds sterling ($11,500) to a Mr. Chubb, who buys it as a present for his wife. He presents it to the British nation three years later.
1922 US President Warren G. Harding signs a joint resolution of approval to establish a Jewish homeland in Palestine
1931 Great Britain decides to abandon the Gold Standard causing a minor panic in the American banking System.
1937 J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy novel The Hobbit is published.
1938 In Europe politicians from France and England are accepting the price of peace is to allow Germany to take control of Czechoslovakia
1942 Boeing B-29 Superfortress flies for the first time
1949 The People’s Republic of China was proclaimed.
1970 “NFL Monday Night Football” made its debut on ABC-TV. The game was between the Cleveland Browns and the New York Jets. The Browns won 31-21.
1972 Following a series of bombing and terrorist strikes against the government President Ferdinand E. Marcos declared martial law in the Philippines.
1981 Belize granted full independence from the United Kingdom.
1989 General Colin Powell is confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
1989 A terrorist bomb is thought to be the cause of a French DC 10 jetliners crash in Southern Nigeria that killed all 171 people on board. The Muslim extremist group Islamic Jihad has claimed responsibility.
1991 Armenia granted independence from USSR.
1993 The Russian constitutional crisis of 1993 begins when Russian President Boris Yeltsin suspends parliament and invalidates the existing constitution.
1996 The board of all-male Virginia Military Institute voted to admit women.
1998 Bill Clinton’s testimony about his possible affair with Monica Lewinsky as shown on public television for the first time.
2003 Galileo space mission ends as the probe is sent into Jupiter’s atmosphere where it is crushed.
2011 Two American hikers were released from jail in Iran after spending two years in detention after being convicted of spying. Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal were released on bail and immediately flown to Oman
2013 The Westgate Mall is attacked in Nairobi, Kenya In a daring siege, militants of the extremist group al-Shabaab took over the Mall. 63 shoppers were killed during the attack that lasted a few hours
2013 Over sixty people are killed and another 120 people are injured after suicide bombers attack a funeral in Baghdad.
** history.net, onthisday.com, infoplease.com, timeanddate.com, thepeoplehistory.com, on-this-day.com **
