September is...
Kids' Good Manners Month
National Food Safety Education Month
National Disaster Preparedness Month
National Library Card Sign-Up Month
National Pediculosis (Head Lice) Prevention Month
National Piano Month
National Reye's Syndrome Month
National Rice Month
Sports and Home Eye Safety Month
National Hispanic Heritage Month (Sep. 15 – Oct. 15)

- Knowledge Day in Russia

- Jacques Cartier, French explorer who gave Canada its name, died. (1557)

- Aaron Burr was acquitted of treason for attempting to create a Texas Republic. (1807)

- The Passenger Pigeon (Ectopistes migratoria) became extinct. (1914)

- World War II began when Nazi Germany invaded Poland . (1939)

- Terry Fox completed a 3000-mile run across Canada on one leg. (1980)

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- U.S. Department of the Treasury was established. (1789)

- Lili'uokalani, the last sovereign of Hawaii, was born. (1838)

- V-J Day - Japan surrendered in WWII. (1945)

- Christa McAuliffe, teacher and astronaut on the Challenger Space Shuttle, was born. (1948)

- Governor George Wallace prevented the integration of an Alabama high school by encircling the building with state troopers. (1963)

- J.R.R. Tolkien, British fiction writer (The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings), died. (1973)

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- Navigator Henry Hudson discovered Manhattan Island. (1609)

- Treaty of Paris was signed, ending the U.S. Revolutionary War of Independence. (1783)

- Frederick Douglass, who became a great orator and leader of the anti-slavery struggle, escaped slavery via the Underground Railroad. (1838)

- Penicillin, a germ killer, was discovered by Alexander Fleming. (1928)

- E.E. Cummings, American writer known primarily for his distinctive poetry, died. (1962)

- Viking II landed on Mars, capturing the first close-up color photographs of the planet's surface. (1976)

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- El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula (known today as Los Angeles) was founded by 44 settlers. (1781)

- Architect and city planner Daniel H. Burnham was born. (1846)

- Lewis H. Latimer, African-American inventor, was born. (1848)

- Thomas Edison displayed the first practical electrical lighting system in New York City. (1882)

- Geronimo was captured, ending the last major U.S.-Indian War. (1886)

- George Eastman patented the first roll-film camera (known as the Kodak camera). (1888)

- First transcontinental TV broadcast by President Truman took place. (1951)

- Ford Motor Company introduced the Edsel. (1957)

- Mark Spitz, U.S. swimmer, became the first athlete to win seven Olympic Gold Medals. (1972)

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- Louis XIV, known as the Sun King, was born. (1638)

- Johann Christian Bach, composer and son of Johann Sebastian Bach, was born. (1735)

- First Continental Congress assembled in Philadelphia. (1774)

- Sam Houston was elected president of the Republic of Texas. (1836)

- Sioux Chief Crazy Horse was killed while resisting arrest. (1877)

- Boris Pasternak’s Doctor Zhivago, was published. (1958)

- Assassination attempt of U.S. President Gerald Ford by a Charles Manson follower was foiled. (1975)

- Mother Teresa, winner of the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize, died of a heart attack in Calcutta, India . (1997)

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- John Dalton, a color-blind English scientist, was born. (1766)

- Catharine Beecher, American educator, was born. (1800)

- Jane Addams, U.S. sociologist and reformer, was born. (1860)

- President McKinley was shot at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, N.Y. (1901)

- Joseph Paul DiMaggio, baseball player, was born. (1912)

- The name Saint Petersburg was restored to Russia 's second largest city, which had been renamed Leningrad in 1924. (1991)

- Diana, Princess of Wales, was mourned across the world as 2 billion people watched her funeral at Westminster Abbey on television. (1997)

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- Labor Day (first Monday) 2009

- The nickname "Uncle Sam" was first used as a symbolic reference to the United States in a New York newspaper. (1813)

- Grandma Moses, American primitive painter, was born. (1860)

- Raggedy Ann doll is patented by former cartoonist Johnny Gruelle. (1915)

- Paul Getty, American-born philanthropist, was born. (1932)

- Desmond Tutu became the first black priest to lead the Anglican Church in South Africa . (1986)

- Google, Inc. was founded. (1998)

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- International Literacy Day

- St. Augustine, Florida, the first permanent settlement in the United States , was established. (1565)

- New Amsterdam was surrendered by the Dutch to English soldiers. It later became known as New York City. (1664)

- Anton Dvorak, Czech composer of the New World Symphony, was born. (1841)

- The Pledge of Allegiance of the United States of America was first published. (1892)

- Ernest Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea was published. (1952)

- First episode of science fiction television series Star Trek aired. (1966)

- An unconditional pardon was granted by President Gerald Ford to former President Richard Nixon for all federal crimes he committed while he was in office. (1974)

- Ellis Island Historical Site opened on Ellis Island, New York City. (1990)

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- The United States of America was born when the Continental Congress changed the name of the nation from the United Colonies. (1776)

- California became the 31^st state. (1850)

- The National Broadcasting Corporation was created by the Radio Corporation of America . (1926)

- The first "bug" in a computer program was discovered. An engineer removed a moth from a relay with tweezers and taped the insect into the log book. (1945)

- Elvis Presley appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, singing “Hound Dog” and “Love Me Tender.” (1956)

- Tibet was made an autonomous region of China . (1965)

- Mao Tse-Tung, Chinese Communist Party chairman, died at 82. (1976)

- Killer whale Keiko, star of Free Willy, left the Oregon Coast Aquarium for Iceland . (1998)

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- John Smith was elected president of the Jamestown Colony Council in Virginia. (1608)

- The sewing machine was patented by Elias Howe. (1846)

- Second earthquake in seven days hit Yakutat Bay, Alaska. (1899)

- Great Idaho Fire destroyed three million acres of timber. (1910)

- Twenty black students entered segregated public schools in Alabama. (1963)

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- Patriot Day was created to observe the tragic events of September 11, 2001.

- Swedish Nightingale Jenny Lind gave her first U.S. concert. (1850)

- William Sydney Porter, an American short story writer known best by his pen name, O. Henry, was born. (1862)

- Orville Wright established a new flight record of 70 minutes aloft. (1908)

- Nikita Khrushchev, former Soviet premier, died of a heart attack at age 77. (1971)

- Africanized "killer" bees made their first major attack in the United States . (1991)

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- Explorer Henry Hudson sailed into the river that now bears his name. (1609)

- First quarantine in the United States was declared by Maryland’s governor, stopping commerce from Philadelphia to Maryland due to yellow fever. (1793)

- Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning, poets, secretly married. (1846)

- Cleopatra's Needle was erected in London. (1878)

- H.L. Mencken, American author and newspaperman, was born. (1880)

- First female police officer, Alice Stebbins, was hired in Los Angeles. (1910)

- Jesse Owens, U.S. track star who won four gold medals in 1936 Olympics, was born. (1913)

- Howard Hughes flew a plane at 352.46 mph to establish the first of his several aviation records. (1935)

- Exploring the Grotte de Lascaux, schoolboys discovered prehistoric cave paintings dating back to 15000 B.C. (1940)

- Jacqueline Bouvier married John F. Kennedy. (1953)

- Mae C. Jemison became the first African-American woman in space. (1992)

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- National Grandparents Day (first Sunday after Labor Day) 2009

- Chinese Autumn Moon Festival 2008

- New York City was chosen as the capital of the United States . (1788)

- U.S. national debt initiated when the government took out its first loan. (1789)

- First rhinoceros exhibited in the United States was shown in New York City. (1826)

- Dr. Walter Reed, U.S. army doctor and medical pioneer, was born. (1851)

- Father of Bluegrass, Bill Monroe, was born. (1911)

- Roald Dahl, children's book author (James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), was born. (1916)

- Igor Sikorsky invented the first helicopter. (1939)

- Korean War's Battle of Heartbreak Ridge began. (1951)

- AIDS was declared to be a global epidemic by the World Health Organization. (1985)

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- First lighthouse in America was lit in Boston Harbor. (1716)

- George Frederick Handel completed The Messiah. (1741)

- "Star Spangled Banner" was written by Francis Scott Key after he witnessed the British attack at Fort McHenry. (1814)

- Mexico City was invaded by U.S. troops. (1847)

- President William McKinley died from his wounds after an assassination attempt made on September 6. (1901)

- Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American saint, canonized by Pope Paul VI. (1975)

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- Keiro no Hi (Respect for the Aged Day), Japan . (third Monday) 2009

- Edmond Halley, English astronomer, first observed the comet that is named after him. (1682)

- James Fenimore Cooper, author (The Last of the Mohicans), was born. (1789)

- Central America’s Costa Rica , El Salvador , Guatemala , Honduras , and Nicaragua jointly declare independence from Spain . (1821)

- Agatha Christie, “Queen of Crime” mystery writer, was born. (1890)

- Tomie dePaola, children's book author (Strega Nona), was born. (1934)

- Environmental organization Greenpeace was founded. (1971)

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- Independence Day (Mexico)

- National Stepfamily Day

- Mildred Fish Harnack Day

- Pilgrims set sail from Plymouth, England , to the New World on the Mayflower. (1620)

- Galapagos Islands were reached by Charles Darwin. (1835)

- William “Billy” Crapo Durant, former carriage maker, founded General Motors. (1908)

- Metropolitan Opera opened at New York's Lincoln Center. (1966)

- Chlorofluorocarbon use was limited when 35 nations signed the Montreal Protocol after determining this class of chemicals to be hazardous to the atmosphere. (1987)

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- Citizenship Day (United States)

- The existence of bacteria was first reported by Antony van Leeuwenhoek. (1683)

- U.S. Constitution was signed by members of the Constitutional Convention. (1787)

- First whaling ship arrived in Hawaii. (1819)

- Chubby Checker's “The Twist” topped U.S. charts and launched a dance craze. (1960)

- First black Miss America, Vanessa Williams, was crowned. (1983)

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- Clean Up the World Weekend, Sep. 18-20, 2009 (third weekend)

- POW-MIA Recognition Day 2009 (third Friday)

- Dictionary of the English Language author Dr. Samuel Johnson was born. (1709)

- Cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol was laid by President George Washington. (1793)

- Fugitive Slave Act was passed by Congress. (1850)

- New York Times was first published. (1851)

- Booker T. Washington delivered his famous "Atlanta Compromise" speech. (1895)

- U.S. Air Force was established. (1947)

- Play-Doh was introduced by Noah and Joseph McVicker. (1956)

- Cuban cosmonaut Arnaldo Tamayo-Mendéz became the first Latin American sent into space. (1980)

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- Rosh Hashanah - New Year's Day of Jewish Year 5770, starts at sunset September 18, 2009

- James A. Garfield, 20^th President of the United States , was assassinated. (1881)

- New Zealand became the first country to grant women the right to vote. (1893)

- First Mickey Mouse cartoon was shown in New York. (1928)

- Lord Haw Haw, William Joyce, sentenced to death. (1945)

- A nuclear test, the first for the United States , was conducted underground in the Nevada desert. (1957)

- ASCII emoticon for a smile, :-) was first used. (1982)

- The remains of an ancient hunter, nicknamed The Iceman, were discovered in the Alps. (1991)

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- National Farm Safety & Health Week, Sep. 20 – 26, 2009

- Ferdinand Magellan began the first successful circumnavigation of the world. (1519)

- Billy Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in a battle-of-the-sexes tennis match. (1973)

- United Nations accepted Vietnam and Djibouti as members. (1977)

- East and West Germany ratified their reunification. (1990)

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- Eid-Ul-Fitr, the end of Ramadan. 2009

- "Yes Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus" editorial published. (1897)

- The Hobbit, written by J.R.R. Tolkien, was published. (1937)

- Stephen King, American suspense writer (The Shining, Stand By Me, The Green Mile), was born. (1947)

- The first U.S. nuclear submarine, Nautilus, was commissioned. (1954)

- Henry Kissinger took the oath as U.S. Secretary of State; the first time a naturalized citizen held this office. (1973)

- Belize achieved independence from Britain . (1981)

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- Fall Equinox occurs and marks the beginning of autumn. (2009)

- Elephant Appreciation Day

- Nathan Hale, an American patriot who went undercover as a Dutch schoolmaster in Britain , was executed for spying. (1776)

- Michael Faraday, English chemist and physicist who experimented with electricity, was born. (1791)

- President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring all slaves in Confederate states free as of January 1, 1863. (1862)

- Ice cream cone was invented. (1896)

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- Bonhomme Richard, an American warship commanded by John Paul Jones, defeated British warship. (1779)

- Explorers Lewis and Clark completed their exploration of the West and returned to St. Louis. (1806)

- The first hearing aid, called the Audiophone, was invented by Richard S. Rhodes. (1879)

- Richard Nixon’s “Checkers Speech” was aired, in which he denied allegations of improper campaign financing. (1952)

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- The Judiciary Act was passed by Congress, providing the U.S. government with an attorney general and a Supreme Court. (1789)

- Wall Street panic occurred after financiers Jay Gould and James Fisk attempted to corner the gold market. (1869)

- F. Scott Fitzgerald, American novelist (The Great Gatsby), was born. (1896)

- First nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, USS Enterprise, was launched. (1960)

- Theodore Geisel, a.k.a. author Dr. Seuss (The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham), died. (1991)

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- Vasco Nunez de Balboa, after crossing the Isthmus of Panama, became the first European to view the eastern shore of the Pacific Ocean. (1513)

- The "Little Rock Nine" were escorted to school by armed soldiers. (1957)

- Musical Evita opened on Broadway. (1979)

- Sandra Day O'Connor, first female U.S. Supreme Court justice, was sworn in. (1981)

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- Family Health and Fitness Day USA 2009

- “Johnny Appleseed” (John Chapman), frontier nurseryman, was born. (1774)

- British troops occupied Philadelphia during the American Revolution. (1777)

- John Philip Sousa's marching band made its first public appearance in New Jersey. (1892)

- League of Nations adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. (1924)

- West Side Story premiered on Broadway. (1957)

- Debate between Presidential candidates Kennedy and Nixon, a first of its kind, was held. (1960)

- Shamu, first captive killer whale to survive birth, was born at Sea World in Orlando, Florida. (1985)

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- World Heart Day 2009

- Gold Star Mother’s Day (last Sunday) 2009

- Ancestor Appreciation Day

- Samuel Adams, Revolutionary War leader and Massachusetts governor, was born. (1722)

- Edgar Degas, French painter of ballerinas and racehorses, died. (1917)

- Women finally voted into the Democratic National Committee. (1919)

- Three-Power Pact was signed by Japan , Nazi Germany, and Fascist Italy (1940).

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- Frances Willard Day

- Confucius, Chinese philosopher, was born. (551 B.C.)

- William the Conqueror and his Norman invaders landed in England . (1066)

- Juan Cabrillo discovered California at San Diego Bay. (1542)

- Siege of Yorktown, the last battle of the Revolutionary War, began. (1781)

- A grand jury indicted eight White Sox baseball players for throwing the 1919 World Series. (1920)

- Dr. Carl Sagan premiered his 13-part Cosmos television series. (1980)

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- Scotland Yard, London's metropolitan police force, was formed. (1829)

- Britain and France accepted Nazi Germany's annexation of Czechoslovakia 's Sudetenland. (1938)

- President John F. Kennedy authorized use of federal troops in integration of University of Mississippi. (1962).

- Nobel Peace Prize awarded to U.N. peacekeeping forces, which have monitored the world's trouble spots for over 50 years. (1988)

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- National Women's Health and Fitness Day (last Wednesday) 2009

- Johann Gutenberg's Bible became the first book printed. (1452)

- Anesthetic ether was used publicly for the first time by Dr. William Morton. (1846)

- New Deal was announced by Franklin D. Roosevelt. (1933)

- Boulder Dam (or Hoover Dam) was dedicated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. (1936)

- The Frisbee patent was awarded. (1958)

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