September 1
1864, Atlanta, Georgia falls to Union forces led by General William Sherman. Sherman’s Atlanta campaign was one of the most decisive victories of the Civil War.
September 2
1666, the “Great Fire of London” broke out and burned for three days, destroying approximately 80% of the city. The fire raged uncontrollably due to high winds from the east. The palace of King Charles II in Westminster was in danger of the fire as well, but the use of gun powder to make fire breaks and demolitions saved the palace and Westminster.
1945, on board the USS Missouri the Japanese envoy sign an unconditional surrender to the Allies.
September 3
1943, the Allied invasion of Italy began. Meanwhile, offshore aboard the British Navy battleship HMS Nelson, General D. Eisenhower and Italian Marshal Pietro Badoglio signed an armistice.
September 4
1993, one-handed Yankee pitcher Jim Abbott threw a no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians.
September 6
1991, In Russia, the name “Saint Petersburg” is restored to the city which had been renamed “Leningrad” in 1924.
September 7
1945, Japanese forces which had held out on Wake Island surrendered to U.S. Marines. Japan had already signed an unconditional surrender five days earlier but the news of the event had not reached all the outlying areas. The Japanese had possessed Wake Island since December 1941.
1963, the Pro Football Hall of Fame opened in Canton, Ohio with seventeen charter inductees.
September 8
1892, the Pledge of Allegiance was first published for children in a magazine called The Youth’s Companion.
September 9
1776, the Continental Congress officially names the new union of sovereign states “The United States”.
1791, the city of Washington, D.C. is named after President George Washington.
September 10
1608, John Smith is elected to the presidency of the Council for the Jamestown settlement.
1813, the United States defeated the British Fleet at the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812.
September 12
1993, the I-90 floating bridge in Seattle was re-opened. Effectually closing one of the last remaining gaps in the highway system: a person could drive from Boston to Seattle without ever leaving I-90. See Interstate Highway System.
September 13
1788, in the Philadelphia Convention, Congress set the date for the Presidential election and designated New York City as the capital of the nation.
September 14
81, Domitian became Emperor of the Roman Empire upon the death of his brother Titus.
1814, the poem Defence of Fort McHenry was written by Francis Scott Key, which eventually became the lyrics for the song The Star Spangled Banner.
September 19
1778, the Continental Congress passed the first budget of the United States of America.
September 23
1909, a serialized story was published by Gaston Leroux in one volume entitled Le Fantome de l’Opéra, a.k.a. the Phantom of the Opera.
September 24
1957, the Brooklyn Dodgers played their final game at Ebbets Field, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-0.
September 25
1789, the first Congress of the United States adopted twelve amendments to the Constitution and sent them to the states for ratification. The first ten are known as the Bill of Rights.
September 28
1955, the Brooklyn Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees in the World Series. The last World Championship the franchise had won was in 1900, but it was then known as the “Chronicle-Telegraph Cup” and the team was called the “Superbas”, not the “Dodgers”. It was the only World Series the Brooklyn Dodgers won.
September 30
1927, Babe Ruth hit his 60th home run in the season. A record that would stand until Roger Maris hit 61 in 1961.
1968, the Boeing 747 debuted at the Boeing plant in Everett, Washington.