Calendar

A time for editors and writers to show uncommon courtesy toward each other. Image: Public Domain, Pixabay.com

On the first day of each month, the genealogy community is urged to back up their genealogy data and all computer data.   Image courtesy of Pixabay.com, CC0.

A day to honor the first woman telephone operator, Emma M. Nutt, who reportedly began her professional career at Boston, MA, Sept 1, 1878, and continued working as a telephone operator for 33 years.

A month when the American Library Association and libraries across the country remind parents that a library card is the most important school supply of all. This observance was launched in 1987 to meet the[...]

American consumers save nearly $4.6 billion each year using coupons. Celebrate during National Coupon Month each September. Read more at http://www.nationalcouponmonth.org.

National Preparedness Month each September stresses preparing your home and family for a variety of disasters.

Wieluń, the first Polish city destroyed by Luftwaffe bombing, on 1 September 1939. Seventy-five percent of all buildings, including a clearly marked hospital and Gothic church, were destroyed. Approximately 1,200 civilians were killed. Sept 1,[...]

Pursuant to the British Calendar Act of 1751, England and the American Colonies made the correction” to the Gregorian Calendar in 1752. Image: Wikimedia Commons

“The Great Fire of London by an unknown painter, depicting the fire as it would have appeared on the evening of Tuesday, 4 September 1666 from a boat in the vicinity of Tower Wharf. The[...]

Sept 2, 1766. James Forten was born of free black parents at Philadelphia, PA. As a powder boy on an American Revolutionary warship, heescaped being sold as a slave when his ship was captured due[...]

Sept 2, 1838. Born Liliu Kamakhea in Honolulu, the island of Hawaii, Liliuokalani was the Kingdom of Hawaii’s only female sovereign and its last monarch. She was deposed in 1894 by a group led by[...]

Sept 2, 1864. After a four-week siege, Union General William Tecumseh Sherman entered Atlanta, GA. The city had been evacuated on the previous day by Confederate troops under General John B. Hood. Hood had mistakenly[...]

Lt. Victor Jorgensen – US archives “New York City celebrating the surrender of Japan. They threw anything and kissed anybody in Times Square.” Sept 2, 1945. Official ratification of Japanese surrender to the Allies occurred[...]

Sept 3, 1833. Benjamin H. Day launched the New York Sun, the first truly successful penny newspaper in the US, on this date. The Sun was sold on sidewalks by newspaper boys. By 1836 the[...]

Sept 3, 1939. British ultimatum to Germany, demanding halt to the invasion of Poland (which had started at dawn on Sept 1), expired at 11 AM, GMT, Sept 3, 1939. At 11: 15 AM, in[...]

Sept 3, 1856. An American architect responsible for the modern, steel-framed skyscraper, his designs are characterized by rich ornamentation, plain outer surfaces and cubic forms. His famous motto was form follows function. Frank Lloyd Wright[...]

Sept 3, 1803. Born to a Quaker family at Hopkinton, RI, this American schoolteacher sparked controversy in the 1830s with her efforts to educate black girls. When her private academy for girls was boycotted because[...]

Sept 3, 1783. Treaty between Britain and the US, ending the Revolutionary War, signed at Paris, France. American signatories: John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and John Jay. Image: Wikimedia Commons

Sept 4, 1882. Four hundred electric lights came on in offices on Spruce, Wall, Nassau and Pearl Streets in lower Manhattan as Thomas Edison hooked up light bulbs to an underground cable carrying direct-current electrical[...]

Sept 4 25, 1957. Governor Orval Faubus called out the Arkansas National Guard to turn away nine black students who had been trying to attend Central High School in Little Rock. President Eisenhower sent in[...]

Anniversary of the hiring of the first newsboy in the US, 10-year-old Barney Flaherty, who is said to have answered the following classified advertisement, which appeared in the New York Sun in 1833: To the[...]

Sept 4, 1918. Legendary radio broadcaster and newsman, born at Tulsa, OK, he is best remembered for his syndicated features that ran twice per day on the ABC Radio Network. The Rest of the Story[...]

Sept 5- 6, 1972. Eleven members of the Israeli Olympic Team were killed in an attack on the Olympic Village at Munich and attempted kidnapping of team members. Four of seven guerrillas, members of the[...]

Sept 5, 1847. Western legend and bandit Jesse Woodson James was born at Centerville (now Kearney), MO. His criminal exploits were glorified and romanticized by writers for Eastern readers looking for stories of Western adventure[...]

Legal public holiday. Public Law 90 363 sets Labor Day on the first Monday in September. Observed in all states. First observance was a parade on Tuesday, Sept 5, 1882, at New York, NY, probably[...]

Sept 5, 1881. According to the Michigan Historical Commission, Small fires were burning in the forests of the Thumb area of Michigan, tinder-dry after a long, hot summer, when a gale swept in from the[...]

Sept 6, 1860. American worker for peace, social welfare, rights of women; founder of Hull House (Chicago); co-winner of Nobel Prize, 1931. Born at Cedarville, IL, she died May 21, 1935, at Chicago, IL. Image:[...]

Sept 6, 1757. The French general and aristocrat, whose full name was Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier, came to America to assist in the revolutionary cause. Lafayette, who had convinced Louis XVI to send 6,000 French soldiers[...]

Sept 7, 1914. Anniversary of the opening to the public on Labor Day 1914 of the New York Post Office Building at Eighth Avenue between 31st and 33rd Streets. On the front of this building[...]

Sept 7, 1967. This sitcom, about a nun at a convent in PuertoRico who discovers that she can fly, starred Sally Field as Elsie Ethrington (Sister Bertrille) and featured Madeleine Sherwood, Marge Redmond, Shelley Morrison,[...]

Sept 7, 1950. This game show lasted for many years on both radio and TV. The half-hour show was based on a parlor game: contestants who failed to answer a question before the buzzer (nicknamed[...]

Sept 7, 1998. Sergey Brin and Larry Page incorporated the Internet search engine company Google on this date at Menlo Park, CA. Although still in beta, Google.com was receiving 10,000 queries a day at that[...]

Anna Mary Robertson Moses, modern primitive American painter born at Greenwich, NY, Sept 7, 1860. Started painting at the age of 78. Her 100th birthday was proclaimed Grandma Moses Day in New York state. Died[...]

The undamaged St Paul’s Cathedral surrounded by smoke and bombed-out buildings and houses in December 1940 in the iconic photo “St Paul’s Survives.” ANNIVERSARY. Sept 7, 1940. During WWII, Hitler, who had prohibited attacks on[...]

Sept 8, 1966. The first of 79 episodes of the TV series Star Trek was aired on the NBC network. Although the science fiction show set in the future only lasted a few seasons, it[...]

Sept 8, 1921. Margaret Gorman of Washington, DC, was crowned the first Miss America at the end of a two-day pageant at Atlantic City, NJ. Read more… Image: Wikimedia Commons

Sept 8, 1900. The worst national disaster in US history in terms of lives lost. More than 6,000 people were killed when a hurricane struck Galveston, TX, with winds of more than 120 mph, followed[...]

Sept 8, 1974. Anniversary of the full, free, and absolute pardon unto Richard Nixon, for all offenses against the United States which he, Richard Nixon, has committed or may have committed or taken part in[...]

Sept 8, 1932. Country and western singer, born Virginia Patterson Hensley at Winchester, VA. Patsy Cline got her big break in 1957 when she won an Arthur Godfrey Talent Scout show, singing Walking After Midnight.[...]

Sept 9, 1974. This spin-off from The Mary Tyler Moore Show starred Valerie Harper as Rhoda Morgenstern, who returns to New York, finds a job and gets married (she also gets separated and divorced). The[...]

Sept 9, 1975. In this half-hour sitcom, Gabe Kotter (Gabe Kaplan) returned to James Buchanan High School, his alma mater, to teach thesweathogs, a group of hopeless underachievers. Other cast members included Marcia Strassman, John[...]

On 9 September 1850, California became the 31st state in the Union.  Read more at http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=23856. Image: Wikimedia Commons

Sept 10, 1955. Gunsmoke was TVs longest-running western, moving from radio to TV. John Wayne turned down the role of Marshall Matt Dillon but recommended James Arness, who got the role. Other regulars included Amanda[...]

Suicide Prevention Day is an opportunity for all sectors of the community the public, charitable organizations, communities, researchers, clinicians, practitioners, politicians and policy makers, volunteers, those bereaved by suicide, other interested groups and individuals to[...]

Sept 11, 1974. This hour-long family drama was based on books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. It focused on the Ingalls family and their neighbors living at Walnut Grove, MN: Michael Landon as Charles (Pa), Karen[...]

Sept 11, 1967. This popular comedy/ variety show starred comedienne Carol Burnett, who started the show by taking questions from the audience and ended with an ear tug. Sketches and spoofs included recurring characters like[...]

On Dec 18, 2001, a joint resolution of Congress amended Title36, Chapter 1 , Sec. 144 of the US Code to permit the president to declare Sept 11 of each year as Patriot Day, in[...]

Sept 12, 1954. This long-running series was originally about a boy and his courageous and intelligent dog, Lassie (played by more than six different dogs, all male). For the first few seasons, Lassie lived on[...]

Defenders Day is a public holiday in Maryland to mark the 1814 bombardment of Fort McHenry in Baltimore during the War of 1812. Image: Wikimedia Commons, Caption reads, “A VIEW of the BOMBARDMENT of Fort[...]

Sept 12, 1913. James Cleveland (Jesse) Owens, American athlete, winner of four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games at Berlin, Germany, was born at Oakville, AL. Owens set 11 world records in track and[...]

Sept 13, 1977. Soap was a prime-time comedy that parodied soap operas. It had plots that were funny (e.g., Corinnes baby is possessedby the devil), controversial (e.g., Billy joins a cult) and downright bizarre (e.g.,[...]

Sept 13, 1976. This comedy-variety show was hosted by Kermit the Frog of Sesame Street. The new Jim Henson puppet characters included Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear and The Great Gonzo. Many celebrities appeared as guests[...]

Sept 13 14, 1814. On the night of Sept 13, Francis Scott Key was aboard a ship that was delayed in Baltimore harbor by the British attack there on Fort McHenry. Key had no choice[...]

Sept 13, 1788. Congress picked New York, NY, as the location of the new US government in place of Philadelphia, which had served as the capital up until this time. In 1790 the capital moved[...]

Sept 13, 1851. American army physician, especially known for his yellow fever research. Born at Gloucester County, VA, he served as an army surgeon for more than 20 years and as a professor at the[...]

Sept 14, 1985. This comedy starred Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty as four divorced/ widowed women sharing a house in Florida during their golden years. The last episode aired Sept 14,[...]

William McKinley, 25th President of the United States On 14 September 1901, at Buffalo, New York, President William McKinley was shot by Leon Czolgosz. Read more at the U.S. Library of Congress. Image: Public Domain,[...]

Sept 14, 1972. This epitome of the family drama spawned nearly a dozen knock-offs during its nine-year run on CBS. The drama was based on creator/ writer Earl Hamner Jr’s experiences growing up during the[...]

Sept 15, 1963. In a horrific episode of the civil rights struggle, a bomb blast in the basement of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, AL, killed four girls preparing for church: Denise McNair,[...]

Sept 15, 1890. English author of nearly a hundred books (mysteries, drama, poetry and nonfiction), born at Torquay, England. Died at Wallingford, England, Jan 12, 1976. Every murderer, she wrote in The Mysterious Affair at[...]

The Battle of Britain took place on 15 September 1940 when the Germans conducted the largest daylight bombing of Britain during World War II. Read more at http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/battle_of_britain. Image: Public Domain from the collections of[...]

Sept 15, 1789. American novelist, historian and social critic, born at Burlington, NJ, James Fenimore Cooper was one of the earliest American writers to develop a native American literary tradition. His most popular works are[...]

Sept 15 – Oct 15. Presidential Proclamation. Beginning in 1989,always issued for Sept 15 Oct 15 of each year (PL 100 402 of Aug 17, 1988).   Image courtesy of USAF

Sept 16, 1914. Creator, producer and host of the first reality television show, Funt orchestrated elaborate hoaxes played on unsuspecting passersby and filmed by a hidden camera. With the catchphrase, Smile,youre on Candid Camera, Funt[...]

Image: Wikimedia Commons  

So called because the full moon nearest the autumnal equinox extends the hours of light into the evening and helps the harvester with the long days work. Image: Pixabay.com

The official celebration begins at 11 PM, Sept 15 and continues through Sept 16. On the night of the 15th, the president of Mexico steps onto the balcony of the National Palace at Mexico City[...]

Sept 16, 1620. Anniversary of the departure of the Mayflower from Plymouth, England, with 102 passengers and a small crew. Vicious storms were encountered en route, which caused serious doubt about the wisdom of continuing,[...]

Sept 16, 1830. Alarmed by a newspaper report that Congress wasto have the USS Constitution (popularly known as Old Ironsides) sent to a scrap yard, law student Oliver Wendell Holmes dashed off a poem in[...]

Sept 17, 1964. This sitcom centered around blonde-haired witch Samantha Stephens (Elizabeth Montgomery). Although she promises not to use her witchcraft in her daily life, Samantha finds herself twitching her nose in many situations. Her[...]

Sept 17, 1972. This popular award-winning CBS series was based on the 1970 Robert Altman movie and a book by Richard Hooker. Set during the Korean War, the show aired for 11 years (lasting longer[...]

Sept 17, 1963. A nail-biting adventure series on ABC. Dr. Richard Kimble (David Janssen) was wrongly convicted and sentenced to death for his wife’s murder but escaped from his captors in a train wreck. This[...]

Sept 17, 1862. This date has been called Americas bloodiest day in recognition of the high casualties suffered in the Civil War battle between General Robert E. Lees Confederate forces and General George McClellan’s Union[...]

Sept 17, 1787. Delegations from 12 states (Rhode Island did not send a delegate) at the Constitutional Convention at Philadelphia, PA, voted unanimously to approve the proposed document. Thirty-nine of the 42 delegates present signed[...]

Sept 18, 1964. Charles Addams’s quirky New Yorker cartoon creations were brought to life in this ABC sitcom about a family full of oddballs. John Astin played lawyer Gomez Addams; with Carolyn Jones as his[...]

On 18 September 1889 Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starz open a settlement house for immigrants in Chicago, Illinois. Read more at http://www.uic.edu/jaddams/hull/. Image: Wikimedia Commons

Sept 18, 1830. In a widely celebrated race, the first locomotive built in America, the Tom Thumb, lost to a horse. Mechanical difficulties plagued the steam engine over the nine-mile course between Rileys Tavern and[...]

Sept 18, 1947. Although its heritage dates back to 1907 when the army first established military aviation, the US Air Force became a separate military service on this date. Responsible for providing an air force[...]

Sept 18, 1793. President George Washington laid the Capitol cornerstone at Washington, DC, in a Masonic ceremony. That event was the first and last recorded occasion at which the stone with its engraved silver plate[...]

Sept 19, 1970. This show one of the most popular sitcoms of the 70s combined good writing, an effective supporting cast and contemporary attitudes. The show centered around the two most important places in Mary[...]

A day when people everywhere can swash their buckles and add a touch of larceny to their dialogue by talking like pirates: for example, Arr, matey, it be a fine day. While its inherently a[...]

Sept 19, 1676. Virginia governor Sir William Berkeley, supporting Charles IIs efforts to exploit the colony, adopted new laws allowing only property holders to vote, raising taxes and raising the cost of shipping while lowering[...]

Sept 20, 1984. This Emmy Award winning comedy set in New York City revolved around the members of the Huxtable family. Father Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable was played by Bill Cosby; his wife, Clair, an attorney,[...]

Tennis champion Billie Jean King defeated male oponnent Bobby Riggs in a much-touted and nationally televised tennis match known as the Battle of the Sexes.” Read more at http://ftw.usatoday.com/2017/09/billie-jean-king-battle-of-the-sexes-bobby-riggs/. Image compiled from images at Wikimedia[...]

A bank run on the Fourth National Bank No. 20 Nassau Street, New York City, from Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, 4 October 1873 On 20 September 1873 for the first time ever, the New York[...]

Sept 21, 1970. Following the complete merger of the American Football League and the National Football League, ABC joined CBS and NBC in televising weekly games with the debut of Monday Night Football. The show[...]

Sept 21, 1957. Raymond Burr will forever be associated with the character of Perry Mason, a criminal lawyer who won the great majority of his cases. Episodes followed a similar format: the action took place[...]

Sept 21, 1912. Born at Spokane, WA, Chuck Jones worked as a child extra in Hollywood in the 1920s. After attending art school, he landed a job washing animation cels for famed Disney animator Ub[...]

Sept 22, 1994. This hugely popular NBC comedy brought together six single friends and the issues in their personal lives, ranging from their jobs to their romances. The cast was Courteney Cox Arquette, Lisa Kudrow,[...]

In the Northern Hemisphere, autumn begins today with the autumnal equinox, at 10:21 AM, EDt. Note that in the Southern Hemisphere todayis the beginning of spring. Everywhere on Earth (except near the poles) the sun[...]

Sept 22, 1862. One of the most important presidential proclamations of American history is that of Sept 22, 1862, in which Abraham Lincoln, by executive proclamation, freed the slaves in the rebelling states.That on… [Jan[...]

Sept 22, 1656. The General Provincial Court at Patuxent, MD,empaneled the first all-woman jury in the colonies to hear the case of Judith Catchpole, accused of murdering her child. The defendant claimed she had never[...]

Hobbit Day, on 22 September, celebrates the birthdays of Frodo and Bilbo Baggins and their creator J.R.R. Tolkein.

Sept 22, 1903. Italo Marchiony emigrated from Italy in the late 1800s and soon thereafter went into business at New York, NY, with a pushcart dispensing lemon ice. Success soon led to a small fleet[...]

A day to recognize and honor individuals who have lived a century or longer. A day not only to recognize these individuals but to listen to them discuss the memories filled with historical information they[...]

Sept 23, 1952. Anniversary of the nationally televised Checkers Speech by then vice presidential candidate Richard M. Nixon. Nixon was found clean as a hounds tooth in connection with a private fund for political expenses,[...]

Sept 23, 1846. Neptune is 2.796 billion miles from the sun (about 30 times as far from the sun as Earth). Eighth planet from the sun, Neptune takes 164.8 years to revolve around the sun.[...]

Sept 23, 1930. Born at Albany, GA, Ray Charles Robinson began losing his sight at age 5. He began formal music training at the St. Augustine School for the Deaf and Blind, and by age[...]

Sept 23, 1800. American educator and author of the famous McGuffey Readers, born at Washington County, PA. Died at Charlottesville, VA, May 4, 1873. Read more at http://www.units.miamioh.edu/mcguffeymuseum/. Image: Wikipedia Commons

Sept 24, 1968. TVs longest-running prime-time program, and the first newsmagazine offering in-depth investigative reports and profiles, was originally hosted by Harry Reasoner and Mike Wallace. The shows correspondents have included Ed Bradley, Steve Kroft,[...]

Sept 24, 1964. A successful show based loosely on the life of pioneer Daniel Boone, who helped settle Kentucky in the 1770s. Fess Parkerstarred as the American hero. Ed Ames played Mingo, Boones friend, an[...]

Sept 24, 1977. This one-hour comedy-drama featured guest stars aboard a cruise ship, the Pacific Princess. All stories had to do with finding or losing love. The ships crew were the only regulars: Gavin MacLeodas[...]

Herman Munster (Fred Gwynne) was Frankensteins monster; Lily, his wife (Yvonne DeCarlo), and Grandpa, her father (Al Lewis), were vampires; and his son, Eddie (Butch Patrick), was a werewolf. Only their niece, Marilyn (Beverly Owen[...]

Sept 24, 1936. Puppeteer, born at Greenville, MS. Jim Henson created a unique family of puppets known as the Muppets. Kermit the Frog,Big Bird, Rowlf, Bert and Ernie, Gonzo, Animal, Miss Piggy and Oscar the[...]

National Punctuation Day on 24 September 2016 celebrates the lowly comma, the correct use of quotation marks and the proper manner to use periods, semi-colons and more. Read more…

On 25 September 1690 the first edition (and only edition) of Publick Occurrences Both Foreign and Domestic was published at Boston, Massachusetts. Read more… Image: Public Domain via Wikipedia.org

Sept 25, 1981. Sandra Day O’Connor was sworn in as the first woman associate justice on the US Supreme Court on this date. She had been nominated by President Ronald Reagan in July 1981, and[...]

Sept 25, 1676. (Old Style date.) Two very accurate clocks were set in motion at the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, England. Greenwich Mean Time (now known as Universal Time) became the standard for England; in1884[...]

Sept 25, 1930. Cartoonist and children’s author, best remembered for his poetry that included A Light in the Attic and The Giving Tree. Silverstein won the Michigan Young Readers Award for Where the Sidewalk Ends.[...]

Gilligan played by Bob Denver Sept 26, 1964. Seven people set sail aboard the Minnow for a three-hour tour and became stranded on an island. They used the resources on the island for food, shelter[...]

Sept 26, 1969. This popular sitcom starred Robert Reed as widower Mike Brady, who has three sons and is married to Carol (played by Florence Henderson), who has three daughters. Housekeeper Alice was played by[...]

Photo of John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon taken prior to their first debate at WBBM-TV in Chicago in 1960. Presidential candidates John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon debated on live television on 26 September[...]

Sept 26, 1914. The son of French immigrants, born at San Francisco, CA, was to become Americas fitness guru through his eponymous TV show and wacky stunts. The Jack LaLanne Show went national in 1959,[...]

Sept 26, 1774. John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed, believed to have been born at Leominster, MA. Died at Allen County, IN, Mar 11, 1845. Planter of orchards and friend of wild animals, he[...]

Sept 26, 1957. Composer Leonard Bernsteins updated Romeo and Juliet musical premiered on Broadway and ran until 1960. Stephen Sondheim wrote the lyrics, Arthur Laurents wrote the book and Jerome Robbins created the choreography. Read[...]

Sept 30, 1641. According to the Laws and Ordinances of New Netherlands (now New York and New Jersey), on Sept 30, 1641, authorities declared that henceforth there shall be held annually at Fort Amsterdam a[...]

The first section of the Gutenberg Bible, the first book printed from movable type, was published at Mainz, Germany on 30 September 1452. Johann Gutenberg was the printer. The book was completed by 1456. Read[...]

1953 Publicity Photo of James Dean Sept 30, 1955. Rising young film star James Dean died in an auto accident near Cholame, CA, two hours after getting a speeding ticket. He was 24 years old.[...]

Rioting broke out when James Meredith became the first African American to enroll in the all-white University of Mississippi. President Kennedy sent US troops to the area to force compliance with the law. Three people[...]