Today marks the passing of Chief Joseph. The date also marks the 1776 capture of Revolutionary War spy Nathan Hale, the 1897 publication of the classic “Is There a Santa Claus?” editorial, and the 1944 White House presentation of a posthumous Medal of Honor for D-Day hero Theodore Roosevelt Jr.
The Constitutional Courant and the “Join, or Die” revival
On September 21, 1765, a single-issue political tract styled as a newspaper, The Constitutional Courant, appeared in Woodbridge, New Jersey. Published under the pseudonym “Andrew Marvel”—identified by the Library of ...
The Treasonous Meeting of Arnold and André
Late on September 21 and into the early hours of September 22, 1780, one of the most notorious conspiracies in American history moved toward its climax. Continental Major General Benedict ...
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The Maiden Flight of the Prototype B-29 Superfortress
On September 21, 1942, Boeing’s first XB-29 Superfortress prototype made its maiden flight from Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington. Commanded by Boeing flight-test leader Edmund T. “Eddie” Allen, with Al ...
The Birth of Stage Great Maurice Barrymore
On September 21, 1849, celebrated stage actor and patriarch of the Barrymore theatrical dynasty Maurice Barrymore was born Herbert Arthur Chamberlayne Blyth in Amritsar, India. Raised in a British colonial ...
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Charles and Frank Duryea’s Horseless Carriage Test Drive
On September 21, 1893, Frank Duryea road-tested a gasoline-powered horseless carriage in Springfield, Massachusetts, after building it with his brother, Charles. The machine adapted a second-hand horse-drawn carriage with a ...
The First Successful Daily Newspaper in America
On September 21, 1784, Philadelphia’s Pennsylvania Packet became the Pennsylvania Packet, and Daily Advertiser, widely regarded as the first successful daily newspaper in the United States. The paper had been ...
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The Birth of Nobel Laureate Donald A. Glaser
On September 21, 1926, American physicist, molecular biologist, and Nobel Prize recipient Donald Arthur Glaser was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to Russian immigrant parents. He studied physics and mathematics at ...
Margaret Smith Taylor: From Frontier Garrisons to the White House
On September 21, 1788, Margaret Smith Taylor—who would become First Lady of the United States as the wife of President Zachary Taylor—was born in Calvert County, Maryland. Raised in a ...
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The Apprehension of Nathan Hale
On the night of September 21, 1776, Captain Nathan Hale, a 21-year-old officer in the Continental Army, was captured by British forces on Long Island—probably near Flushing Bay in present-day ...
The Posthumous Medal of Honor for Theodore Roosevelt Jr.
In September 1944, Eleanor Butler Roosevelt accepted the Medal of Honor on behalf of her late husband, Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt Jr., at a White House ceremony. Secretary of War ...
The Timeless Editorial: “Is There a Santa Claus?”
On September 21, 1897, The Sun of New York published what became one of the best-known and most frequently reprinted editorials in American journalism. Written by veteran journalist Francis Pharcellus ...
Passing of Chief Joseph
On September 21, 1904, renowned Nez Perce leader Chief Joseph—known in his language as Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt, often rendered “Thunder Rolling Down the Mountain”—died at his home on the Colville Indian Reservation ...
The Television Premiere of Perry Mason
On September 21, 1957, Perry Mason premiered on CBS, beginning a television run that would make it one of the most enduring legal dramas in American broadcasting. Adapted from Erle ...
The Maiden Flight of the XB-70 Valkyrie
On September 21, 1964, the North American Aviation XB-70 Valkyrie made its first flight, traveling from Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, to Edwards Air Force Base. Flown by ...
Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September” and the 21st Night
When Earth, Wind & Fire asks, “Do you remember the 21st night of September?” the question has become a yearly ritual. Although the group’s classic single “September” was released on ...
