Today is Saturday, September 21st, the 265th day of 2024. There are 101 days left this year.
In 1792, the French National Convention issued a decree declaring the abolition of the French monarchy.
In 1898, in response to a letter from eight-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon, the New York Sun published an editorial containing the famous line, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.”
In 1915, Cecil Chubb purchased Stonehenge for £6,600. He was the site’s last private owner, donating it to the British people three years later.
In 1922, President Warren Harding signed the Lodge-Fish Act, a congressional resolution authorizing the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine.
In 1937, J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit was first published by George Allen & Unwin in London.
In 1938, a hurricane struck New York and parts of New England, causing widespread damage and killing approximately 700 people.
In 1939, Romanian Prime Minister Armando Cálinescu was assassinated by members of the fascist Iron Guard.
In 1955, at Yankee Stadium in New York, boxer Rocky Marciano knocked out Archie Moore in the ninth round of a title bout, ending his undefeated professional career.
In 1970, Monday Night Football debuted on ABC, with the Cleveland Browns beating the New York Jets, 31-21.
In 1981, the Senate unanimously confirmed Sandra Day O’Connor as the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court.
In 1989, Hurricane Hugo struck South Carolina, killing an estimated 56 people in the Caribbean and 29 in the United States.
In 2013, armed militants attacked the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya, killing 67 people and wounding hundreds.
In 2022, about seven months after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin ordered the mobilization of Russian reserves for the first time since World War II.
