America’s First Televised Presidential Debate
On September 26, 1960, John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon took part in America’s first televised debate, which revealed just how important this growing medium would be on future politics.
Government
Happy Birthday, John Marshall
America’s longest-serving chief justice of the Supreme Court, John Marshall, was born on September 24, 1755, in Germantown, Virginia.
Birth of Lajos Kossuth
Hungarian lawyer, statesman, and Governor-President Lajos Kossuth was born on September 19, 1802, in Monok, Kingdom of Hungary. Working for the independence of Hungary from the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, he gained international acclaim and respect as a freedom fighter.
“We choose to go to the Moon” Speech
On September 12, 1962, President John F. Kennedy delivered one of his most famous and stirring speeches, to generate support for the Apollo program.
California Admitted to the Union
On September 9, 1850, California became America’s 31st state. The discovery of gold there two years earlier created a population boom that led to the need for a state government.
Happy Birthday Claude Pepper
Claude Denson Pepper was born on September 8, 1900, in Chambers County, Alabama. Representing Florida in the House and Senate for over 40 years, he was instrumental in the passage of numerous important bills.
Roosevelt Orchestrates End of War
On September 5, 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt mediated the Treaty of Portsmouth, ending the Russo-Japanese War. It earned him a Nobel Prize and began a long-standing tree-giving tradition between the US and Japan.
The Wilderness Act
On September 3, 1964, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Wilderness Act. The act protected 9 million acres from development and created the National Wilderness Preservation System that consists of more than 111 million acres today.
The Salad Bowl Strike
On August 23, 1970, the largest farm worker strike in US history began. The strike lasted for nearly seven months, with growers losing about $500,000 a day.