In 2002, twenty years after it was first established, the International Day of Peace was celebrated on its new permanent date – September 21. Also known as World Peace Day, it’s a United Nations-sanctioned holiday calling for peace and an end to war and violence.
On September 12, 1787, it was proposed that trial by jury in civil cases be included America’s Constitution. There was extensive debate over the topic, and it was ultimately left out of the Constitution. It was finally made law as part of the Bill of Rights in 1791.
The American Forestry Association was founded on September 10, 1875, in Chicago, Illinois. It’s one of America’s oldest national conservation organizations, with a mission of “Creating Healthy and Resilient Forests, from Cities to Wilderness, that Deliver Essential Benefits for Climate, People, Water and Wildlife.”
The First Battle of the Marne began on September 6, 1914. An important Allied victory, it was one of the most decisive battles in history and inaugurated the start of trench warfare that would last for much of the war.
Marguerite Higgins Hall was born on September 3, 1920, in Hong Kong, China. A war correspondent for World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, she was the first woman awarded a Pulitzer Prize for international reporting.
On September 2, 1945, Japan formally surrendered to the Allies aboard the USS Missouri. This is celebrated as VJ in the US. Many other countries celebrate VJ Day on August 15, when Japan announced its surrender.
Ramon del Fierro Magsaysay Sr. was born on August 31, 1907, in Iba, Zambales, Philippine Islands. The Philippines’ seventh president, his administration was known for being free of corruption. He was later called the Champion of the Masses and the Defender of Democracy.
On August 23, 1784, an American merchant ship unfurled the Stars and Stripes for the first time in China. The Chinese dubbed it the “Flower Flag,” and its passengers, “flower flag countrymen,” a name that endures today.
On August 16, 1939, the world’s first undersea post office opened in the Bahamas. It was developed by an undersea photographer and garnered significant interest from around the world. Decades later, more underwater post offices and post boxes were established in other countries, many of which are still in operation today…