Today in history: Sept. 9
In 1971, prisoners seized control of the maximum-security Attica Correctional Facility near Buffalo, New York, beginning a siege that ended up claiming 43 lives, and more events that happened on this day in history.
Video
1948: North Korea
In 1948, the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea (North Korea) was declared.
1956: Elvis Presley
In 1956, Elvis Presley made the first of three appearances on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”
1957: Dwight D. Eisenhower
In 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the first civil rights bill to pass Congress since Reconstruction, a measure primarily concerned with protecting voting rights and which also established a Civil Rights Division in the U.S. Department of Justice.
1971: Attica Correctional Facility
In 1971, prisoners seized control of the maximum-security Attica Correctional Facility near Buffalo, New York, beginning a siege that ended up claiming 43 lives.
1991: Mike Tyson
In 1991, boxer Mike Tyson was indicted in Indianapolis on a charge of raping Desiree Washington, a beauty pageant contestant. (Tyson was convicted and ended up serving three years of a six-year prison sentence.)
2005: Michael Brown
In 2005, Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Brown, the principal target of harsh criticism of the Bush administration’s response to Hurricane Katrina, was relieved of his onsite command.
2011: New York
Ten years ago: New Yorkers and Washingtonians shrugged off talk of a new terror threat as intelligence officials scrambled to nail down information on a possible al-Qaida strike timed to coincide with the 10th anniversary of 9/11.
2015: New York
In 2015, New York became the first U.S. city to require salt warnings on chain-restaurant menus.
2015: Queen Elizabeth II
In 2015, Queen Elizabeth II became the longest reigning monarch in British history, serving as sovereign for 23,226 days (about 63 years and 7 months), according to Buckingham Palace, surpassing Queen Victoria, her great-great-grandmother.
2016: Basketball Hall of Fame
Five years ago: Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson were among those inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
2016: Congress
Five years ago: Defying the White House, Congress sent President Barack Obama legislation giving the families of victims of the September 11 attacks the right to sue Saudi Arabia. (Obama vetoed the bill, but Congress overrode his veto.)
2016: Hillary Clinton
Five years ago: Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, speaking at an LGBT fundraiser in New York City, described half of Republican Donald Trump’s supporters as “a basket of deplorables,” a characterization for which she ended up expressing regret.
2020: Donald Trump
One year ago: President Donald Trump acknowledged that he had downplayed the coronavirus in the weeks after it emerged, saying he was trying to be a “cheerleader” for the country and avoid causing panic.
2020: Wildfires
One year ago: Officials said the wildfires burning in Oregon’s forested valleys and along the coast had destroyed hundreds of homes; in Washington state, flames devoured buildings and huge tracts of land.