Today in history: Sept. 20
One year ago: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau won his third straight election, but failed to get the majority in Parliament that he wanted; Trudeau had voiced the concerns of Canadians who were increasingly upset with those who refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
1962: James Meredith
In 1962, James Meredith, a Black student, was blocked from enrolling at the University of Mississippi by Democratic Gov. Ross R. Barnett. (Meredith was later admitted.)
1973: "Battle of the Sexes"
In 1973, in their so-called “battle of the sexes,” tennis star Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, at the Houston Astrodome.
1976: Jimmy Carter
In 1976, Playboy magazine released an interview in which Democratic presidential nominee Jimmy Carter admitted he’d “looked on a lot of women with lust.”
1984: Beirut
In 1984, a suicide car bomber attacked the U.S. Embassy annex in north Beirut, killing at least 14 people, including two Americans and 12 Lebanese.
1995: AT&T
In 1995, in a move that stunned Wall Street, AT&T Corporation announced it was splitting into three companies.
2001: Tom Ridge
In 2001, during an address to a joint session of Congress, President George W. Bush announced a new Cabinet-level office to fortify homeland security and named Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge its director.
2004: CBS News
In 2004, CBS News apologized for a “mistake in judgment” in its story questioning President George W. Bush’s National Guard service, saying it could not vouch for the authenticity of documents featured in the report.
2011: Afghanistan
In 2011, a suicide bomber posing as a Taliban peace envoy assassinated former Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani (boor-HAHN’-uh-deen ruh-BAH’-nee).
2016: Keith Lamont Scott
In 2016, a Black police officer fatally shot Keith Lamont Scott, a Black man, at a Charlotte, North Carolina, apartment complex, prompting days of civil unrest. (Charlotte-Mecklenburg police later said that the shooting was justified.)
2016: The United Nations
In 2016, during their final speeches at the annual gathering of world leaders, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon railed against leaders who kept “feeding the war machine” in Syria, while U.S. President Barack Obama said there was no military solution to the five-year conflict.
2017: Hurricane Maria
In 2017, Hurricane Maria, the strongest hurricane to hit Puerto Rico in more than 80 years, struck the island, wiping out as much as 75 percent of the power distribution lines and causing an island-wide blackout.
2020: Bryson Dechambeau
In 2020, Bryson DeChambeau closed with a 3-under-par 67 for a six-shot victory over Matthew Wolff in the U.S. Open at Winged Foot in Mamaroneck, New York, on a course so tough that no one else broke par.
2020: Joe Biden
In 2020, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said the Republican effort to approve a replacement for the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg before the November election was an “abuse of power”; he said voters should pick the president who would pick the justice. (Amy Coney Barrett would be confirmed days before the election.)
2020: Tadej Pogaca
In 2020, Tour de France rookie Tadej Pogacar won cycling’s showpiece race on the eve of his 22nd birthday.
2021: Justin Trudeau
In 2021, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau won his third straight election, but failed to get the majority in Parliament that he wanted; Trudeau had voiced the concerns of Canadians who were increasingly upset with those who refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19.