Today In History, Sept. 1: World War II
Today is Tuesday, September 1.
Today's Highlight in History:
1939: World War II
In 1939, World War II began as Nazi Germany invaded Poland.
1807: Aaron Burr
In 1807, former Vice President Aaron Burr was found not guilty of treason. (Burr was then tried on a misdemeanor charge, but was again acquitted.)
1914: Passenger Pigeon
In 1914, the last passenger pigeon in captivity, "Martha," died at the Cincinnati Zoo.
1923: Japanese Earthquake
In 1923, the Japanese cities of Tokyo and Yokohama were devastated by an earthquake that claimed some 140,000 lives.
1945: Japan's Formal Surrender
In 1945, Americans received word of Japan's formal surrender that ended World War II. (Because of the time difference, it was September 2 in Tokyo Bay, where the ceremony took place.)
1951: Mutual Defense Pact
In 1951, the United States, Australia and New Zealand signed a mutual defense pact, the ANZUS treaty.
1969: Moammar Gadhafi
In 1969, a coup in Libya brought Moammar Gadhafi to power.
1976: Wayne L. Hays
In 1976, U.S. Rep. Wayne L. Hays, D-Ohio, resigned in the wake of a scandal in which he admitted having an affair with "secretary" Elizabeth Ray (pictured).
1983: Korean Air Lines
In 1983, 269 people were killed when a Korean Air Lines Boeing 747 was shot down by a Soviet jet fighter after the airliner entered Soviet airspace.
1985: Titanic
In 1985, a U.S.-French expedition located the wreckage of the Titanic on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean roughly 400 miles off Newfoundland.
1995: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
In 1995, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland. (The hall opened to the public the next day.)
2005: Al-Qaida
Ten years ago: Al-Qaida's number-two made the terror group's first direct claim of responsibility for the July 7 bombings in London in a videotape.
2005: Hurricane Katrina
Ten years ago: New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin issued a "desperate SOS" as his city descended into anarchy amid the flooding left by Hurricane Katrina.
2010: Discovery Channel
Five years ago: A man upset with the Discovery Channel's programming took two employees and a security officer hostage at the network's headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland; police shot and killed the gunman, James Jae Lee, and all three hostages escaped safely.
2010: Mideast Peace Talks
Five years ago: President Barack Obama convened a new round of ambitious Mideast peace talks at the White House as he hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the first face-to-face negotiations in nearly two years.
2014: Milwaukee, WI
One year ago: President Barack Obama, addressing a union crowd in Milwaukee, renewed his push for Congress to raise the minimum wage in a buoyant accounting of the economy's "revving" performance.
2014: Philadelphia Phillies
One year ago: Cole Hamels and three Philadelphia Phillies relievers combined to pitch a no-hitter, the fourth of the season, beating the Atlanta Braves 7-0.
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