On this day: September 14
America gets its first lighthouse, the words to "The Star-Spangled Banner" are written, President McKinley dies, and a hurricane closes Disney World for the first time, all on this day.
1716: Boston Light, the first lighthouse in America is first lighted just before sunset. Located on Little Brewster Island to mark the entrance to Boston Harbor, the lighthouse has guided ships since then. Boston Light was blown up by the British in 1776, but rebuilt in 1783 by Gov. John Hancock. Today, the lighthouse is the last remaining manned station in the U.S.
1716: Boston Light, the first lighthouse in America is first lighted just before sunset. Located on Little Brewster Island to mark the entrance to Boston Harbor, the lighthouse has guided ships since then. Boston Light was blown up by the British in 1776, but rebuilt in 1783 by Gov. John Hancock. Today, the lighthouse is the last remaining manned station in the U.S.
1741: George Frideric Handel completes his oratorio Messiah.
1752: The British Empire adopts the Gregorian calendar, skipping 11 days (the previous day was Sept. 2).
1814: The poem "Defence of Fort McHenry" is written by Francis Scott Key after he watched the bombarding of the American forces at Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore. The poem is later used as the lyrics of "The Star-Spangled Banner."
1901: President William McKinley dies after an assassination attempt on Sept. 6, and is succeeded by Theodore Roosevelt.
1936: Actor Walter Koenig, best known as "Star Trek's" Pavel Chekov, is born in Chicago.
1947: Actor Sam Neill ("Jurassic Park," "The Piano") is born under the birth name Nigel John Dermot Neill in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.
1948: Milton Berle is named the permanent host of the "Texaco Star Theater" comedy-variety show, the show that would earn him the nickname "Mr. Television."
1953: Nikita Khrushchev becomes the first secretary-general of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
1954: In a top secret nuclear test, a Soviet Tu-4 bomber drops a 40 kiloton atomic weapon just north of Totskoye village, exposing some 45,000 soldiers and 10,000 civilians to nuclear fallout.
1958: The first two German post-war rockets, designed by the German engineer Ernst Mohr, reach the upper atmosphere.
1960: The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries is founded to unify and coordinate members' petroleum policies. Original OPEC members include Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela.
1960: Actress Melissa Leo ("The Fighter," "21 Grams") is born in Manhattan.
1963: Mary Ann Fischer gave birth to America's first surviving quintuplets.
1965: "My Mother The Car" premieres on NBC. The show follows the exploits of attorney David Crabtree (played by Jerry Van Dyke) who buys a used car that turns out to be the reincarnation of his mother, who speaks to him through the car's radio. The series, which was panned by critics and viewers, often savagely, would last only one season before being canceled.
1969: Actor and filmmaker Tyler Perry is born under the birth name Emmitt Perry Jr. in New Orleans.
1972: "The Waltons" premieres on CBS. The show, which centers on a family in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II, would run for nine seasons.
1975: The first American saint, Elizabeth Ann Seton, is canonized by Pope Paul VI. Seton established the first Catholic school in the nation, at Emmitsburg, Md., where she founded the first American congregation of Religious Sisters, the Sisters of Charity.
1978: "Mork & Mindy," starring Robin Williams and Pam Dawber, premieres on ABC.
1982: Actress Grace Kelly, who starred in "High Noon," "Dial M for Murder," "Rear Window" and "To Catch a Thief" and later became the Princess of Monaco, dies the day after suffering a stroke and driving down a mountainside. She was 52 years old.
1983: Singer Amy Winehouse is born in London.
1984: The MTV Video Music Awards are held for the first time. During the ceremony at New York City's Radio City Music Hall, Madonna performs her iconic hit "Like A Virgin" wearing a combination bustier/wedding gown. Bette Midler and Dan Aykroyd co-hosted the show. Herbie Hancock was the night's biggest winner, taking home five awards, followed by Michael Jackson, who won three. The night's main award, Video of the Year, though, went to The Cars for "You Might Think."
1987: The Toronto Blue Jays set a record for the most home runs in a single game, hitting 10 of them, in a win over the Baltimore Orioles at Toronto's Exhibition Stadium. Catcher Ernie Whitt hit three of them, left fielder George Bell and third baseman Rance Mulliniks added another two each, and outfielders Lloyd Moseby and Rob Ducey and designated hitter Fred McGriff hit one each.
1994: The rest of the Major League Baseball season is canceled on the 34th day of a strike by players. The work stoppage wouldn't come to an end until April 2, 1995. The cancellation of the 1994 World Series was the first since 1904 and the MLB would became the first professional sport to lose its entire postseason due to a labor dispute.
1999: With Hurricane Floyd forecast to hit Florida, Walt Disney World closes down for the first time in its 28-year history. The storm instead strikes The Bahamas at peak strength, causing heavy damage, and then parallels the East Coast of the United States, missing the theme park entirely.
2000: Microsoft releases its Windows Me operating system.
2001: A historic National Prayer Service is held at the Washington National Cathedral for victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. A similar service is held in Canada on Parliament Hill, the largest vigil ever held in the nation's capital.
2004: The video game "The Sims 2" is released.
2009: Actor Patrick Swayze ("Dirty Dancing," "Ghost," "Roadhouse") dies from pancreatic cancer at the age of 57 in Los Angeles.
2010: Reggie Bush announces he is forfeiting his 2005 Heisman title, citing a scandal over improper benefits while he was a star running back at Southern California. The Heisman Trust decides to leave the award vacated with no new winner to be announced.
2010: Sarah Shourd, one of three American hikers detained by Iran, is freed on $500,000 bail after 410 days in prison.
2011: NASA reveals its Space Launch System plan, intended to replace the space shuttle program with its first flight scheduled for 2017.
