Friday! History, 9/11, Music, Cinema, Sports, Quotes, More!

On This Date In 1739 The Stono Rebellion, in the colony of South Carolina, was a slave rebellion begun on Sunday, September 9, 1739. It was the largest slave uprising in the British mainland colonies prior to the American Revolution. One of the earliest known organized rebellions in the present United States, it was led by native Africans who were Catholic and likely from the kingdom of Kongo, and some of whom spoke Portuguese.

On This Date In 1776 The Continental Congress formally declared the name of the new nation to be the “United States” of America. This replaced the term “United Colonies”, which had been in general use.

On This Date In 1850 As part of the Compromise of 1850, California was admitted to the United States undivided as a free state, denying the expansion of slavery to the Pacific Coast.

On This Date In 1850 The Territory of Utah was organized by an organic act of Congress, on the same day that the State of California was admitted to the Union. The creation of the territory was part of the Compromise of 1850 that sought to preserve the balance of power between slave and free states.

On This Date In 1863 Union General William Rosecrans completed a brilliant campaign against the army of Confederate General Braxton Bragg when his forces captured Chattanooga, Tennessee.

On This Date In 1893 Frances Folsom Cleveland, the wife of President Grover Cleveland, gave birth to daughter Esther in the White House.

On This Date In 1913 A German Navy Zeppelin L-1 airship, with 20 passengers and crew on board, flew into a strong storm, crashing 20 miles north of Heligoland Island into the North Sea. The ship broke in two and the control car immediately sank, drowning 14 of its occupants. The Helgoland Island Air Disaster is traditionally considered the first air disaster involving more than ten fatalities.

On This Date In 1914 The First Battle of the Masurian Lakes was a German offensive in the Eastern Front during the early stages of World War I. It pushed the Russian First Army back across its entire front, eventually ejecting it from Germany in disarray.

On This Date In 1919 The infamous Boston Police Strike of 1919 began, causing an uproar around the nation and confirming the growing influence of unions on American life. Using the situation to their advantage, criminals took the opportunity to loot the city.

On This Date In 1939 The Battle of the Bzura was a battle in the opening campaign of World War II during the 1939 German Invasion of Poland, fought between September,9-19, 1939, between Polish and German forces. Finally, the Germans outflanked the Polish forces and took all of west Poland.

On This Date In 1939 The Hel Peninsula, together with the town of Hel, was the longest-defended pocket of Polish Army resistance against the German invasion. Approximately 3,000 soldiers defended the area against overwhelming odds from September 9 until October 2, 1939, after which Germany fully occupied the peninsula.

On This Date In 1942 A Japanese floatplane dropped incendiary bombs on an Oregon state forest-the first and only air attack on the U.S. mainland in the war.

On This Date In 1943 Operation Avalanche, the Allied land invasion of Salerno, and Operation Slapstick, the British airborne invasion of Taranto, both in southern Italy, were launched.

On This Date In 1951 Albert Guay was hanged in Canada for one of the earliest commercial airline attacks - bombing a Canadian Pacific Airline flight to murder his wife.

On This Date In 1954 A 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Algeria, near Orleansville, killing 1,600 people. Another 5,000 people suffered serious injuries during the strong tremor and series of aftershocks that followed.

On This Date In 1956 Elvis Presley made the first of three contracted appearances on Ed Sullivan’s CBS show, was seen by some 55–60 million viewers. (Sullivan had previously announced he would never have such an act on, but ratings on the Steve Allen Show prevailed, and Sullivan offered Elvis $50,000 for the three shows, more than any other act had ever been offered.) http://history1900s.about.com/od/1950s/qt/elvissullivan.htm

On This Date In 1957 President Eisenhower signed The Civil Rights Act of 1957, primarily a voting rights bill, which was the first civil rights legislation enacted by Congress in the United States since Reconstruction.

On This Date In 1959 “Les liaisons dangereuses” (Dangerous Liaisons), a French language film based on the 1782 novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, ws released. This French/Italian co-production was directed by Roger Vadim, and starred Jeanne Moreau, Gerard Phillipe, and Annette Vadim.

On This Date In 1965 Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitched a perfect game in Major League Baseball against the Chicago Cubs at Dodger. Koufax, by retiring 27 consecutive batters without allowing any to reach base, became the sixth pitcher of the modern era to throw a perfect game. The game was Koufax’s fourth no-hitter, breaking Bob Feller’s Major League record of three (and later broken by Nolan Ryan, in 1981). Koufax struck out 14 opposing batters, the most ever recorded in a perfect game.

On This Date In 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act into law. Immediately afterward, he signed the Highway Safety Act. The two bills made the federal government responsible for setting and enforcing safety standards for cars and roads.

On This Date In 1967 Sergeant Duane D. Hackney was presented with the Air Force Cross for bravery in rescuing an Air Force pilot in Vietnam. He was the first living Air Force enlisted man to receive the award, the nation’s second highest award for bravery in action.

On This Date In 1968 Arthur Ashe won the first of his three Grand Slam championships, named for the four most prestigious competitions of each year, when he beat Dutchman Tom Okker to capture the U.S. Open title. http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Ashe_Arthur_1943-1993

On This Date In 1971 About 1,000 of Attica Prison’s approximately 2,200 prisoners rioted and seized control of the prison, taking thirty-three correction officers hostage.

On This Date In 1972 U.S. Air Force Capt. Charles B. DeBellevue (Weapons Systems Officer) flying with his pilot, Capt. John A. Madden, in a McDonnell Douglas F-4D, shot down two MiG-19s near Hanoi. These were Captain DeBellevue’s fifth and sixth victories, which made him the leading American ace (an unofficial designation awarded for having downed at least five enemy aircraft in air-to-air combat) of the war. All of his victories came in a four-month period. Captain Madden would record a third MiG kill two months later.

On This Date In 1976 China’s first Communist Chairman, Mao Zedong, passed away at the age of 82. http://asianhistory.about.com/b/2010/09/09/today-in-asian-history-mao-zedongs-death.htm

On This Date In 1980 Ronald Reagan spoke at the International Business Council in Chicago, addressing the most pressing issues at that time less than two months after accepting his nomination for president. His remarks here: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=85198#axzz1XSmRmScT

On This Date In 1982 “Signals”, the ninth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, and the follow-up to the successful “Moving Pictures”, was released.

On This Date In 1993 Cognex® (tacrine hydrochloride), a prescription medication to treat mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease, was approved by the FDA.

On This Date In 1995 The PlayStation (abbreviated PS, PSone, PS1, or PSX due to its internal code name PlayStation eXperimental), a 32-bit fifth generation video game console, was released by Sony Computer Entertainment in North America

On This Date In 1996 Rosa Parks was presented, by President Bill Clinton, with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a civilian by the United States Government. http://www.rosaparksfacts.com/rosa-parks-awards-achievements.php

On This Date In 1999 The Dreamcast, the last video game console made by Sega, and the successor to the Sega Saturn, was released in North America. The Dreamcast is part of the sixth generation of video game consoles and was released in late 1998, before its contemporaries - the PlayStation 2, the Nintendo GameCube and the Xbox.

On This Date In 2003 “Heavier Things”, the second major label studio album by singer-songwriter/guitarist John Mayer, was released.

On This Date In 2003 “From the Ashes”, the seventh studio album by punk rock band Pennywise, was released.

On This Date In 2004 The Indonesian government blamed terrorists linked to al-Qaeda for a suicide car bombing outside the Australian Embassy in Jakarta. At least nine people were killed and 173 injured. http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2004/s1195934.htm

On This Date In 2005 “Help!: A Day in the Life”, brought together by many contemporary artists from Britain and Canada, was released. It was produced by War Child UK in order to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the original Help album, and aimed to raise money to fund the charity’s efforts in war-torn countries such as Bosnia and Herzegovina.

On This Date In 2006 “Continuum”, the third major label studio album from John Mayer, was released. It marked a change in Mayer’s musical style, and incorporated blues and rhythm and blues elements more than previous efforts. He was heavily involved in the production of the album, along with fellow musician Steve Jordan.

On This Date In 2009 With a flourish of new images - from exploding stars to colliding galaxies and a new impact scar on Jupiter - NASA released the first images from the newly-repaired Hubble Telescope. http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2009/09/hubble-back-in-business-nasa-shows-off-new-pictures.ars

On This Date In 2009 President Obama layed out his plan for healthcare reform in a speech to a joint session of Congress. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/remarks-by-the-president-to-a-joint-session-of-congress-on-health-care/

On This Date In 2009 The US Supreme Court reviewed challenges to the election funding restrictions on corporations http://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/citizens-united-v-federal-election-commission/

On This Date In 2010 The 2010 San Bruno pipeline explosion occurred in San Bruno, California, a suburb of San Francisco, when a 30 inch steel natural gas pipeline owned by Pacific Gas & Electric exploded in flames in the Crestmoor residential neighborhood.

Hat tip to any included contributing sources, along with:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page , http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history , http://timelines.com/

Happy Birthday Dennis Ritchie (1941), Joe Theismann (1949), Daniel Pipes (1949), Tom Wopat (1951), Angela Cartwright (1952), Jeffrey Combs (1954), Hugh Grant (1960), Constance Marie (1965), Chip Esten (1965), Adam Sandler (1966), Rachel Hunter (1969), Henry Thomas (1971), Michael Buble (1975), Michelle Williams (1980),

RIP Cardinal Richelieu (1585 – 1642), Max Reinhardt (1873 – 1943), Sergio Osmena (1878 – 1961), Colonel Sanders (1890 – 1980), Jane Greer (1924 – 2001), Otis Redding (1941 – 1967),

Quotes

In peace prepare for war, in war prepare for peace. The art of war is of vital importance to the state. It is matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence under no circumstances can it be neglected. Sun Tzu

Terror leaves bitter enemies. The poison stays long in the well. The purpose, after all, is not to achieve military victory, but to achieve a change in circumstances by terror, to make us afraid of today, afraid of tomorrow, afraid of each other. Therefore, it cannot win unless we become admitting accomplices, changing the way we think and feel and live. Bill Clinton

Since September 11, 2001, the powerful coalition of nations, led by the United States, has seen many successes against al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups. It is imperative that we remain united and steadfast in the quest to defeat terrorism around the world. Kenny Marchant

Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have. Ronald Reagan

We will always remember. We will always be proud. We will always be prepared, so we will always be free. Ronald Reagan

Courtesy YouTube et al

Rising: Rebuilding Ground Zero - A Gateway to New York | Wedge of Light

RISING: REBUILDING GROUND ZERO continues Thursday, September 1, 2011 at 8PM e/p on Discovery. | http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/the-rising/#mkcpgn=ytdsc1 | Part of Daniel Libeskind's new World Trade Center master plan is to include a "Wedge of Light" that will draw attention to the position of the sun at the time of the 9/11 attacks in 2001.

9/11: the art of rebuilding Ground Zero

Irish-born photographer Marcus Robinson has spent the last five-years documenting the rebuilding of Ground Zero.

Rising: Rebuilding Ground Zero - 9/11 Museum & Memories

From Executive Producer Steven Spielberg.
A museum is also being built on Ground Zero, to recognise the bravery of the people who tried to help and the lives that were lost.
Weeknights at 8pm Starts Monday, 5th September on the Discovery Channel

New 9/11 Video: NASA Releases Aerial View

NASA officially released video taken of the September 11th terrorist attacks from the International Space Station, marking the 10th anniversary of attacks on America. Published by NASA for the first time, it was taken in 2001 by astronaut Frank Culbertson. His words have been heard before. The high-definition video was secured by the space agency and clearly shows smoke rising from Manhattan. Tim Minton reflects on the surprise of seeing a new angle.

After the chaos and carnage of September 11th, it is not enough to serve our enemies with legal papers. … America will never seek a permission slip to defend the security of our people. … Any government that supports, protects or harbours terrorists is complicit in the murder of the innocent and equally guilty of terrorist crimes. … Every nation in every region now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists. … Everywhere that freedom stirs, let tyrants fear. George W. Bush