On This Day September 8th


OTD 

September 8th is the 251st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 114 days remain until the end of the year.

Events

1264 – The Statute of Kalisz, guaranteeing Jews's safety and personal liberties and giving Battei din Jurisdiction over Jewish matters, is promulgated by Bolesław the Pious, Duke of Greater Poland.

1504 – Michelangelo's David is unveiled in Piazza Della Signoria in Florence.

1522 – Magellan–Elcano circumnavigation: Victoria arrives at Seville, technically completing the first circumnavigation.

1565 – St. Augustine, Florida, is founded by Spanish admiral and Florida's first governor, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés.

1727 – A barn fire during a puppet show in the village of Burwell in Cambridgeshire, England, kills 78 people, many of whom are children.

1781 – American Revolutionary War: The Battle of Eutaw Springs in South Carolina, the war's last significant battle in the Southern theater, ends in a narrow British tactical victory.

1810 – The Tonquin sets sail from New York Harbor with 33 John Jacob Astor's newly created Pacific Fur Company employees on board. After a six-month journey around the tip of South America, the ship arrives at the mouth of the Columbia River, and Astor's men establish the fur-trading town of Astoria, Oregon.

1883 – The Northern Pacific Railway (reporting mark NP) was completed in a Gold Creek, Montana ceremony. Former president Ulysses S. Grant drove in the final "golden spike" in an event attended by rail and political luminaries.

1916 – To prove that women could serve as military dispatch riders, Augusta and Adeline Van Buren arrive in Los Angeles, completing a 60-day, 5,500-mile cross-country trip on motorcycles.

1935 – US Senator from Louisiana Huey Long is fatally shot in the Louisiana State Capitol building.

1962 – Last run of the famous Pines Express over the Somerset and Dorset Railway line (UK) fittingly using the last steam locomotive built by British Railways, BR Standard Class 9F 92220 Evening Star.

1966 – The landmark American science fiction television series Star Trek premieres its first-aired episode, "The Man Trap".

1974 – Watergate scandal: US President Gerald Ford signs the pardon of Richard Nixon for any crimes Nixon may have committed while in office.


Birthdays

1462 – Henry Medwall, first known English vernacular dramatist (d. 1501)

1588 – Marin Mersenne, French mathematician, philosopher, and theologian (d. 1648)

1698 – François Francoeur, French violinist and composer (d. 1787)

1750 – Tanikaze Kajinosuke, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 4th Yokozuna (d. 1795)

1783 – N. F. S. Grundtvig, Danish pastor, philosopher, and author (d. 1872)

1852 – Gojong of Korea (d. 1919)

1863 – W.W. Jacobs, English novelist and short story writer (d. 1943)

1897 – Jimmie Rodgers, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1933)

1914 – Patriarch Demetrios I of Constantinople (d. 1991)

1922 – Sid Caesar, American comic actor, and writer (d. 2014)

1925 – Peter Sellers, English actor, and comedian (d. 1980)

1932 – Patsy Cline, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 1963)

1960 – Aimee Mann, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress

1981 – Jonathan Taylor Thomas, American actor


Holidays and Observances

Happy Birthday to the oldest city in North America!

In the heart of historic St. Augustine, the cobblestone streets whispered secrets of centuries past. As the sun cast a warm glow over the ancient city, visitors worldwide wandered through the narrow lanes, captivated by the charm of this enduring settlement. Founded by Spanish explorer Pedro Menéndez de Avilés in 1565, St. Augustine had witnessed the ebb and flow of empires, transitioning from Spanish to British rule before finally becoming part of the United States in 1821.

Amid the picturesque architecture and centuries-old buildings, one could sense the spirit of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, the acclaimed author who once called St. Augustine home. Her words flowed from the pages of her novels, immortalizing the enchantment of the region. Meanwhile, the legacy of Henry Flagler, the industrialist who had transformed the city into a tourist destination, lived on through the grandeur of the Ponce de León Hotel, now a part of Flagler College.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a fiery hue over the Castillo de San Marcos, St. Augustine stood as a living testament to the enduring spirit of America's oldest city, where the past and present intertwined in a tapestry of history, culture, and beauty.

Others Include

Actors' Day

International Literacy Day

National 401(k) Day

National Ampersand Day

National Dog Walker Appreciation Day

National Iguana Awareness Day

National Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses Day

Our Lady of Meritxell Day

Pardon Day

Stand Up To Cancer Day

Star Trek Day

World Literacy Day

World Physical Therapy Day


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