September 8 in History

1504 – Michelangelo’s David was unveiled in Piazza Della Signoria in Florence.

1860 – The steamship Lady Elgin sank in Lake Michigan, killing nearly 300.

1888 – The body of Jack the Ripper’s second murder victim, Annie Chapman, was found in London.

1892 – The Pledge of Allegiance was first published by the Youth’s Companion Magazine – “I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

1900 – The Galveston Hurricane killed ~10,000 people in Texas.

1921 – 16-year-old Margaret Gorman won the Atlantic City Pageant’s Golden Mermaid trophy. Pageant officials later called her the first Miss America.

1930 – “Blondie” newspaper comic strip debuted.

1930 – 3M (formerly the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company) began marketing Scotch transparent tape.

1935 – US Senator from Louisiana Huey Long was fatally shot in the Louisiana State Capitol building by Carl Austin Weiss, Jr.

1951 – #1 Hit September 8, 1951 – November 2, 1951: Tony Bennett – Because Of You

1954 – The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) was established.

1956 – Harry Belafonte’s album “Calypso” featuring The Banana Boat Song was the #1 album, according to Billboard, and stayed #1 for 31 weeks, become the first documented million-seller album.

1966 – Tarzan and Star Trek both debuted on NBC. That Girl debuted on ABC.

1973 – #1 Hit September 8, 1973 – September 21, 1973: Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get It On

1973 – Star Trek: The Animated Series debuted on ABC.

1974 – US President Gerald Ford pardoned former President Richard Nixon for any crimes that then-President Nixon may have committed while in office.

1975 – US Air Force Tech Sergeant Leonard Matlovich, a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War, appeared in his Air Force uniform on the cover of Time magazine with the headline “I Am A Homosexual”. He was given a general discharge, which was later upgraded to honorable.

1986 – Oprah Winfrey’s show became nationally syndicated.

1988 – Yellowstone National Park was closed due to ongoing summer fires.

1990 – #1 Hit September 8, 1990 – September 14, 1990: Jon Bon Jovi – Blaze Of Glory

1990 – America’s Funniest Videos debuted on ABC.

1996 – Blue’s Clues premiered on Nickelodeon

1998 – Mark McGuire hit Home Run # 62, breaking Roger Maris’s record of 61 (1961)

2001 – #1 Hit September 8, 2001 – November 2, 2001: Jennifer Lopez featuring Ja Rule – I’m Real

2004 – The NASA unmanned spacecraft Genesis crash-landed on Mars when its parachute failed to open.

2007 – #1 Hit September 8, 2007 – September 14, 2007: Fergie – Big Girls Don’t Cry