Looking back: September marks milestones

Monday, September 1, 2014 - 20:00 YT&Twebzine

Above all else, we now mark Sept. 11, 2001, as a day that changed, well, everything.

The attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C., along with the downing of a jetliner over Pennsylvania, left Americans bereaved and eventually changed the way leaders thought about – and acted upon – matters of national security.
But September also marks the anniversary of other notable events. Consider that on Sept. 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland and World War II began. Here are some other September events.

225 years ago:

On Sept. 24, 1789 – U.S. judicial system created: President George Washington signed the Judiciary Act of 1789, which set up the federal court system and provided for an attorney general.

On Sept. 25, 1789 - Bill of Rights moves forward in Congress: After much debate, Congress proposed 12 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, Subsequently, the states approved 10 amendments, which became known as the Bill of Rights.

200 years ago on Sept. 13-14, 1814 – American forces in Baltimore defeated the British: Having taken Washington, the British attempted to capture Baltimore. Francis Scott Key, a Washington lawyer, composed the lyrics to The Star-Spangled Banner, noting that the American banner yet waved after the British navy’s unsuccessful attack on Fort McHenry.

100 years ago on Sept. 22, 1914 – German U-boat attacks British vessels: Three British vessels in the North Sea were sunk by one German sub, as hostilities in “The Great War” mounted. The incident, which resulted in the loss of 1,400, shook the British public.

90 years ago on Sept. 10, 1924—Students found guilty of murdering boy: Nathan Leopold, 19, and Richard Loeb, 18, were found guilty of murder in the May 21, 1924, kidnapping and death of 14-year-old Bobby Franks. The two teenagers, students at the University of Chicago, had set out to commit the perfect crime. Their wealthy parents hired Clarence Darrow to defend them, and the lawyer famously convinced the judge that they should not be executed. A dozen hears later, Loeb was killed in prison. Leopold served 33 years. He died in 1971 while living in Puerto Rico, according to the Chicago Tribune.

80 years ago: Sept. 19, 1934 – Hauptmann charged with kidnapping Lindbergh baby: After an excruciating two-year manhunt that consumed local and federal officials, Bruno Hauptmann was arrested in connection with the kidnapping of aviator Charles Lindbergh’s baby.

70 years ago, Operation Market Garden fought Sept. 17-26 1944: As part of a plan hatched by British Gen. Bernard Montgomery, the Allies were to invade Germany through Holland and capture several bridges – ending World War II by Christmas 1944. The allies took heavy casualties, and the war did not end until the following year. The film A Bridge Too Far, 1977, directed by Richard Attenborough and starring Sean Connery and Ryan O’Neal, memorialized the attack.

60 years ago on Sept. 14, 1954 – The Soviets dropped a bomb on the homeland: In a military exercise, the Soviet Union dropped a nuclear bomb in the Ural Mountains near 45,000 troops and thousands of civilians, according to The New York Times. The number of casualties was unknown.

50 years ago, on Sept. 27, 1964 –The Warren Commission released its report on President John F., Kennedy’s assassination: “The Commission has found no evidence that either Lee Harvey Oswald or Jack Ruby was part of any conspiracy, domestic or foreign, to assassinate President Kennedy,” the report concluded. This did not put the issue to rest, however. Indeed, the findings are still debated.

40 years ago on Sept. 8, 1974, President Richard Nixon was pardoned for Watergate: In an effort to move the country onward after the scandal, President Gerald R. Ford granted an unconditional pardon to Richard Nixon for any crimes related to Watergate.

30 years ago on Sept. 20, 1984, U.S. Embassy in Beirut is attacked: A truck bomb exploded outside the U.S. Embassy annex in Beirut, killing 24 people. The explosion’s force ripped off the front of the embassy, according to The New York Times.

20 years ago on Sept. 8, 1994 –Allied troops departed Germany: U.S., British and French troops left West Berlin. For the first time since World War II, the city was left without foreign troops, The New York Times reported.

10 years ago on Sept 1-3, 2004 – The Beslan School Crisis: Armed Chechen militants took approximately 1,200 hostages – including children, parents and grandparents -- in the Russian town of Beslan in North Ossetia. On Sept. 3, the crisis ended with a firefight. NPR reported that 31 militants and 331 hostages, including many children, were killed.