Glancing Backward, 9/2/10

Published: September 2, 2010

Article Tools
Font size: [A] [A] [A]
Sign Up newsletter

Today is Thursday, Sept. 2, the 245th day of 2010. There are 120 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Sept. 2, 1945, Japan formally surrendered in ceremonies aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, ending World War II.

Glancing Backward Locally:

50 years ago - 1960

Towanda resident Dean Bellows and Tom Ryan have opened a shoe repair shop at 714 Main Street.

Celebrating his birthday today is Harry A. Crumbling, supervising principal of Troy Community School System.

Burton W. Bowman of Waverly retired recently from the Lehigh Valley Railroad after 43 years of service.

Elsewhere on this date:

In 1666, the Great Fire of London broke out.

In 1789, the United States Treasury Department was established.

In 1864, during the Civil War, Union Gen. William T. Sherman's forces occupied Atlanta.

In 1901, Vice President Theodore Roosevelt offered the advice, "Speak softly and carry a big stick" in a speech at the Minnesota State Fair.

In 1930, the first non-stop airplane flight from Europe to the U.S. was completed in 37 hours as Capt. Dieudonne Costes and Maurice Bellonte of France arrived in Valley Stream, N.Y., aboard their Breguet 19 biplane, which bore the symbol of a large question mark.

In 1935, a Labor Day hurricane slammed into the Florida Keys, claiming more than 400 lives.

In 1945, Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam an independent republic. (Ho died on this date in 1969.)

In 1960, Wilma Rudolph of the United States won the first of her three gold medals at the Rome Summer Olympics as she finished the 100-meter dash in 11 seconds.

In 1969, in what some regard as the birth of the Internet, two connected computers at the University of California, Los Angeles, passed test data through a 15-foot cable. The first automatic teller machine (ATM) using magnetic-striped cards, called a "Docuteller," opened at a Chemical Bank branch in Rockville Centre, N.Y.

In 1998, a Swissair MD-11 jetliner crashed off Nova Scotia, killing all 229 people aboard.

Ten years ago: Hundreds of thousands of North Koreans welcomed home 63 former spies and guerrillas released by South Korea.

Five years ago: A National Guard convoy packed with food, water and medicine rolled into New Orleans four days after Hurricane Katrina. Scorched by criticism about sluggish federal help, President George W. Bush toured the Gulf Coast and met with state and local officials, including New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin. During a live TV benefit concert, rapper Kanye West went off-script to sharply criticize Bush, saying he "doesn't care about black people." The Labor Department reported the August unemployment rate was 4.9 percent, a four-year low. Machinists at Boeing Co. went on a nearly month-long strike. Actor Bob Denver, 70, died in Winston-Salem, N.C.

One year ago: Pfizer agreed to pay a record $2.3 billion settlement for illegal drug promotion. A Taliban suicide bomber attacked officials leaving a mosque in Afghanistan, killing the country's deputy intelligence chief and 23 others. Gunmen killed 17 people at a drug rehabilitation center in Ciudad Juarez (SEE'-yoo-dahd wahr-EHZ'), Mexico. A magnitude-7.0 earthquake rocked Indonesia, killing dozens of people.

Today's Birthdays: Dancer-actress Marge Champion is 91. Former United States Olympic Committee Chairman Peter Ueberroth is 73. Rhythm-and-blues singer Sam Gooden (The Impressions) is 71. Singer Jimmy Clanton is 70. Singer Joe Simon is 67. Football Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw is 62. Basketball Hall of Famer Nate Archibald is 62. Actor Mark Harmon is 59. Tennis Hall of Famer Jimmy Connors is 58. Actress Linda Purl is 55. Rock musician Jerry Augustyniak (10,000 Maniacs) is 52. Country musician Paul Deakin (The Mavericks) is 51.

Ads by Yahoo!
We welcome user discussion on our site, under the following guidelines:

To comment you must first create a profile and sign-in with a verified DISQUS account or social network ID. Sign up here.

Comments in violation of the rules will be denied, and repeat violators will be banned. Please help police the community by flagging offensive comments for our moderators to review. By posting a comment, you agree to our full terms and conditions. Click here to read terms and conditions.
comments powered by Disqus