The month of September has been host to many important events in the past; here are a few notable dates from this month in history.
September 2, 1666: The Great Fire of London begins
Back in the mid-sixteen-hundreds, London was practically a bundle of hay ready to combust; most houses were made of wood, a very flammable material, and many, for waterproofing purposes, were covered in tar, an even more flammable material. These building materials, coupled with cramped streets, a hot summer, and a less than ideal fire fighting system, made London a very, very large fire hazard.
On the evening of September 1st, 1666, Thomas Farrinor, King Charles II’s baker, went to bed without properly extinguishing the fire in his oven. In the early hours of the next morning, the flame spread to the rest of his house, and by sunrise, half of London was ablaze.
The fire raged for four days, and legend has it that the light from the blaze could be seen from 30 miles away. In the end, the Great Fire destroyed over 13,000 homes but only six people were reportedly killed.
The moral of the story: Remember to turn off your oven.
“The Great Fire of London” 1675, artist unknown (Getty Images).
September 4, 1957: The Little Rock Nine attempt to enter Little Rock Central High School
Though slavery ended nearly a century prior, segregation was still the norm by the time 1957 came around. Most businesses, schools, restrooms, and other facilities did not allow colored and white people to be in the same space together. Segregation in Arkansas was challenged when African-American high-schoolers Minnijean Brown, Elizabeth Eckford, Ernest Green, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Patillo, Gloria Ray, Terrence Roberts, Jefferson Thomas, and Carlotta Walls registered to attend Little Rock Central High School, an all-white establishment at the time.
Governor Orval Fabus, who vehemently opposed integration, called in the Arkansas National Guard on September 4th, 1957, to bar the nine students entry, claiming that it was for the white students’ safety. The Little Rock nine, as these students came to be known, were denied admission into the school until September 20th, when Governor Fabus was ordered to remove the National Guard. On the 24th, President Eisenhower sent 1,200 men from the 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army to accompany the students to school.
All Little Rock Public Schools became fully integrated in 1972— this likely wouldn’t have been possible without those first courageous steps taken by the Little Rock Nine.
The Little Rock Nine are escorted to school by a National Guardsman (Getty Images).
September 18, 1793: President George Washington lays the cornerstone of the Capitol Building in Washington D.C.
Before 1790, the United States did not have an official capitol— because of this, Congress met in a total of eight different cities, including Baltimore, New York City, and Philadelphia. In 1790, however, the Residence Act was passed, which gave President Washington the ability to choose the US Capitol. He ended up selecting the District of Columbia (D.C.), made up of land from Maryland and Virginia, and laid the cornerstone to the Capitol Building three years later.
The building took nearly a century to complete; conflict between architects, destruction by the British, and its use in the Civil War are three of many setbacks to its construction. Even after the Capitol was finished, it took another hundred years for the building to see its current state. Today, the Capitol Building houses the Senate, House of Representatives, and offices of congressional leadership, and also serves as the place for presidential inaugurations and
Today, the Capitol Building is the meeting place for the Senate and House of Representatives, the location of presidential inaugurations, where those of national importance are laid in state, and a museum of American art and history.
“George Washington laying cornerstone at U.S. Capitol” Painted by Allyn Cox (U.S. Capitol Building)
September 21, 1776: Nathan Hale is executed by the British for spying
To many, Nathan Hale is a household name due to his patriotic selflessness and courage. But for those who aren’t familiar with him, here’s a short biography. Nathan Hale was born in Connecticut in 1755 and attended Yale University, becoming a schoolteacher soon after his graduation 1773. When the American Revolution broke out, Hale and his two brothers joined the Continental Army under General George Washington.
Soon, the need arose for intelligence on British movements; when General Washington asked for volunteers for a reconnaissance mission, Hale eagerly came forward and accepted the task. Disguised as a Dutch schoolteacher, Hale slipped behind enemy lines and began to gather information on the British. But what most people don’t know is that Nathan Hale was a very bad spy. He asked too many questions about the British, making himself suspicious.
Eventually, he was captured by British officers and was hanged without trial at the age of 21. His last words? “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” Well, there’s no real evidence to confirm that he actually said this, but it’s a moving sentiment.
A statue of Nathan Hale that stands outside Yale University (Yale University)
September 29, 1985: The first of seven deaths caused by cyanide-laced Tylenol occur in Chicago
Tamper-proof packaging is an ordinary part of our everyday lives— but did you know that one event made this type of packaging nearly universal?
On September 29, 1985, Adam Janus and twelve-year-old Mary Kellerman died after taking extra-strength Tylenol. The deaths seemed unrelated at the time, and no one thought to turn their attention to the victim’s medicine cabinets. But after two other members of Janus’ household and three other people died after taking the medication, authorities began to look for connections; they soon found Tylenol, tampered and filled with Potassium Cyanide, in each of the victims’ homes.
After the deaths, Johnson & Johnson, the company that makes Tylenol, received several letters from James William Lewis, who claimed that he was the one tampering with the medication. But since Lewis lived in New York at the time and had no apparent connection with Chicago, police dismissed his confession.
To this day, no one knows who tampered with those bottles of Tylenol. Despite the tragedy, these deaths were extremely helpful in identifying weak areas in food and drug security; now consumers can rest easy knowing that tamper-proof packaging keeps them safe from any unwanted ingredients to their products.
A clerk removes boxes of Tylenol from a drugstore’s shelves in response to the Tylenol poisonings, 1982. (Photo by Yvonne Hemsey, sourced from Getty Images).
The Bishop Kelly Newspaper 