Holidays
Feast Day of the Triumph of the Cross
Commemorating the finding of the cross on which Christ was crucified.
According to Catholic tradition, in A.D. 320 St. Helena, the first Christian Empress, found the True Cross of Jesus that was used for his crucifixion in Jerusalem. It had a titulus bearing Jesus' name attached to it. Along with Jesus' cross were two other crosses that were believed to be used for the two thieves who were executed with Jesus.
Pieces of the Jesus cross were sold for $18,587 in 1993.
What Happened On
The People's Court
September 14, 1981
The TV show The People's Court debuts, with Judge Joseph Wapner presiding. It was the first of the arbitration-based reality court shows and is the second-longest running courtroom TV series (behind Divorce Court).
First Manmade Object to Strike the Moon
September 14, 1959
Soviet Lunik 2, launched two days earlier, strikes the Moon.
Youngest U.S. President
September 14, 1901
42-year-old Theodore Roosevelt is sworn in, making him the youngest U.S. president. Roosevelt became president after the assassination of President McKinley. He did not use a Bible for his oath of office.
He was the first U.S. president to ride in an automobile (1902), submerge in a submarine (1905), and fly in an airplane (1910). He was also the only U.S. president not to use the word "I" is his inaugural address (1905), and the first American to win a Nobel Peace Prize (1906). Also known for his motto, "Speak softly and carry a big stick."
Even though he was shot while on his way to deliver a speech, he delivered the speech before going to the hospital.
Known for his athleticism, during his presidency he participated in a boxing match that cost him his sight in his left eye (1904).
Note: John F. Kennedy, at age 43, was the youngest elected president.
Murray (left) with Sandow
Murray (left) with Sandow
First Bodybuilding Contest
September 14, 1901
The world's first professional bodybuilding contest is held. It was organized by strongman Eugen Sandow and held in the Royal Albert Hall, London. The judges included Sandow and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (creator of Sherlock Holmes). The winner was William L. Murray of England. Murray weighed 189 pounds (85.7 kg) at 5′8″ (173 cm) tall. After the competition, Murray began performing a strongman act and putting on bodybuilding competitions until he enlisted for World War I. He was injured by poison gas during the war, which left him severely weakened.
The Star-Spangled Banner
September 14, 1814
Francis Scott Key writes the poem that would become the national anthem, after seeing the American flag flying following the British bombarding of Ft. McHenry during the War of 1812. The poem was set to the tune of a popular British song written by John Stafford Smith for the Anacreontic Society, a men's social club in London. "To Anacreon in Heaven" (or "The Anacreontic Song").
The Finding of the Crosses
The Finding of the Crosses
Cross of Jesus
September 14, 320
According to Catholic tradition, St. Helena, the first Christian Empress, finds the True Cross of Jesus that was used for his crucifixion in Jerusalem. It had a titulus bearing Jesus' name attached to it. Along with Jesus' cross were two other crosses that were believed to be used for the two thieves who were executed with Jesus.
This event is celebrated on September 14th as the Feast Day of the Triumph of the Cross.
Pieces of the Jesus cross were sold for $18,587 in 1993.
Cheney and Halliburton
September 14, 2003
On NBC's Meet the Press, Dick Cheney said, "And since I left Halliburton to become George Bush's vice president, I've severed all my ties with the company [Halliburton], gotten rid of all my financial interest. I have no financial interest in Halliburton of any kind and haven't had, now, for over three years." However, Cheney continued to receive a deferred salary of over $200,000 per year and had 433,333 shares of unexercised stock options. He eventually stated he would donate the after-tax profits of the stock options to charity.
Halliburton made huge profits from the Iraq war, going from 19th on the U.S. Army's list of top contractors before the war, to number 1 in 2003.
Entertainment Tonight
September 14, 1981
Entertainment Tonight debuts.
First American Canonized
September 14, 1975
Mother Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton (1774-1821) is canonized by Pope Paul VI. She founded the U.S. branch of the Sisters of Charity (1809).
Gregorian Calendar Adopted by Great Britain
September 14, 1752
This included the American colonies. The previous day had been September 2. Also, New Year's Day was moved from March 25th to January 1st.
Birthdays
The Lone Ranger
Clayton Moore
Born September 14, 1914 d. 1999
American actor, circus performer. TV: The Lone Ranger (1949-57, Kemo Sabe). The Lone Ranger was the first western written specifically for television and was ABC's first TV hit.
In 1979, Moore was banned from making appearances as the Lone Ranger, but was eventually granted the right and continued to do so until his death.
Earl Hurd
Born September 14, 1880 d. 1940
American cartoonist. He patented the cel animation technique (1914), in which characters are drawn on clear plastic which is then placed over a background. The background could then be reused in other frames, saving the animator time. This technique was used in most animated cartoons until the use of CGI in the 1990s began to take over.
Hurd used the technique in his Bobby Bumps cartoons.
Birth-Control Advocate
Margaret Sanger
Born September 14, 1879 d. 1966
American birth-control advocate. She coined the term "birth control" (1914), opened the first birth-control clinic in the U.S. (for which she was promptly arrested), and published Birth Control Review (1917-29).
Patented the Automobile
George B. Selden
Born September 14, 1846 d. 1922
American inventor. In 1895, he received U.S. patent #549160A for the gas-powered automobile. He collected royalties from U.S. automobile makers until Henry Ford contested his patent and won in 1911 after an eight-year legal battle. Ford won the case on the basis that the engine used in automobiles was not based on the Brayton engine, which Selden had improved, but on the Otto engine.
Cathy, Jimmie, Maggie, Margie, and Mary Ann Fischer
Born September 14, 1963
American quintuplets.
Barry Cowsill
Born September 14, 1954 d. 2005
American singer, guitarist, member of the singing family The Cowsills (They were the basis for TV's The Partridge Family). He died in New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina. He chose not evacuate and ride out the storm and died of drowning in the ensuing floods. Music: The Rain, The Park & Other Things (1967, #2) and the title song for the musical Hair (1969, #2).
Mary Fleener
Born September 14, 1951
American underground cartoonist. Creator of Hoodoo.
Bowzer (kneeling left) with Sha Na Na
Bowzer (kneeling left) with Sha Na Na
Bowzer of Sha Na Na
Jon "Bowzer" Bauman
Born September 14, 1947
American singer. With the group Sha Na Na (1970-83). TV: Sha Na Na (1977-81) and as a VJ on the music channel VH-1.
First Black Woman Judge of a Federal District Court
Constance Baker Motley
Born September 14, 1921 d. 2005
American judge. The first black woman judge of a federal district court (1966, New York).
Sidewalk Astronomers
John Dobson
Born September 14, 1915 d. 2014
American astronomer, "The Pied Piper of Astronomy." He co-founded the Sidewalk Astronomers and invented the Dobsonian telescope, an inexpensive, easy-to-build telescope.
Dobson's was the subject of the documentary A Sidewalk Astronomer (2005), was featured in the PBS series The Astronomers, and appeared twice on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
He wrote the book How and Why to Make a User-Friendly Sidewalk Telescope.
He also served as a Vedantan monk for 23 years.
Norman Chandler
Born September 14, 1899 d. 1973
American newspaper publisher. As publisher of the Los Angeles Times (1945-60), he built it into the nation's second largest daily newspaper.
This iconic Gibson Girl image was selected for a U.S. postal stamp in 1998
This iconic Gibson Girl image was selected for a U.S. postal stamp in 1998
Charles Dana Gibson
Born September 14, 1867 d. 1944
American illustrator. Creator of the "Gibson Girl," which idealized the true American girl. Gibson saw his creation as the composite of "thousands of American girls."
James Wilson
Born September 14, 1742 d. 1798
Scottish-born American patriot, signer of the Declaration of Independence, member of the Continental Congress and Constitutional Convention of 1787, and associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Deaths
Aunt Esther (above), Bronze Goddess of Fire (below)
Aunt Esther (above), Bronze Goddess of Fire (below)
Watch It, Sucker!
LaWanda Page (Alberta Peal)
Died September 14, 2002 b. 1920
American actress. "Watch It, Sucker!" Known for her portrayal of Bible-thumping Aunt Esther in the TV show Sanford and Son (1973-77). As a teen, she worked as an exotic dancer performing a fire act under the name "The Bronze Goddess of Fire." Page demonstrated her talents in the Sanford and Son episode Greatest Show in Watts.
Page and Redd Foxx (who played Fred Sanford) were childhood friends growing up together in St. Louis. Film Shakes the Clown (1991, foul-mouthed clown).
Isadora Duncan (Dora Angela Duncan)
Died September 14, 1927 b. 1877
American dancer, pioneer of interpretative dance. Her emphasis on "free dance" made her a precursor of modern dance. She died when her scarf got caught in the spokes of the automobile she was riding in and broke her neck.
1900 reelection poster with McKinley standing tall on the gold standard
1900 reelection poster with McKinley standing tall on the gold standard
William McKinley
Died September 14, 1901 b. 1843
American politician. 25th U.S. President (1897-1901). He was assassinated by Leon Czolgosz. McKinley signed the Gold Standard Act (1900), using a gold pen to do so. His portrait graces the U.S. $500 bill.
Aaron Burr
Died September 14, 1836 b. 1756
American politician. 3rd U.S. Vice-President (1801-05). He killed former Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton in a duel during his vice-presidency (1804). He was tried and acquitted for treason against the U.S. in 1807.
Dom Pérignon
Dom Pérignon
Dom Pierre Pérignon
Died September 14, 1715 b. 1638
Benedictine monk. Dom Pérignon is generally credited with inventing sparkling champagne wine; however, he actually just improved the process. He was originally tasked with the job of removing the bubbles, since they had a tendency to cause the bottles to burst. This could create a hazardous and costly chain reaction when other bottles broke due to the shock caused by the initial breakage.
He did develop the technique that produced a successful white wine from red grapes.
Purgatory by Gustave Doré
Purgatory by Gustave Doré
Dante Alighieri
Died September 14, 1321 b. 1265
Italian poet. Writings: The Divine Comedy (1307-21).
Patrick Swayze
Died September 14, 2009 b. 1952
American actor, dancer. He first danced professionally for the Disney on Parade ice show in 1972, touring throughout the United States. Film: Red Dawn (1984), Dirty Dancing (1987), Road House (1989), and Ghost (1990).
Henry Gibson (James Bateman)
Died September 14, 2009 b. 1935
American comedian. TV: Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1968-71, known for his verse).
Robert Wise
Died September 14, 2005 b. 1914
American Oscar-winning director. Film: The Body Snatcher (1945), The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), West Side Story (1961), The Sound of Music (1965), Andromeda Strain (1971), and Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979).
Juliet Prowse
Died September 14, 1996 b. 1936
Anglo-Indian dancer, actress. Her career took off after Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev declared her dancing "immoral."
Grace Kelly (Grace Patricia Kelly)
Died September 14, 1982 b. 1929
American Oscar-winning actress. She became the Princess of Monaco after marrying Prince Rainier III in 1956, making her the only princess to have received an Oscar.
Film: High Noon (1952), The Country Girl (1954, Academy Award), Rear Window (1954), and To Catch a Thief (1955).
Gertrude Berg (Tillie Edelstein)
Died September 14, 1966 b. 1899
American actress. TV: The Goldbergs (Molly Goldberg). A radio pioneer, she was one of the first women to create, write, produce and star in a long-running radio hit with The Rise of the Goldbergs (1929), later becoming The Goldbergs and eventually moving to television.
Jesse Lynch Williams
Died September 14, 1929 b. 1871
American playwright. His Why Marry? (1917) was the first play to win a Pulitzer Prize for drama.
William Seward Burroughs
Died September 14, 1898 b. 1857
American inventor. He invented the recording adding machine (1892).
Duke of Wellington (Arthur Wellesley)
Died September 14, 1852 b. 1769
British general, prime minister (1828-30). He defeated Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterloo (1815).
James Fenimore Cooper
Died September 14, 1851 b. 1789
first major American novelist. Writings: The Last of the Mohicans (1826).
John Penn
Died September 14, 1788 b. 1741
American lawyer. Signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Founder of Harvard
John Harvard
Died September 14, 1638 b. 1607
English scholar. As he was dying he bequeathed his library and half his estate to a new college being formed. It was named Harvard in his honor.
Adrian VI
Died September 14, 1523 b. 1459
Dutch-born religious leader, 218th Pope (1522-23), the only Dutch pope.
Stephen V
Died September 14, 891 b. ????
Italian religious leader, 110th Pope (885-891).