1984 Bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut

September 20, 1984

A terrorist drove a van with 3,000 pounds (1360 kg) of explosives toward the six-story U.S. Embassy in Beirut, killing 24 people, including two Americans and the bomber. The driver was shot by a bodyguard of the British ambassador and Lebanese embassy guards and lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle then detonated after striking a parked van. The Islamic Jihad Organization (IJO) claimed responsibility for the attack stating, "The operation goes to prove that we will carry out our previous promise not to allow a single American to remain on Lebanese soil." U.S. intelligence believed the attack was carried out by Hezbollah under the cover name of IJO with the support of Iran. Using satellite surveillance, they located a mock-up of the annex at an Iranian Revolutionary Guard-run barracks that was used to practice for the attack.
The U.S. had relocated its embassy from West Beirut to this location in Aukar, a Christian suburb of East Beirut after the 1983 bombing of the Beirut Embassy.

Leave It to Beaver Star Shot Three Times

September 20, 1980

Actor Ken Osmond, who played Eddie Haskell on TV's Leave It to Beaver (1957-63), is shot three times while on duty as a Los Angeles policeman.
After Leave It to Beaver and a stint in the Army, Osmond joined the Los Angeles Police Department in 1970, where he worked as a motorcycle officer. On September 20, 1980, Osmond was shot three times while in a foot chase with a suspected car thief. His bulletproof vest stopped two bullets and the other ricocheted off his belt buckle. He was put on disability and retired in 1988.
The car theft suspect was sentenced to death for another murder.

Jumping the Shark

September 20, 1977

The Fonz jumps a shark in this episode of Happy Days. The phrase "jumping the shark" has become a metaphor for when something has passed its peak and is desperately trying to hang on.

Native-American War of 1974

September 20, 1974

The Native-American Kootenai Tribe of Idaho declares war on the U.S. Historically, the Kootenai people had refused to sign treaties ceding their land to the U.S. government, believing that they were commanded by God to protect the land and couldn't give it up. As a result, their land was taken anyway, but without compensation leaving the Kootenai people impoverished. As of 1974, there were about 67 Kootenai Tribe members living on about 10 acres (0.04 km2), all of whom agreed to a declaration of war against the U.S. seeking federal recognition and a 128,000-acre (200 sq mi; 520 km2) reservation and compensation for 1,600,000 acres (2,500 sq mi; 6,470 km2) of ancestral lands. They did not engage in violence, but set up a 10¢ toll on the highway through their land, which was generally supported by the local population. The following month, they were deeded 12.5 acres (0.051 km2) of federal land in an order signed by President Gerald Ford.

First U.S. Female Police Officer Killed in the Line of Duty

September 20, 1974

Gail A. Cobb is killed in Washington D.C. while trying to apprehend a bank robbery suspect. She had been on the force less than a year. She was also the first female African-American law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty in the U.S.
Two men were approaching a bank with the intention of robbing it. Each was carrying a loaded sawed-off shotgun and handgun. Two plainclothes police officers were alerted of the robbery in advance and saw the two men nearing the bank. When the officers stopped them and asked for identification, the two men ran off in separate directions. Cobb was still on probationary duty six months out of the academy and was assigned to foot patrol a block away from the bank. Cobb, who was writing a traffic ticket at the time, was told by a citizen that they saw an armed man run into a garage. Cobb followed the suspect and confronted him inside the garage as he was in the process of changing out of his disguise. Cobb ordered the man to place his hands on the wall. As she called for assistance over her radio, the suspect spun around and fired a single gunshot at Cobb. The bullet went through Cobb's wrist and her police radio, where it then penetrated her heart. Cobb died at the scene and responding officers arrested the suspect at the scene.
Her killer was sentenced to 15 years to life imprisonment for second-degree murder. He was released on parole in 1992.

Jim Croce Dies in Plane Crash

September 20, 1973

Singer Jim Croce and all five others aboard their aircraft died when they crashed into a tree during takeoff from the airport in Natchitoches, Louisiana. It was the only tree in the area and the crash was blamed on pilot error. They had just completed a concert at Northwestern State University.
He was known for the songs, You Don't Mess Around With Jim (1972), Bad, Bad Leroy Brown (1973, #1), and Time In A Bottle (1973, #1).

Last American Slave Dies

September 20, 1972

Peter Mills was the last known verified surviving American man born into legal slavery.
Mills was born into slavery in Prince George's County, Maryland and freed at the end of the Civil War. He died at the age of 110.

Jim Morrison Convicted of Exposing Himself

September 20, 1970

The lead singer of The Doors Jim Morrison is convicted of exposing himself in front of a Miami concert audience the previous year. But, he died while out on bail awaiting appeal.
Drummer John Densmore maintains that Morrison never actually exposed himself.
In 2010, Florida Governor Charlie Crist granted him a posthumous pardon.

RMS Olympic Collision

September 20, 1911

The sister ship of the RMS Titanic and the RMS Britannic collides with the British cruiser HMS Hawke. The Olympic and Hawke were running parallel to each other when the Olympic turned to starboard and the commander of Hawke was taken by surprise and was unable to avoid collision. No one was seriously injured and the Olympic was able to continue on her own power.
One of the women on board, Violet Jessop, also survived the sinking of the Titanic and the sinking of the Britannic.

Panic of 1873

September 20, 1873

The New York Stock Exchange is forced to close for the first time in its history. It reopened 10 days later. The failure of the Jay Cooke's bank two days earlier set off a string bank failures and factories began to lay off workers as the U.S. and Europe slipped into a depression that lasted until 1879.

First Circumnavigation of the Globe

September 20, 1519

Ferdinand Magellan sets sail from Spain. The trip was completed in September of 1522, although Magellan was killed in a battle with the natives of the Philippines in 1521.
Only 18 out of the original 237 men completed the voyage and only one of the five ships that started the voyage completed the journey. Approximately 232 sailors died on the expedition. The voyage proved that the globe could be circled by sea and that the world was much larger than previously believed.
Magellan had not originally intended to circumnavigate the world, but was trying to find a route through which Spanish ships could navigate to the Spice Islands. After Magellan's death, his assistant Juan Sebastián Elcano took command and decided to continue the voyage around the Earth.

Sophia Loren (Sophia Scicolone)

Born September 20, 1934

Italian Oscar-winning actress. Film: The Millionairess (1960) and Two Women (1960, Oscar).

Most Beautiful Suicide

Evelyn McHale

Born September 20, 1923 d. 1947

American bookkeeper. She committed suicide by jumping from the 86th floor Observation Deck of the Empire State Building. A student photographer took a photo of her shortly after her death showing her gloves and dress outfit earning her the title, "The Most Beautiful Suicide."
Her suicide note referenced her mother, who had also suffered depression, stating, "I don't want anyone in or out of my family to see any part of me. Could you destroy my body by cremation? I beg of you and my family - don't have any service for me or remembrance for me. My fiance asked me to marry him in June. I don't think I would make a good wife for anybody. He is much better off without me. Tell my father, I have too many of my mother's tendencies."

Jay Ward

Born September 20, 1920 d. 1989

American animation producer, cartoon producer of such characters as Rocky the Flying Squirrel and Bullwinkle J. Moose.

Played Life or Death Chess Game

Ossip Bernstein

Born September 20, 1882 d. 1962

Russian-French chess grandmaster, financial lawyer. In 1918 he was arrested in Odessa by the Bolshevik secret police and ordered to be executed by firing squad for being a legal advisor to bankers. As the firing squad lined up, an officer recognized the name of the great chess master. To prove that it was really him, the officer challenged him to a chess match. If Bernstein won he would be set free - otherwise executed. Bernstein easily won and was released.

Sister Elizabeth Kenny, Polio Nurse

Sister Elizabeth Kenny

Born September 20, 1880 d. 1952

Australian bush nurse. She developed a controversial treatment for polio. The conventional treatment of the day was to place the affected limbs in plaster casts or braces. Kenny's method was to apply hot compresses to the affected parts of the body followed by passive movement of those areas to reduce what she called "spasm." Her success with her patients led to the opening of polio clinics across Australia. One of her patients was Alan Alda, who contracted polio when he was seven years old.
Kenny's principles of muscle rehabilitation became the foundation of modern physical therapy.
The movie Sister Kenny (1946) was based on her work.