Umbrella Assassination

September 7, 1978

While waiting at a bus stop, Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov is stabbed with an umbrella that inserted a ricin-filled pellet. He died several days later. It is believed that the KGB was behind the plot. The ricin pellet had holes filled with a sugary substance to hold the ricin in. The substance melted at body temperature allowing the ricin to leak out after the pellet was inserted.

Keith Moon Dies of Overdose

September 7, 1978

The 32-year-old drummer for The Who Keith Moon dies of an overdose of 32 clomethiazole tablets. He was taking the sedative clomethiazole to alleviate his alcohol withdrawal symptoms as he was trying to get sober. He was not supposed to take more than three a day.
He died at 32 years old in the same flat that Mama Cass Elliot died in four years earlier - also at the age of 32.

Polio Victim Becomes First American Woman to Win Three Gold Medals in a Single Olympiad

September 7, 1960

Wilma Rudolph, who was crippled by polio as a child, wins her third gold medal as part of the 4x100 meter relay at the 1960 Summer Olympics. She had previously won the 100 and 200-meter dashes, setting a new Olympic record of 23.2 seconds for the 200-meter dash, earning her the title, "Fastest Woman in the World."
She had overcome the crippling effects of polio as a child, contracting the disease at age 5, losing strength in her left leg and foot and she had to wear a leg brace until the age of 12. She was the 20th of her father's 22 children. Her family members gave her daily leg massages to restore the strength in her legs. She also competed in the 1956 Olympics, where her 4x100 meter relay team won the bronze medal, with a time matching the previous world record of 44.9 seconds.
She died at age 54 after being diagnosed with brain and throat cancer.

First Miss America Pageant

September 7, 1921

The "Inner-City Beauty" pageant is won by 16-year-old Margaret Gorman (Miss Washington, D.C.). The contest was judged on 50% audience applause and 50% judges' decision after a day of mingling with the contestants. A newspaperman coined the term "Miss America" for the winner and the following year it became known as the Miss America Pageant, with Gorman declared as the first Miss America. She is the youngest ever winner. Her measurements were 30-25-32.

Jesse James

September 7, 1876

The notorious outlaw Jesse James and his brother Frank James barely escape an unsuccessful Minnesota bank robbery attempt. All of their gang members were either captured or killed.

First Submarine Warfare

September 7, 1776

The American Turtle attacks the HMS Eagle during the American Revolution. The submarine attempted to attach a bomb to the underside of the Eagle, but was unable to penetrate the hull and the attempt failed.
It made several other unsuccessful attempts to attach bombs to British ships. The American Turtle was built by American David Bushnell the previous year and was lost later that year when the transport ship it was aboard was sunk.

Was Punished for Preventing World War III

Stanislav Petrov

Born September 7, 1939 d. 2017

Soviet soldier. After preventing World War III, he was reprimanded for disobeying orders. Stanislav Petrov was the duty officer at a Soviet early-warning system when the system reported that up to six Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missiles had been launched from the United States. This was in 1983, just three weeks after the Soviet military had shot down Korean Air Lines Flight 007 killing all 269 people aboard, including U.S. Congressman Larry McDonald and many other Americans. Petrov believed it might be a false alarm and disobeyed orders by not reporting the attack to his superiors. He feared that had he reported the attack, his superiors would have launched a retaliatory nuclear attack, leading to an all out nuclear war. Later analysis showed that the detection system had malfunctioned and it was indeed a false alarm. Petrov was reprimanded for not correctly documenting the incident.

Buddy Holly (Charles Hardin Holley)

Born September 7, 1936 d. 1959

American rock 'n' roll pioneer. He died in a plane crash with the J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson and Ritchie Valens in what became known as The Day the Music Died.
Holly had married María Elena Santiago in August of 1958, just months prior to his death. He had proposed to her on their first date. When Santiago began handling the band's proceeds, she became concerned with how the band's manager, Norman Petty, had been handling their money, prompting Holly to fire Petty in December. When Holly's band mates kept Petty as their manager, Holly split with the Crickets. Unable to get his royalty money from Petty, Holly was forced to form a new group and begin his fateful tour. His wife stayed home from the tour because she was pregnant, but miscarried shortly after Holly's death.

Don Messick

Born September 7, 1926 d. 1997

American voice actor. Voice of Astro in The Jetsons, Scooby in Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, Bamm Bamm in The Flintstones, Boo-Boo Bear and Ranger Smith in The Yogi Bear Show, and Papa Smurf and Azrael in The Smurfs.

Grandma Moses (Anna Robertson Moses)

Born September 7, 1860 d. 1961

American artist, known for her bright pictures of American rural life. She began her painting career at age 78.

Inventor of Square-Bottomed Paper Grocery Bag

Luther Childs Crowell

Born September 7, 1840 d. 1903

American inventor. Invented the square-bottomed paper bag (1872). "My invention relates to the manufacture of square-bottomed bags; and consists in so folding and cementing a strip of paper that when cut into sections of suitable length, one end being closed by one fold, the bottom of the bag or case thus formed when opened or filled will assume a quadrangular shape." U.S. Patent #123,811 and 123,812.

Elizabeth I

Born September 7, 1533 d. 1603

Queen of England and Ireland (1558-1603). For whom the Elizabethan Era is named. Also known as the Virgin Queen. She was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn and was the last monarch of the House of Tudor.