This Week in History

September 22:
1975 : President Ford survives second assassination attempt
On this day in 1975, Sarah Jane Moore aims a gun at President Gerald Ford as he leaves the Saint Francis Hotel in San Francisco, California. The attempt on the presidents life came only 17 days after another woman had tried to assassinate Ford while he was on his way to give a speech to the California legislature in Sacramento.
1961 : President Kennedy signs Peace Corps legislation
In an important victory for his Cold War foreign policy, President John F. Kennedy signs legislation establishing the Peace Corps as a permanent government agency. Kennedy believed that the Peace Corps could provide a new and unique weapon in the war against communism. 
September 23:
1846 : Eighth planet discovered
German astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle discovers the planet Neptune at the Berlin Observatory. 
1897 : First traffic fatality recorded
Nine-year-old Stephen Kempton died on this day, becoming the first recorded traffic fatality in Great Britain. Kempton had been trying to steal a ride from a taxi by hanging on to a spring, but lost his grip and was trapped underneath the wheel of the vehicle. The tragedy occurred on Stockmar Road near Hackney, a full two years before America's first traffic fatality. 
September 24:
1941 : Japanese gather preliminary data on Pearl Harbor
On this day in 1941, the Japanese consul in Hawaii is instructed to divide Pearl Harbor into five zones and calculate the number of battleships in each zone--and report the findings back to Japan.
1789 : The First Supreme Court
The Judiciary Act of 1789 is passed by Congress and signed by President George Washington, establishing the Supreme Court of the United States as a tribunal made up of six justices who were to serve on the court until death or retirement. That day, President Washington nominated John Jay to preside as chief justice, and John Rutledge, William Cushing, John Blair, Robert Harrison, and James Wilson to be associate justices. On September 26, all six appointments were confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
1908 : First Model T is completed
The first factory-built Ford Model T was completed on this day, just one more step in Ford's affordable revolution. Affectionately known as the "Tin Lizzie," the Model T revolutionized the automotive industry by providing an affordable, reliable car for the average person. Ford was able to keep the price down by retaining control of all raw materials, and by employing revolutionary mass production methods. When it was first introduced, the "Tin Lizzie" cost only $850 and seated two people. 
September 25:
1981 : O'Connor takes seat on Supreme Court
Sandra Day O'Connor becomes the first female U.S. Supreme Court justice in history when she is sworn in by Chief Justice Warren Burger.
1789 : Bill of Rights passes Congress
The first Congress of the United States approves 12 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, and sends them to the states for ratification. The amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were designed to protect the basic rights of U.S. citizens, guaranteeing the freedom of speech, press, assembly, and exercise of religion; the right to fair legal procedure and to bear arms; and that powers not delegated to the federal government were reserved for the states and the people.
September 26:
1990 : X rating abolished
The Motion Picture Association of America abolishes the "X" rating, replacing it with "NC-17," a rating designating a film with content inappropriate for viewers under age 17.
1945 : First American soldier killed in Vietnam
Lt. Col. Peter Dewey, a U.S. Army officer with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in Vietnam, is shot and killed in Saigon. Dewey was the head of a seven-man team sent to Vietnam to search for missing American pilots and to gather information on the situation in the country after the surrender of the Japanese.
September 27:
1869 : Sheriff Wild Bill Hickok proves too wild for Kansas
Just after midnight on this day in 1869, Ellis County Sheriff Wild Bill Hickok and his deputy respond to a report that a local ruffian named Samuel Strawhun and several drunken buddies were tearing up John Bitter's Beer Saloon in Hays City, Kansas. When Hickok arrived and ordered the men to stop, Strawhun turned to attack him, and Hickok shot him in the head. Strawhun died instantly, as did the riot.
1935 : Judy Garland signs with MGM
On this day in 1935, 13-year-old singer and actress Judy Garland signs her first contract with MGM. In 1939, Garland became a major star after playing Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, a role originally intended for Shirley Temple. She received a special juvenile Oscar for her performance.
September 28:
1918 : British soldier allegedly spares the life of an injured Adolf Hitler
On September 28, 1918, in an incident that would go down in the lore of World War I historyalthough the details of the event are still unclearPrivate Henry Tandey, a British soldier serving near the French village of Marcoing, reportedly encounters a wounded German soldier and declines to shoot him, sparing the life of 29-year-old Lance Corporal Adolf Hitler.
1988 : A cult leader kills one of his followers
Roch Theriault fatally wounds Solange Boilard in Ontario, Canada. Theriault, the leader of the most bizarre and violent cult in Canadian history, often physically abused his followers. Obsessed with anatomy and medicine, Theriault performed crude intestinal surgery on Boilard by slicing open her abdomen and ripping out a piece of intestine with his bare hands. He then ordered another follower to stitch up the wound with a needle and thread. When she died the next day in agonizing pain, he sawed off the top of her head, and then sexually assaulted her. Before burying the woman, he removed a rib, which he wore around his neck.





