September 15:
1954 : Marilyn Monroe's skirt scene filmed
The famous picture of Marilyn Monroe, laughing as her skirt is blown up by the blast from a subway vent, is shot on this day during the filming of The Seven Year Itch. The scene infuriated her husband, Joe DiMaggio, who felt it was exhibitionist. The couple divorced shortly after.
1858 : The first transcontinental mail service to San Francisco begins
On this day in 1858, the new Overland Mail Company sends out its first two stages, inaugurating government mail service between the eastern and western regions of the nation.
With California booming, thanks to the 1849 Gold Rush, Americans east and west had been clamoring for faster and surer transcontinental mail service for years. Finally, in March 1857, the U.S. Congress passed an act authorizing an overland mail delivery service and a $600,000 yearly subsidy for whatever company could succeed in reliably transporting the mail twice a week from St. Louis to San Francisco in less than 25 days. The postmaster general awarded the first government contract and subsidy to the Overland Mail Company. Under the guidance of a board of directors that included John Butterfield and William Fargo, the Overland Mail Company spent $1 million improving its winding 2,800-mile route and building way stations at 10-15 mile intervals. Teams of thundering horses soon raced across the wide open spaces of the West, pulling custom-built Concord coaches with seats for nine passengers and a rear boot for the mail.
1985: Samantha Kley is born on this day. Happy 21st Sam!
September 16:
1949 : Road Runner debuts
Warner. Bros. introduces the Road Runner in the cartoon short "Fast and Furry-ous." Like the sounds of countless other Warner Bros. cartoon characters, the Road Runner's cheerful "beep, beep!" was provided by Mel Blanc.
1969 : Nixon announces the withdrawal of a further 35,000 troops from Vietnam
President Richard Nixon announces the second round of U.S. troop withdrawals from Vietnam. This was part of the dual program that he had announced at the Midway conference on June 8 that called for "Vietnamization" of the war and U.S. troop withdrawals, as the South Vietnamese forces assumed more responsibility for the fighting. The first round of withdrawals was completed in August and totaled 25,000 troops (including two brigades of the 9th Infantry Division). There would be 15 announced withdrawals in total, leaving only 27,000 U.S. troops in Vietnam by November 1972.
September 17:
1787 : U.S. Constitution signed
The Constitution of the United States of America is signed by 38 of 41 delegates present at the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Supporters of the document waged a hard-won battle to win ratification by the necessary nine out of 13 U.S. states.
1884 : A California judge sets a record for trying criminal cases
Judge Allen disposes of the 13 criminal cases on his Oakland, California, docket in only six minutes. Although he apparently set a new record for speed, defendants in Oakland's criminal court did not stand much of a chance of gaining an acquittal. In a 40-year period at the turn of the century, only 1 defendant in 100 was acquitted.
September 18:
1970 : Jimi Hendrix dies
Guitarist Jimi Hendrix dies at the age of 28, following a drug overdose in London.
Hendrix was born in Seattle in 1942. He grew up playing guitar, imitating blues greats like Muddy Waters as well as early rockers. He joined the army in 1959 and became a paratrooper but was honorably discharged in 1961 after an injury that exempted him from duty in Vietnam. In the early 1960s, Hendrix backed such musicians as Little Richard, B.B. King, Ike and Tina Turner, and Sam Cooke. He moved to New York in 1964, where he played in coffeehouses.
1975 : Patty Hearst captured
Newspaper heiress and wanted fugitive Patty Hearst is captured in a San Francisco apartment and arrested for armed robbery.
September 19:
1900 : Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid pull off their first robbery together
Robert Parker and Harry Longbaugh, better known as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, rob the First National Bank in Winnemucca, Nevada, marking the first time that the duo worked as a team. Up until this point, both men had been loosely affiliated with the Hole-in-the-Wall gang, named after a secret Colorado mountain hideout.
1960 : "The Twist" hits No. 1
"The Twist," by Chubby Checker, hits the top of the charts. The song was one of the most successful singles in history. The only song to top the chart twice-it was No. 1 again in 1962-"The Twist" stayed on the charts for a total of 39 weeks and launched a national dance craze.
September 20:
1863 : Second Day of the Battle of Chickamauga
In one of the bloodiest battles of the war, the Confederate Army of Tennessee drives the Union Army of the Cumberland back into Chattanooga, Tennessee, from Chickamauga Creek in northern Georgia. Although technically a Confederate victory, the battle had little long-term effect on the military situation in the region.
1777 : Redcoats kill sleeping Americans in Paoli Massacre
On the evening of September 20, 1777, near Paoli, Pennsylvania, General Charles Grey and nearly 5,000 British soldiers launch a surprise attack on a small regiment of Patriot troops commanded by General Anthony Wayne in what becomes known as the Paoli Massacre. Not wanting to lose the element of surprise, Grey ordered his troops to empty their muskets and to use only bayonets or swords to attack the sleeping Americans under the cover of darkness.
September 21:
1954 : Sabrina debuts
Sabrina opens, starring Humphrey Bogart, William Holden, and Audrey Hepburn. In Sabrina, Bogart took a step away from his frequent role as a hard-boiled tough guy to play a sophisticated businessman turned Romeo.
1959 : No-name Plymouth produced in Michigan
The first Plymouth Valiant was produced on this day at a plant in Hamtramck, Michigan, although it was not known by that name until 1961. Originally code named "Falcon" after the 1955 Chrysler Falcon, plans for the new model went awry when the Chrysler marketing team found out at the last minute that Ford had already registered the name "Falcon" for its compact car. The news resulted in a wild scramble, for the logo castings had already been made and marketing plans finalized. A company-wide contest was held for a new name, and "Valiant" emerged the winner. However, there was no time to make new logo castings, so the car was simply introduced as the Valiant, featuring only a mylar sticker on the engine for identification. It wasn't until 1961 that the Valiant became the Plymouth Valiant, new logo castings and all. 










