Hello.
Thank you for spending some time with us today. We are glad you’re here.
As we prepare to dig into a weekend there can be seemingly endless “to-do” lists, which is why we like to kick things off Saturday morning with a slow down. A simple “scroll down memory lane” to see what events happened on these days in history before you head out to make new history today. So, grab your favorite sippin’ drink and let’s scroll!
Sunday, September 14th, the 257th day of the year.
On this day:
In 1741, composer George Frederick Handel completed “The Messiah.” The piece is also known as “The Hallelujah Chorus.” It became one of his most popular works.
In 1814, Francis Scott Key composed the lyrics to “The Star Spangled Banner” after watching the British bombard Maryland’s Fort McHenry during the War of 1812.
In 1847, U.S. Marines under General Winfield Scott entered Mexico City and raised the American flag over the Hall of Montezuma during the Mexican-American War.
In 1901, President William McKinley died of gunshot wounds inflicted by an assassin. He was 58. Theodore Roosevelt was sworn in as the 26th and youngest man to serve as President at age 42.
In 1939, the VS-300, the world’s first practical helicopter, took flight at Stratford, Connecticut. Designed by Igor Sikorsky and built by a division of the United Aircraft Corporation, the helicopter was the first to incorporate a single main rotor and tail rotor design.
In 1964, Walt Disney was awarded the Medal of Freedom at the White House.
In 1978, “Mork and Mindy,” starring Robin Williams and Pam Dawber, debuted on ABC.
In 1982, Princess Grace of Monaco, known to American movie fans as Grace Kelly, died of injuries suffered in a car crash a day earlier. She was 52.
In 1984, actress Janet Gaynor died at the age of 77. She was the first actress to win an Academy Award.
In 1985, “The Golden Girls” starring Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty, debuted on NBC. The lead actresses all won Emmy Awards — Arthur, McClanahan and White won the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and Getty won for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
In 1994, a strike by players in the Major League Baseball forced the World Series to be canceled. The strike was over salary cap and other pending changes to the league.
In 1996, Actress Juliet Prowse died pancreatic cancer at the age of 59.
In 2002, actress LaWanda Page died at the age of 81. She was best known as Aunt Esther on the 70s sitcom “Sanford and Son.”
In 2003, Baltimore Ravens running back Jamal Lewis set an NFL single-game record with 295 yards rushing against the Cleveland Browns. His record would be broken by just one yard four years later by Adrian Peterson.
In 2005, Britney Spears gave birth to her first son with Kevin Federline.
In 2009, Hollywood star Patrick Swayze died after a 20-month battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 57. Swayze’s memorable film roles include “Dirty Dancing,” “Ghost,” “Road House,” “Point Break” and “The Outsiders.”
In 2009, actor and comedian Henry Gibson died at the age of 73. Gibson was a regular on “Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In” and was best known for his bit “A poem…by Henry Gibson.”
In 2009, Jimmy Carter’s former press secretary Jody Powell died at the age of 65.
In 2010, Reggie Bush of the New Orleans Saints surrendered the Heisman Trophy he won while playing for the USC Trojans after it was determined he had received improper payments.
In 2013, singer John Legend married model Chrissy Teigen. The couple shares three children together.
In 2015, NBC announced that Arnold Schwarzenegger would replace Donald Trump as the host of “Celebrity Apprentice.”
In 2015, a Kentucky county clerk arrested for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples went back to work. Kim Davis returned to Rowan County after being released from jail a week prior. As a condition of her release, Davis was ordered not to interfere with deputy clerks issuing marriage licenses.
In 2015, Subway co-founder Fred DeLuca died at the age of 67. He died after a two-year battle with leukemia.
In 2017, Selena Gomez said she had a kidney transplant due to complications from Lupus. The donated kidney came from her friend and actress Francia Rais.
In 2018, Hurricane Florence made landfall as a Category One hurricane near Wilmington, North Carolina.
In 2019, TV legend Norman Lear became the oldest person to win an Emmy at the age of 97. He won the “Outstanding Variety Special (Live)” Emmy for ABC’s “Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s ‘All in the Family’ and ‘The Jeffersons.'” The special presented live performances of two classic episodes of Norman Lear’s groundbreaking sitcoms recast with new actors: Woody Harrelson and Marisa Tomei as the Bunkers and Jamie Foxx and Wanda Sykes as the Jeffersons.
In 2021, California Governor Gavin Newsom survived a recall vote.
In 2021, the U.S. recorded the lowest level of people living in poverty since records began in 1967.
In 2021, comedian Norm MacDonald died at age 61. His credits include the films “Billy Madison,” “Dirty Work,” “Grown Ups,” and “Jack and Jill.” He was also apart of the “Saturday Night Live” regular cast from 1993-1998. He MacDonald also starred in the TV series “Norm.”
In 2022, R&B singer R. Kelly was convicted of multiple child pornography and child sex abuse charges in Chicago.
In 2022, procession of Queen Elizabeth’s coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall to lie in state took place. Members of the public were permitted to visit her coffin 23 hours of every day until the funeral and at least 250-thousand visited. The wait time to view the Queen’s coffin reached over 24 hours and the line stretched nearly five miles long.
In 2022, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis had two planes of Venezuelan immigrants flown to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.
In 2023, Hunter Biden was indicted on charges tied to the possession of a gun while using narcotics.
In 2024, the U.S. Navy commissioned the USS New Jersey. It was the first mixed-gender submarine commissioned by the Navy.
That brings us here to this day. Whatever plans you have for your own weekend, here’s hoping there are moments to record on the pages of your own personal history books!
Thanks for stopping by!
