This week in history resonates with the profound echoes of nation-building and the sobering costs of freedom, from the foundational moment in 1776 when the United Colonies became the “United States of America” to the harrowing attacks of September 11th, 2001, that would redefine a century. It is a span that captures both soaring ambition and deep tragedy, encompassing the admission of California, the birth of the national anthem, a call to reach for the moon, and a devastating act of hate in a Birmingham church, all reflecting the perpetual and often painful forging of a nation’s identity.
September 9
- 1776: The Continental Congress officially renames the new nation “the United States of America,” replacing “United Colonies.”
- 1850: California is admitted as the 31st state in the Union.
September 10
- 1813: Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry defeats the British at the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812, declaring, “We have met the enemy and they are ours.”
- 2008: The Large Hadron Collider at CERN is powered up in Geneva, Switzerland, beginning a new era of particle physics research.
September 11
- 2001: Terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon kill nearly 3,000 people, reshaping U.S. security policy and global affairs.
- 2012: An attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, results in the deaths of Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.
September 12
- 1953: Senator John F. Kennedy marries Jacqueline Bouvier in Newport, Rhode Island.
- 1962: President Kennedy delivers his “We choose to go to the Moon” speech at Rice University, rallying support for the space race.
September 13
- 1788: The U.S. Congress chooses New York City as the nation’s first federal capital.
- 1814: Francis Scott Key writes “The Star-Spangled Banner” after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor.
September 14
- 1901: President William McKinley dies from wounds suffered in an assassination attempt, and Vice President Theodore Roosevelt is sworn in as the 26th U.S. president.
- 1982: Princess Grace of Monaco (formerly Grace Kelly) dies following a car crash.
September 15
- 1821: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua declare independence from Spain.
- 1963: Four young girls are killed in the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, a turning point in the U.S. civil rights movement.
