Friday, September 15, 2023 

Connor Forbes
Connor Forbes
3 Min Read
The crater and other damage caused by the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, which killed four African American girls. FBI

September 15

Today in History

Today is the 258th day of 2023. There are 107 days left in the year.

By The Associated Press

Today’s Highlight in History:

On Sept. 15, 1963, four Black girls were killed when a bomb went off during Sunday services at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. It took 14 years for a state jury to convict one Ku Klux Klansmen and 38 years until 2 more Klansman were convicted in a federal court. A 4th suspect was never charged. 

On this date:

In 1776, British forces occupied New York City during the American Revolution.

In 1789, the U.S. Department of Foreign Affairs was renamed the Department of State.

In 1857, William Howard Taft __ who served as President of the United States and as U.S. chief justice __ was born in Cincinnati, Ohio.

In 1935, the Nuremberg Laws deprived German Jews of their citizenship.

In 1940, during the World War II Battle of Britain, the tide turned as the Royal Air Force inflicted heavy losses upon the Luftwaffe.

In 1955, the novel “Lolita,” by Vladimir Nabokov, was first published in Paris.

In 1959, Nikita Khrushchev became the first Soviet head of state to visit the United States as he arrived at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington.

In 1972, a federal grand jury in Washington indicted seven men in connection with the Watergate break-in.

In 1981, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted unanimously to approve the Supreme Court nomination of Sandra Day O’Connor.

In 1985, Nike began selling its “Air Jordan 1” sneaker.

In 2001, President George W. Bush ordered U.S. troops to get ready for war and braced Americans for a long, difficult assault against terrorists to avenge the Sept. 11 attack. Beleaguered Afghans streamed out of Kabul, fearing a U.S. military strike against Taliban rulers harboring Osama bin Laden.

In 2006, Ford Motor Co. took drastic steps to remold itself into a smaller, more competitive company, slashing thousands of jobs and shuttering two additional plants.

In 2021, California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom soundly defeated a recall aimed at kicking him out of office.

In 2022, President Joe Biden said federal mediators had helped foster an agreement that averted a rail strike that would have been devastating to the U.S. economy.

September 15. Clockwise from top left, Carole Robertson, Addie Mae Collins, Carol Denise McNair, and Cynthia Wesley.
Clockwise from top left, Carole Robertson, Addie Mae Collins, Carol Denise McNair, and Cynthia Wesley.

For More This Date in History Visit www.zapinin.com/this-date-in-history.

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