History Today

Hello and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on September 16th. He was an inspiration for human rights and a model for leaders from Nelson Mandela to Martin Luther King, Jr. And on this day in 1932, Mohandas Gandhi began one of his most well-known acts of civil disobedience --a hunger strike to protest British support of the Indian caste system. The successful six-day hunger strike strengthened Gandhi’s influence and popularity.

Hello and welcome to This Day in History brought to you by AARP. Take on today and every day with AARP. Here’s what happened on September 15th. He is remembered as one of the greatest athletes in history, and on this day in 1978, Muhammad Ali cemented his reputation by defeating Leon Spinks to win the world heavyweight boxing title for a third time.

Hello and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on September 14th. She was one of the most famous women in the world and an international icon of style and beauty: On this day in 1982, Princess Grace of Monaco--also known as the American-born film star Grace Kelly--died from injuries sustained in a car crash the day before.

Hello and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on September 13th. It might not be as catchy as a Taylor Swift lyric and it’s certainly not easy to sing, but, if you live in the United States, you’ve probably heard this song more times than you can count. On this day in 1814, Francis Scott Key wrote the first words to what would later become “The Star-Spangled Banner.

Hello and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on September 12th. It was probably the last thing four French teenagers expected to find when they set off for a walk in the woods of southwestern France on this day in 1940: The trekkers followed their dog through a hidden network of caves to discover some 2,000 Paleolithic paintings and engravings known today as the Lascaux cave paintings.

Hello and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on September 11th. At 8:45am on this day in 2001, an American Airlines Boeing 767 loaded with 20,000 gallons of jet fuel crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. The U.S. was under attack, and by the end of that morning, both of the Twin Towers had collapsed, a plane had crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and brave passengers had diverted a fourth plane into a Pennsylvania field.

Hello and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on September 10th. “Don’t Drink and Drive”--it’s been a familiar slogan since at least the 1980s, but the problem goes back far longer. In fact, on this day in 1897, a 25-year-old London taxi driver named George Smith became the first person ever arrested for drunk driving after slamming his cab into a building. Smith later pled guilty and was fined 25 shillings.

On this day in history: The Fitbit is introduced.

On this day in history: Ford pardons Nixon, Galveston Hurricane, and the Siege of Leningrad.

On this day in history: "Uncle Sam" (the nickname) is born, Sherman evacuates Atlanta, and Carter gives up the Panama Canal.