Today in History Monday 09/21/2026

46 BC    Julius Caesar celebrates the first of four processions in Rome with the leader of the Gauls Vercingetorix led in chains 
1192    Richard I the Lion Hearted fis captured by Leopold V, Duke of Austria 
1348    Jews in Zurich, Switzerland are accused of poisoning wells 
1451    Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa orders Jews of Holland to wear badges 
1677    Jan and Nicolaas van der Heyden patent the fire hose 
1776    The city of New York burns totally five days after the British capture it 
   Nathan Hale spied on the British for American rebels and was arrested 
1780    Benedict Arnold gave British Major John Andre plans to West Point 
1823    Joseph Smith encounters Moroni for the first time according to his account 
1896    Walter Breuning, retired from the railroad, American supercentenarian, and the oldest undisputed American-born man on record was born in Melrose, Minnesota, United States. 
1897    The New York Sun ran it's famous "Yes, Virginia there is a Santa Claus" editorial 
1913    The first aerobatic maneuver called sustained inverted flight was performed in France 
1915    Cecil Chubb bought the English prehistoric monument Stonehenge for £6,600 
1928    "My Weekly Reader" debuts in schools everywhere 
1930    The flashbulb is patented by Johann Ostermeyer 
1931    Britain abandoned the gold standard and the pound devalued by 20% 
1942    116 hostages were executed by the Nazis in Paris 
1949    Chines Communist leaders declare China to be the People's Republic of China 
1957    The television series "Perry Mason" premieres on CBS television starring Raymond Burr as the character by author Erle Stanley Gardner 
1966    Jimmy Hendrix changed the spelling of his name to Jimi 
1968    "Adam-12" the police drama debuts on NBC in the United States 
1985    American CIA officer Edward Lee Howard escaped to Russia after being identified as a KGB agent 
2008    Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley were the last two remaining independent investment banks on Wall Street becoming bank holding companies as a result of the subprime mortgage crimes 
      Return

This is the reboot of an ongoing project and though effort has been made to ensure accuracy, it is possible that errors may become introduced into this list. Errors brought to my attention via my contact form are both handled promptly and appreciated. Thanks!