September 11th in History

1297   Battle of Stirling Bridge: Scots jointly-led by William Wallace and Andrew Moray defeat the English. John de Warenne, 7th Earl of Surrey commanded the losing English forces.  He was killed, and his body completely flayed.  William Wallace is reputed to have used a length of de Warenne's skin, a continuous strip taken from head to heel, as a baldric from which to hang his sword (presumably tanned eventually?).  Part of the reason for de Warrenne's forces loss was the Earl's overconfidence, and having his forces tactical position fall apart because the Earl 'overslept'.  His eternal rest began only a little later the same day.

Seal of the Grand Master
of the Teutonic Knights

1390   Lithuanian Civil War (1389–1392): the Teutonic Knights begin a five-week siege of Vilnius. Lithuania at the time extended beyond present Lithuania to include Belarus, Ukraine, Transnistria, and parts of Poland and Russia.  The Lithuanian Civil War was resolved between the two cousins who were Dukes of Lithuania; they made peace and turned on the Teutonic Knights.  At this time in medieval history, Lithuania was the largest nation in Europe.  After the Teutonic Knights were no longer involved in crusades in the Holy Land, they became involved in protracted territorial battles with both Lithuania and Poland, conflicts which eventually caused the decline in the supremacy of the order.

1541   Santiago, Chile, is destroyed by indigenous warriors, lead by Michimalonko in a three year war on the Spanish Conquistadores.

Illustrations of Moriscos
wearing their traditional ethnic dress

1609   Expulsion order announced against the Moriscos of Valencia; beginning of the expulsion of all Spain's Moriscos.  The Moriscos were those inhabitants who were of Moorish heritage, who had converted to Roman Catholicism.  Despite their conversion, they were treated with discrimination and intolerance, and eventual expulsion.  In Granada, Cardinal Jimenez de Cisneros engaged in forced conversions, the burning of Islamic texts (where have we heard that in current events?) and subsequently expulsion without being allowed to leave with any property, money or jewelry.  Those converts  who were suspected of secretly practicing Islam were tortured by the Spanish Inquisition which did not officially disband until July 1834.  When the expulsion order was issued, Spain wanted to expel the adult Moriscos, for the 'crime' of being Muslim.  But because the Moriscos' children had been baptised as Christians there was even an attempt to separate the parents, driving them out of the country, but forbidding them to take their own children with them.  One of the results of the expulsion of this segment of the population was an economic collapse due to the loss of such a large segment of the skilled labor force of Valencia and other parts of Spain, which could not adequately be replaced by Christian workers unskilled in the expertise lost.

1609   Henry Hudson discovers Manhattan Island and the indigenous people living there.

1649   Siege of Drogheda ends: Oliver Cromwell's English Parliamentarian troops take the town and execute its garrison.  Cromwell defeated the royalist garrison, loyal to the dethroned King in the English Civil War. Not only the garrsion, 'under arms' were executed, but also the Roman Catholic clergy.

1683   John III Sobieski of Poland arrives on Kahlen Hill, leading to the Battle of Vienna the following day.

1697   Battle of Zenta.  In the Balkans, the Habsburg army defeated the Ottoman empire, gaining control of Bosnia from the Turks, along with large sections of Hungary, Transylvania, and Slavonia.

1708   Charles XII of Sweden stops his march to conquer Moscow outside Smolensk, marking the turning point in the Great Northern War. The army is defeated nine months later in the Battle of Poltava, and the Swedish empire ceases to be a major power.

1733    Death of François Couperin 'Le Grand", 'the Great', French composer of harpsicord (b. 1668), court organist and composer to the French court.  He is the greatest member of a multi-generational baroque musical dynasty.

1773    The Public Advertiser publishes a satirical essay titled "Rules By Which A Great Empire May Be Reduced To A Small One" written by Benjamin Franklin.

1775    Benedict Arnold's expedition to Quebec leaves Cambridge, Massachusetts.

1776    British-American peace conference on Staten Island fails to stop nascent American Revolutionary War.

1786   The Beginning of the Annapolis Convention, in which only some of the states participated; which led to the subsequent Philadelphia Convention of 1787 also known as the Constitutional Convention.

1789    Alexander Hamilton is appointed the first United States Secretary of the Treasury.

1792   The Hope Diamond is stolen along with other French crown jewels when six men break into the house used to store them.

1813    In the War of 1812: British troops arrive in Mount Vernon and prepare to march on and invade Washington D.C..

1814    In the War of 1812: The climax of the Battle of Plattsburgh, a major United States victory in the war.

1829    Surrender of the expedition led by Isidro Barradas at Tampico, sent by the Spanish crown in order to retake Mexico, This was the final consummation of Mexican independence.

1857    The Mountain Meadows Massacre: Mormon settlers and Paiutes Indians engage in the unprovoked massacre 120 pioneers, men, women, and children at Mountain Meadows, Utah who were attempting to peacefully pass through the Mormon territory to settle further west.

1862    Birth of William Sydney Porter, better known under the nom de plume, O. Henry, American short story writer (d. 1910).

1891    The Jewish Colonization Association is established by Baron Maurice de Hirsch.

1893    First conference of the World Parliament of Religions is held.

1897    After months of pursuit, generals of Menelik II of Ethiopia capture Gaki Sherocho, the last king of Kaffa, bringing an end to that ancient kingdom.

1906    Mahatma Gandhi coins the term "Satyagraha" to characterize the Non-Violence movement in South Africa.

1914    Australia invades New Britain, defeating a German contingent at the Battle of Bita Paka.

1921    Nahalal, the first moshav in Israel, is settled.

1922    The British Mandate of Palestine begins.

1926    An assassination attempt on Benito Mussolini fails.

1940    George Stibitz pioneers the first remote operation of a computer.
            Birth of Theodore Olson, U.S. Solicitor General

1941    Ground is broken for the construction of The Pentagon.
            Charles Lindbergh's Des Moines Speech accusing the British, Jews and the Roosevelt administration of pressing for war with Germany.

1943    World War II: German troops occupy Corsica and Kosovo-Metohija.
             Start of the liquidation of the Ghettos in Minsk and Lida by the Nazis.

1944    World War II: The first Allied troops of the U.S. Army cross the western border of Germany.
            World War II: RAF bombing raid on Darmstadt and the following firestorm kill 11,500.

1945   World War II: Liberation of the Japanese-run POW and civilian internment camp at Batu Lintang, Kuching, Sarawak on the island of Borneo by Australian 9th Division forces. Over 2,000 prisoners, including women and children, were due to be executed on September 15.

1956    People to People International is founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

1960     The Young Americans for Freedom, meeting at home of William F. Buckley, Jr., promulgate the Sharon Statement.

1970     88 of the hostages from the Dawson's Field hijackings are released. The remaining hostages, mostly Jews and Israeli citizens, are held until September 25.

1971     Death of Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev, Soviet politician and leader (b. 1894)
             The Egyptian Constitution becomes official.

1972   Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) in San Francisco, California begins regular service.

1973   A coup in Chile headed by General Augusto Pinochet topples the democratically elected president Salvador Allende. Pinochet remains in power for almost 17 years. 
            Death of Max Fleischer, American animator (b. 1883)

1978   U.S. President Jimmy Carter, President Anwar Sadat of Egypt, and Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel meet at Camp David and agree on the Camp David Accords a framework for peace between Israel and Egypt and a comprehensive peace in the Middle East.

1982    The international forces that were guaranteeing the safety of Palestinian refugees following Israel's 1982 Invasion of Lebanon leave Beirut. Five days later, several thousand refugees are massacred in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps.

1989    The iron curtain opens between the communist Hungary and Austria. From Hungary thousands of East Germans throng to Austria and West Germany.

1997    NASA's Mars Global Surveyor reaches Mars.
            After a nationwide referendum, Scotland votes to establish a devolved parliament, within the United Kingdom.

1997    14 Estonian soldiers lose their lives in the Kurkse tragedy, drowning in the Baltic Sea

1998    Congress released Kenneth Starr's report, which offered graphic details of President Bill Clinton's alleged sexual misconduct and leveled accusations of perjury and obstruction of justice.

2001    The September 11 attacks take place in the United States. Airplane hijackings result in the collapse of the World Trade Center in New York City, destruction of the western portion of The Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and a passenger airliner crash in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Among the victims of the September 11 attacks:   
      David Angell, American sitcom creator (b. 1946)
      Garnet Bailey, Canadian hockey player and scout (b. 1948)
      Todd Beamer, passenger on United Airlines Flight 93 (b. 1968)
      Berry Berenson, widow of Anthony Perkins (b. 1948)
      Mark Bingham, passenger on United Airlines Flight 93 (b. 1970)
      Tom Burnett, American businessman (b. 1963)
      Peter J. Ganci, Jr., Chief of Department, FDNY (b. 1946)
      Father Mychal F. Judge, Chaplain, FDNY (b. 1933)
      Angel L. Juarbe, Jr., American firefighter (b. 1966)
      John P. O'Neill, American anti-terrorism FBI agent (b. 1952)
      John Ogonowski, pilot for American Airlines Flight 11 (b. 1951)
      Barbara Olson, American political commentator (b. 1955), wife of Theodore Olson, U. S. Solicitor General (see above, 1940)
      Daniel M. Lewin, founder of Akamai Technologies (b. 1970)
9/11 terrorists:
      Marwan Al-Shehhi (b. 1978)
      Mohamed Atta (b. 1968)
      Hani Hanjour (b. 1972)
      Ziad Jarrah (b. 1975)

Patriot Day

Declaration of Patriot Day to be celebrated on September 11 each year, by Joint Resolution 71 of  Congress, a discretionary day of rememberance requiring flags in the U.S. to be flown at half mast, and observing a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. Eastern Time, the moment when the first plane struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

2007   Russia tests the largest conventional weapon ever, the 'Father of all bombs'.