Wednesday, September 02nd
The 245th day of 2009.
There are 120 days left in the year.
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Today's Highlights in History
On Sept. 2, 1945, Japan formally surrendered in ceremonies aboard the USS Missouri, ending World War II. (Go to article.)
On Sept. 2, 1948, Christa McAuliffe, the American teacher who died in the 1986 space shuttle Challenger explosion, was born. Following her death on Jan. 28, 1986, her obituary appeared in The Times. (Go to obit. | Other Birthdays)
Editorial Cartoon of the Day
On September 2, 1871, Harper's Weekly featured a cartoon about the new "streetcar suburbs." (See the cartoon and read an explanation.)
On this date in:
1666 The Great Fire of London broke out. When it was extinguished three days later, nearly 400 acres in the city had been destroyed, including some 13,000 houses and the old St. Paul's Cathedral.
1789 The U.S. Treasury Department was established.
1864 Union Gen. William T. Sherman's forces occupied Atlanta during the Civil War.
1901 Vice President Theodore Roosevelt offered the advice, "Speak softly and carry a big stick," in a speech at the Minnesota State Fair.
1935 A hurricane slammed into the Florida Keys, claiming 423 lives.
1944 Navy pilot George H.W. Bush was shot down by Japanese forces as he completed a bombing run over the Bonin Islands. The future president was rescued by a U.S. submarine.
1945 Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam an independent republic.
1963 Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace prevented the integration of Tuskegee High School by encircling the building with state troopers.
1963 "The CBS Evening News" was lengthened from 15 to 30 minutes.
1969 North Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh died.
1969 The first automatic teller machine to use magnetic-striped cards was opened to the public at Chemical Bank in New York.
1983 Tom Brokaw took over as anchor of NBC's "Nightly News."
1985 A U.S.-French expedition announced that it had located the wreckage of the Titanic about 560 miles off Newfoundland.
1992 The United States and Russia agreed to build a space station.
1998 A Swissair jetliner crashed off Nova Scotia, killing all 229 people aboard.
2004 President George W. Bush accepted his party's nomination for a second term at the Republican National Convention in New York City.
2005 A National Guard convoy packed with food, water and medicine rolled into New Orleans four days after Hurricane Katrina.