September highlights

By Yolanda Romero
Staff Reporter

The word September comes from "septem," which means seven. Under the Roman calendar (from the time of Julius Caesar) September was the seventh month.

Four Jewish holidays are celebrated this September: Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year; Yom Kippur, the day of atonement; Sukkot, the harvest festival; and Simchat Torah, a day of rejoicing.

National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15 to October 14. Events include:

September 15: Independence Day for Costa Rico, El Salvador and Guatemala.

September 16: Independence Day for Mexico.

Other holidays in September:

September 2: Labor Day. The holiday was first celebrated on September 5, 1882, in New York City.

September 4: Good neighbor day;

September 8: National Pledge of Allegiance Day;

September 23: Autumn begins;

September 27: Native American day (formerly American Indian Day).

Key September dates in history:

September 2, 1945: Japan formally surrenders to the United States at the end of World War II. September 2 is now known as VJ (Victory in Japan) Day.

September 9, 1956: Elvis Presley makes the first of three appearances on the Ed Sullivan show. Fifty-four million people watch him sing "Love Me Tender" and "Hound Dog."

September 11, 2001: A terrorist attack destroys the World Trade Centers in New York City.

September 12, 1609: In his third voyage, Henry Hudson first enters the river eventually named after him.

September 12, 1953: Jacqueline Lee Bouvier marries John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

September 12, 1958: The U.S. Supreme Court orders Little Rock High School to admit black students.

September 13, 1814: Frances Scott Key writes "The Star Spangled Banner."

September 15, 1830: First National Negro Convention begins in Philadelphia.

September 17, 1787: Delegates sign the final draft of the U.S. Constitution.

September 18, 1926: A hurricane hits Miami, killing 250 people.

September 18, 1970: Jimi Hendrix dies at 27.

September 19, 1928: The first Mickey Mouse cartoon, "Steamboat Willie," is shown at the Colony Theater in New York.

September 21, 1937: J.R.R. Tolkien publishes "The Hobbit."

September 24, 1991: Dr. Seuss, who wrote "The Cat in the Hat," dies.

September 25, 1981: Sandra Day O'Connor is sworn in as the first female justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

September 25, 1992: A Florida judge allows 12-year-old Gregory Kingsley to divorce his parents.

September 26, 1957: "West Side Story" opens at the Winter Garden Theater in New York City. The show played for 734 performances.

September 29, 1890: In the first professional baseball game, The New York Metropolitans beat Washington.

In September, we also celebrate:

·library card sign-up and literacy month;

·self-improvement month;

·childrens' eye health and safety month;

·national cholesterol education and awareness month;

·national school success month; and

·national honey month.