301 – San Marino, one of the smallest nations in the world and the world’s oldest republic still in existence, founded by Saint Marinus
1783 – Treaty of Paris signed in Paris ends the American Revolutionary War between Great Britain and United States of America
1894 – Labor Day was celebrated as a legal holiday in the United States for the first time.
1900 – With a proclamation by General Lord Roberts, Britain annexes the Boer Republic of South Africa
1939 – World War II: Britain declares war on Germany after invasion of Poland. France follows 6 hours later quickly joined by Australia, New Zealand, South Africa & Canada
1976 – After a nearly yearlong journey, NASA’s robotic spacecraft Viking 2 landed on Mars and began relaying information about the planet’s atmosphere and soil as well as colour photographs of the rocky surface.
1988 – Estimated by this date 50,000 Kurdish civilians and soldiers killed by Iraq, many using chemical weapons, in aftermath of Iran-Iraq War
Births & Deaths: 1991 – American director Frank Capra—who was best known for a series of beloved films that included Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) and It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)—died in California.
Sport: 1950 – Giuseppe “Nino” Farina wins inaugural Formula 1 World Drivers Championship by taking out the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in an Alfa Romeo; wins by 3 points from Juan Manuel Fangio
Music: 1912 – Arnold Schoenberg’s “Funf Orchesterstucke” (Five Pieces for Orchestra) premieres in London at a Promenade Concert
TV & Film: 1951 – TV soap opera “Search for Tomorrow” debuts on CBS
