September 21 in American History: The Traitor Becomes a Traitor, Reagan Speaks and the King of Horror Is Born
Here it is! Another entry into the "this day in history" category on this blog.
A short little blog post looking back into everything from events, to births, to deaths... and a bit of entertainment of course! All American history, and all taking place on September 21st.
Disclaimer: As a blogger, I use affiliate links sometimes! I may receive commission from purchases I share; it does not change your price but sometimes you might get a discount.
Historical snapshot of September 21st!
- 1780- Benedict Arnold switched sides... he attempted to sacrifice West Point to the British in exchange for profit and position.
- 1895- Duryea Motor Wagon Company, America's first automotive producer was founded! Side note for my Michigan friends: The Ford Motor Company came almost a decade later.
- 1931- Actor Larry Hagman of both I Dream of Jeannie and Dallas fame was born. He shares his birthday with horror and suspense author Stephen King [The Shining!!] (1947) and actor Bill Murray (1950) known for many things, including one of my all-time faves: Caddyshack.
- 1938- Sticking with the entertainment theme: "Room Service" featuring the Marx Brothers premiered in New York City. Once again, I'm flashing back to watching old films with my dad at my grandparents' condo in Chicago. It's the late 70s all over again in my mind.
- 1955- Champion fighter Rocky Marciano wins his final fight in the 9th round... with a knockout! Location: Yankee Stadium.
- 1957- The iconic T.V. series Perry Mason starring Raymond Burr premiered. In 1968, Adam-12 debuted and in 1985- George Clooney made HIS debut on Facts of Life. I used to love that show- yes, I'm an 80s girl for sure.
- 1982- National Football League (NFL) players begin a 57-day strike.
- 1987- President Reagan addresses the United Nations and brings up the idea of an alien threat (yes, aliens) in terms of discussing what unites all humanity. Click here if you want to flash back to it!
- 2008- The final home game at the original Yankee Stadium in the Bronx is played.
You'll notice my links above open into new screens, a bunch of this set in Prime Video, where you can watch it all with an Amazon Prime account!
What else happened? Let's hear it.
Please share your September 21st knowledge of American history in the comments section!
Closing with words from George Washington's diary. Topic: the man he refers to as the "Traitor Arnold" following Arnold's 1780 action.
[Diary entry: 5 July 1790]
....
I was informed this day by General Irvine (who recd. the acct. from Pittsburgh) that the Traitor Arnold was at Detroit & had viewed the Militia in the Neighbourhood of it twice. This had occasioned much Speculation in those parts—and with many other circumstances—though trifling in themselves led strongly to a conjecture that the British had some design on the Spanish settlements on the Mississipi and of course to surround these United States.
(Click here to read the diary entry in full, which starts prior to this mention of Arnold.)
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There is a huge practical disclaimer to the content on this blog, which is my way of sharing my excitement and basically journaling online.
1) I am not a historian nor an expert. I will let you know I’m relaying the information as I understand and interpret it. The employees of Colonial Williamsburg base their presentations, work, and responses on historical documents and mainly primary sources.
2) I will update for accuracy as history is constant learning. If you have a question about accuracy, please ask me! I will get the answer from the best source I can find.
3) Photo credit to me, Daphne Reznik, for all photos in this post, unless otherwise credited! All photos are personal photos taken in public access locations or with specific permission.
