September 21, Sandra Day O'Connor becomes first female Supreme Court justice

Today is Saturday, Sept. 21, the 265th day of 2024. There are 101 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Sept. 21, 1981, the Senate unanimously confirmed the nomination of Sandra Day O’Connor to become the first female justice on the Supreme Court.

Also on this date:

In 1792, the National Convention of France issued a proclamation announcing the abolition of the French monarchy.

In 1898, in response to a letter from 8-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon, the New York Sun newspaper wrote an editorial containing the famous line “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.”

In 1915, Cecil Chubb purchased Stonehenge for £6,600; the last private owner of the site, Chubb donated it to the British people three years later.

In 1922, President Warren Harding signed the Lodge-Fish Resolution, a Congressional resolution endorsing the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine.

In 1937, “The Hobbit,” by J.R.R. Tolkien, was first published by George Allen & Unwin Ltd. of London.

In 1938, a hurricane struck parts of New York and New England, causing widespread damage and claiming some 700 lives.

In 1939, Romanian Prime Minister Armand Călinescu was assassinated by members of the fascist Iron Guard movement.

In 1955, at Yankee Stadium in New York, boxer Rocky Marciano completed his undefeated professional career by knocking out Archie Moore in the ninth round of their title fight.

In 1970, Monday Night Football made its debut on ABC, with the Cleveland Browns defeating the New York Jets 31-21.

In 1989, Hurricane Hugo crashed into South Carolina; the storm was blamed for 56 deaths in the Caribbean and 29 in the United States.

In 2013, an attack by armed militants in the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya left 67 people dead and hundreds injured.

In 2022, Russia’s Vladimir Putin ordered a mobilization of reservists for the first time since World War II, nearly seven months after invading Ukraine.