Today:
31 BC – Octavian’s forces defeated the combined fleet of Mark Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium off the western coast of Greece. The victory paved the way for Octavian to become Augustus, the first Roman emperor.
1666 – The Great Fire of London began in a bakery on Pudding Lane. The fire burned for several days, destroying more than 13,000 houses and much of the medieval city.
1752 – September 2 was the final day Britain and its American colonies used the Julian calendar. The following day was September 14 as Britain adopted the Gregorian calendar, effectively skipping 11 dates.
1789 – The U.S. Treasury Department was established by Congress. Alexander Hamilton became the nation’s first Secretary of the Treasury and helped create the foundations of the American financial system.
1864 – Union forces under General William T. Sherman captured Atlanta during the American Civil War. The victory significantly boosted Northern morale and President Abraham Lincoln’s prospects for reelection.
1901 – Vice President Theodore Roosevelt delivered his famous “speak softly and carry a big stick” speech at the Minnesota State Fair. Fourteen days later, following the assassination of William McKinley, Roosevelt became president.
1945 – Japan formally surrendered aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, officially ending World War II. Representatives of Japan and the Allied powers signed the surrender documents nearly six years to the day after the war began in Europe.
1963 – CBS Evening News expanded from 15 minutes to 30 minutes, with Walter Cronkite as anchor, helping establish the half-hour network evening newscast as a fixture of American television.
1969 – The first automatic teller machine in the United States began dispensing cash at Chemical Bank in Rockville Centre, New York. The bank advertised the innovation with the memorable line, “On Sept. 2, our bank will open at 9:00 and never close again.”
1998 – Swissair Flight 111 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia, after an in-flight fire. All 229 people aboard were killed, and the investigation led to significant improvements in aircraft fire-safety standards.