September 8th

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Makes its Debut. The comedian was a correspondent for the Daily Show and the host of the Colbert Report on Comedy Central before he took over David Letterman as the host of The Late Show on CBS. The first show featured Presidential hopeful and former Governor of the state of Florida, Jeb Bush and actor George Clooney.

A Senate report faulted intelligence gathering in the lead-up to the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.

Pete Sampras won a record 14th grand slam tennis title at the U.S. Open in New York. (The record has since been broken by Roger Federer.).

Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals broke Roger Maris' record for home runs in a single season, hitting No. 62 off Chicago Cubs pitcher Steve Trachsel.

The republic of Macedonia Declares its Independence From Yugoslavia. The landlocked Balkan country became independent after a referendum for independence from Yugoslavia was approved by about 96% of the voting public.

'The Oprah Winfrey Show' is first broadcast nationally.

President Gerald Ford gave former President Nixon a full pardon for all federal crimes he may have committed while he was in office.

Black September hijackings begin, three airliners hijacked and blown up by Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

The TV series 'Star Trek' premiered on NBC.

Ernest Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea was published.

The San Francisco Peace Treaty was signed, formally ending World War II hostilities with Japan.

A 900-day siege of Leningrad by German forces began during World War II.

Sen. Huey P. Long, the 'Kingfish' of Louisiana politics, was shot at the state capital building in Baton Rouge. he died two days later.

Margaret Gorman of Washington, D.C., was crowned the first Miss America in Atlantic City, N.J.

Galveston, Texas, was struck by a hurricane that killed about 6,000 people.

Dutch surrender colony of New Netherlands (including New York) to 300 English soldiers.

A Spanish expedition established the first permanent European settlement in the United States at present-day St. Augustine, Fla.

Spanish navigator Juan de Elcano returns to Spain, completing 1st circumnavigation of the globe (expedition began under Ferdinand Magellan).

Michelangelo's statue of David is unveiled in Florence.

Battle on Kulikovo: Moscow's great monarch Dimitri beats Mongols beginning the decline of the Tatars.