September 26th

Myanmar began a violent crackdown on protests, beating and dragging away dozens of monks.

Army Pfc. Lynndie England was convicted by a military jury on six counts stemming from the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal.

Slobodan Milosevic conceded that his challenger, Vojislav Kostunica, had finished first in Yugoslavia's presidential election. Milosevic declared a runoff, a move that prompted mass protests leading to his ouster.

William H. Rehnquist was sworn in as the 16th chief justice of the United States, while Antonin Scalia joined the Supreme Court as an associate justice.

Soviet military officer Stanislav Petrov averts a worldwide nuclear war by judging supposed missile attack from the US an error.

The album 'Abbey Road' by the Beatles was released.

Richard M. Nixon and John F. Kennedy took part in the first televised presidential debate.

Typhoon Vera hits Japan. The category five typhoon is thought to be the strongest typhoon to impact the island country in recorded history. The resulting rain, landslides, and damage caused the deaths of about 5000 people in Japan.

The musical 'West Side Story' opened on Broadway.

United Nations troops recaptured Seoul, the capital of South Korea, from the North Koreans.

Battle of Polygon Wood begins. Fought during World War I between the British and Australian troops and German army near Ypres in Belgium, the battle ended in an Allied victory.

Establishment of Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), an independent government agency in the US, responsible for consumer and market protection was established by the Federal Trade Commission Act on this day.

Composer George Gershwin was born in Brooklyn, New York.

Poet T.S. Eliot was born in St. Louis, Mo.

Frontiersman, Daniel Boone, died in Missouri.

Russia, Prussia & Austria sign the Holy Alliance.

Swedish Act of Succession is passed. The Swedish Act of Succession, also known as the 1810 Act of Succession was adopted by the Riksdag of the Estates. This act is part of the Swedish Constitution and regulates the succession of the Swedish Royal family.

Thomas Jefferson was appointed America's first secretary of state and John Jay the first chief justice.

Protestors shut down the court in Springfield, Massachusetts starting the Shay's Rebellion. Named after the rebellion's leader Daniel Shays, the revolt began as a response to an economic crisis where people who owed debt were imprisoned. After a bloody conflict, the Shaysites were crushed by the government. This was the first armed internal conflict in post-revolutionary America.

The city council of Amsterdam votes to support William of Orange's invasion of England, which became the Glorious Revolution.

Frances Drake completes circumnavigation of the world, sailing into Plymouth aboard the Golden Hind.