This Day in History

September 7

1533 - Queen Elizabeth I, of England, was born in Greenwich.
1813 - The nickname "Uncle Sam" was first used as a symbolic reference to the United States. The reference appeared in an editorial in the New York's Troy Post.
1822 - Brazil declared its independence from Portugal.
1860 - American painter Anna Mary (Robertson Moses) was born in New York. Today it is known as "Grandma Moses Day."
1880 - George Ligowsky was granted a patent for his device that threw clay pigeons for trapshooters.
1888 - Edith Eleanor McLean became the first baby to be placed in an incubator.
1896 - A.H. Whiting won the first automobile race held on a racetrack. The race was held in Cranston, RI.
1921 - Margaret Gorman of Washington, DC, was crowned the first Miss America in Atlantic City, NJ.
1927 - Philo T. Farnsworth succeeded in transmitting an image through purely electronic means by using an image dissector.
1930 - The cartoon "Blondie" made its first appearance in the comic strips.
1963 - The National Professional Football Hall of Fame was dedicated in Canton, OH.
1966 - The final episode of the original "The Dick Van Dyke Show" was aired on CBS-TV.
1977 - The Panama Canal treaties were signed by U.S. President Carter and General Omar Torrijos Herrera. The treaties called for the U.S. to turn over control of the canal's waterway to Panama in the year 2000.
1979 - ESPN, the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, made its debut on cable TV.
1981 - Katie Benson Smith was born to Kevin and Lauri Benson of Phoenix, Arizona during a Jerry Lewis telethon.
1984 - American Express Co. issued the first of its Platinum charge cards.
1986 - Dan Marino of the Miami Dolphins threw his 100th career touchdown pass, in only his 44th NFL game, which set a NFL record.
1986 - Desmond Tutu was the first black to be installed to lead the Anglican Church in southern Africa.
1989 - Legislation was approved by the U.S. Senate that prohibited discrimination against the handicapped in employment, public accommodations, transportation and communications.
1998 - Mark McGwire set a new major league baseball record for most homeruns hit in a single season. The previous record was 61 set in 1961.
1999 - Viacom Inc. announced that it had plans to buy CBS Corp.
2001 - Barry Bonds (San Francisco Giants) became the only the fifth player in major league baseball history to hit 60 home runs in a season.


(all information, with the exception of year 1981, from onthisday.com)