This Day in History: Sept. 14

Francis Scott Key gets inspiration for 'The Star-Spangled Banner'; 'The Golden Girls' premieres

On this day, Sept. 14 ...

1985: "The Golden Girls" premieres on NBC and becomes one of TV's most beloved sitcoms.

FILE - (AP Photo/Nick Ut, File)

Also on this day:

  • 1812: Napoleon Bonaparte's troops enter Moscow following the Battle of Borodino to find the Russian city largely abandoned and parts set ablaze.
  • 1814: Francis Scott Key is inspired to write the poem "Defence of Fort McHenry" (later "The Star-Spangled Banner") after witnessing the American flag flying over the Maryland fort following a night of British naval bombardment during the War of 1812.
  • 1847: During the Mexican-American War, U.S. forces under Gen. Winfield Scott take control of Mexico City.
  • 1901: President William McKinley dies in Buffalo, N.Y., of gunshot wounds inflicted by an assassin; Vice President Theodore Roosevelt succeeds him.
  • 1954: The Soviet Union detonates a 40-kiloton atomic test weapon.
  • 1963: Mary Ann Fischer of Aberdeen, S.D., gives birth to four girls and a boy, the first known surviving quintuplets in the United States.

(Associated Press)

  • 1982: Princess Grace of Monaco, formerly actress Grace Kelly, dies at age 52 of injuries from a car crash the day before.`
  • 1994: On the 34th day of a strike by players, Acting Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig announces the 1994 season is over.
  • 2009: Lecturing Wall Street on its own turf, President Barack Obama warns financial leaders not to use the recovering economy to race back into "reckless behavior" that could cause a new meltdown.
  • 2018: President Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort agrees to cooperate with the special counsel's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election; Manafort pleads guilty to two federal crimes and avoids a second trial. 
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