September 25
1775
Ethan Allen was captured by the British.
1789
The first Congress adopted 12 amendments to the Constitution and sent them to the states for ratification. The first ten became the Bill of Rights.
1890
Wilford Woodruff, president of the Mormon church, renounced the practice of polygamy. This paved the way for Utah’s acceptance as a state in 1896.
1957
Nine black children were escorted to Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, under heavily armed guard, because of racial violence.
1981
Sandra Day O’Connor was sworn in as the first female justice on the Supreme Court.
2003
It was reported that more than 14,000 had lost their lives in France in a summer heat wave.
2011
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia grants women the right to vote and run for office in future elections.
Birthdays
William Faulkner
1897–1962, American novelist, born in New Albany, Miss., one of the great American writers of the 20th century.
Claude Perrault
architect, scientist, and physician (1613)
Mark Rothko
painter (1903)
Dmitri Shostakovich
composer (1906)
Sir Colin Davis
conductor (1927)
Barbara Walters
TV commentator (1931)
Glenn Gould
pianist and composer (1932)
Michael Douglas
actor (1944)
Christopher Reeve
actor, director (1952)
Heather Locklear
actress (1961)
Catherine Zeta-Jones
actress (1969)