August 30
A 24-hour-a-day hot line between Moscow and Washington goes into effect. The hot line was supposed to help speed communication between the governments of the United States and the Soviet Union and help prevent the possibility of an accidental war. – 1963.
Thurgood Marshall becomes the first African American to be confirmed as a U.S. Supreme Court justice. He remained on the Supreme Court for 24 years before retiring for health reasons. He leaves a legacy of upholding the rights of the individual as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. – 1967.
August 31
More than 325,000 unionists gather in Washington, D.C. for a Solidarity Day march and rally for work-place fairness and health care reform. – 1991.
September 1
At 4:45 a.m., some 1.5 Million German troops invade Poland all along its 1,750-mile border with German-controlled territory. Simultaneously, the German Luftwaffe bombs Polish airfields, and German warships and U-boats attack Polish naval forces. – 1939.
September 2
The Great Fire of London breaks out in the house of King Charles II’s baker on Pudding Lane near London Bridge. When the Great Fire finally was extinguished September 6, more than 80% of London was destroyed. Only 16 persons were known to have died. – 1666.
Aftershocks from an earthquake start out-of-control fires in Tokyo, Japan, and the surrounding area. In total, 143,000 persons die in the disaster, which is known both as the Great Kwanto Earthquake and the Great Tokyo Fire. Eighty percent of the nearby city of Yokohama was destroyed, as well as approximately 60% of Tokyo. – 1923.
September 3
The American Revolution officially comes to an end when representatives of the United States, Great Britain, Spain, and France sign the Treaty of Paris. – 1783.
September 4
Apache chief Geronimo surrenders to U.S. government troops. For 30 years, the mighty Native American warrior had battled to protect his tribe’s homeland; however, by 1886 the Apaches were exhausted and hopelessly outnumbered. General Nelson Miles accepted Geronimo’s surrender to make him the last Indian warrior to formally give in to U.S. forces and signaling the end of the Indian Wars in the Southwest. – 1886.
Arkansas governor Orval Faubus enlists the National Guard to prevent nine African American students from entering Central High School in Little Rock while an angry crowd of some 400 whites jeered, booed, and threatened to lynch the African American teenagers. Faubus took the action in violation of a federal order to integrate the school. September 24 president Dwight Eisenhower sent 1,000 U.S. troops to Little Rock. The next day, the African American students entered under heavily-armed guard. – 1957.
September 5
Between 20,000 to 30,000 marchers participate in New York’s first Labor Day parade with the demand for an eight-hour work day. – 1882.
Sources: History.com, Toil and Trouble, by Thomas R. Brooks; American Labor Struggles, by Samuel Yellen; IWW calendar, Solidarity Forever; Historical Encyclopedia of American Labor, edited by Robert E. Weir and James P. Hanlan; Southwest Labor History Archives/George Meany Center; Geov Parrish’s Radical History; workday Minnesota; Andy Richards and Adam Wright, AFL-CIO Washington DC Metro Council.