Sept. 12 (UPI) — On this date in history:
In 1609, Henry Hudson discovered what is now known as the Hudson River.
In 1940, near Montignac, France, the prehistoric Lascaux cave paintings, believed to be 15,000-17,000 years old, were discovered by four teenagers who stumbled upon the ancient artwork after following their dog down a narrow entrance into a cavern.
In 1953, U.S. Sen. John Fitzgerald Kennedy married Jacqueline Lee Bouvier at St. Mary’s Church in Newport, R.I.
In 1958, Little Rock High School in Arkansas was ordered by the U.S. Supreme Court to admit Black students.
Mae C. Jemison makes her remarks during commencement ceremonies at Washington University in St. Louis on May 20. As a NASA astronaut aboard the space shuttle Endeavour on September 12, 1992, Jemison became the first woman of color to travel into space. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed legislation establishing Canyonlands National Park in Utah.
In 1974, military officers deposed Emperor Haile Selassie from the Ethiopian throne he had occupied for more than half a century. The government formally abolished the monarchy in March 1975, and military officers killed Selassie in August 1975.
Hurricane Gilbert caused damage at Kelly Air Force Base in Texas in September 1988. File Photo courtesy of the U.S. Department of Defense
In 1977, Steven Biko, leader of South Africa’s Black Consciousness Movement, died of severe head trauma on the stone floor of a prison cell in Pretoria. His death became symbolic of police abuses during apartheid as six days earlier, he suffered a major blow to his skull during a police interrogation.
In 1988, Hurricane Gilbert made landfall in Jamaica before eventually moving over Mexico and Texas, killing more than 300 people.
Prince William and Kate, the duke and duchess of Cambridge, attend a charity polo match at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club in Carpinteria, Calif., on July 9, 2011. On September 12, 2013, officials in Britain announced that Prince William, 31, had left the armed forces after more than 7 1/2 years of service “to focus on royal duties and charity work.” File Photo by Hans Gutknecht/UPI
In 1992, Mae Jemison became the first Black American woman to fly in space, and Jan Davis and Mark Lee became the first married couple to go into space together aboard the Endeavor.
In 1994, a pilot crashed his small plane on the White House lawn, killing himself and creating an alarm about presidential security.
The replica of the French frigate Hermione, which ferried the Marquis de Lafayette to America, passes by midtown Manhattan as it makes its way down the Hudson River in a Parade of Ships in New York City on July 4, 2015. On September 12, 1609, Henry Hudson discovered what is now known as the Hudson River. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
In 2001, after meeting with his national security team, U.S. President George W. Bush said at a news conference: “The deliberate and deadly attacks which were carried out yesterday against our country were more than acts of terror. They were acts of war. …. The American people need to know that we’re facing a different enemy than we have ever faced. This enemy hides in shadows. …This enemy attacked not just our people, but all freedom-loving people everywhere in the world. … This will be a monumental struggle of good versus evil. But good will prevail.”
File Photo by Ricardo Watson/UPI
President John F. Kennedy and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy with their children Caroline Kennedy and John F. Kennedy Jr. pose for a photo in Hyannis Port, Mass., on August 4, 1962. On September 12, 1953, the then-senator married Jacqueline Lee Bouvier at St. Mary’s Church in Newport, R.I. File Photo by Cecil Stoughton/UPI
In 2004, Iran announced it planned to start processing 37 tons of uranium yellowcake, which Western intelligence officials estimated could be used to build five nuclear bombs.
In 2005, the last of Israeli troops left the Gaza Strip, as planned, and the Palestinians immediately reclaimed the area Israel had controlled since the 1967 war. Despite the disengagement and evacuation of Israel settlements, Israel continued to exert control over the region.
In 2006, Pope Benedict XVI, in his first papal trip to his native Bavaria, in Germany, angered Muslims in a speech with a 14th century quote criticizing Islam, leading to church bombings and other protests. The pope apologized for any offense caused, saying the words didn’t reflect his own views.
File Photo by Stefano Spaziani/UPI
In 2013, officials in Britain announced that Prince William, 31, had left the armed forces after more than 7 1/2 years of service — first in the army, then as a Royal Air Force search-and-rescue helicopter pilot — “to focus on royal duties and charity work.”
In 2018, the European Parliament took unprecedented action against Hungary, voting to censure the country’s government for violating European Union values and spurring concerns about the health of its democracy. The vote was in response to Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who disparaged independent media, academics, the courts, minorities and refugees.
In 2024, Polaris Dawn Commander Jared Isaacman and SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis carried out the first commercial spacewalk. They tested out SpaceX’s new spacesuit to see if the sleeker suit was ready for some of the rigors of space.
File Photo courtesy of SpaceX
