Updated September 13, 2012, 2:29 pm
On Sept. 14, 1959, the Soviet space probe Luna 2 became the first man-made object to reach the moon as it crashed onto the lunar surface.
On Sept. 14, 1879, Margaret Sanger, the outspoken early twentieth-century advocate of birth control, was born. Following her death on Sept. 6, 1966, her obituary appeared in The Times.
Go to obituary » | Other birthdays »
On This Date
By The Associated Press
1814 Francis Scott Key wrote the lyrics to “The Star-Spangled Banner” after witnessing the British bombardment of Fort McHenry in Maryland during the War of 1812. 1901 President William B. McKinley died in Buffalo, N.Y., of gunshot wounds inflicted by an assassin eight days earlier. Vice President Theodore Roosevelt, 42, was sworn in, becoming the youngest president in U.S. history. 1940 Congress passed the Selective Training and Service Act, providing for the first peacetime draft in U.S. history. 1959 The Soviet space probe Luna 2 became the first man-made object to reach the moon as it crashed onto the lunar surface. 1975 Pope Paul VI declared Mother Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton the first U.S.-born saint. 1982 Princess Grace of Monaco, formerly actress Grace Kelly, died at age 52 of injuries suffered in a car crash. 1994 The remainder of the major league baseball season was cancelled on the 34th day of a strike by players. Current Birthdays
By The Associated Press
Actor-director Tyler Perry turns 43 years old today.
AP Photo/Evan Agostini
Actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley (“According to Jim”) turns 41 years old today.
AP Photo/Evan Agostini
1936 Walter Koenig, Actor (“Star Trek”), turns 76 1940 Larry Brown, Hall of Fame basketball coach, turns 72 1944 Joey Heatherton, Singer, dancer, turns 68 1947 Jon “Bowzer” Bauman, Rock singer (Sha Na Na), turns 65 1947 Sam Neill, Actor, turns 65 1960 Melissa Leo, Actress, turns 52 1964 Faith Ford, Actress (“Faith and Hope,” “Murphy Brown”), turns 48 1970 Ben Garant, Actor (“Reno911!”), turns 42 1970 Craig Montoya, Rock musician, turns 42 1973 Nas, Rapper, turns 39 Historic Birthdays
Margaret Sanger 9/14/1879 – 9/6/1966 American birth-control advocate.Go to obituary »
81 Luigi Cherubini 9/14/1760 – 3/15/1842
Italian-born French composer of opera and sacred music89 Alexander von Humboldt 9/14/1769 – 5/6/1859
German naturalist and explorer92 Alice Stone Blackwell 9/14/1857 – 3/15/1950
American women’s suffragist and editor77 Charles Dana Gibson 9/14/1867 – 12/23/1944
American artist and illustrator61 Jan Masaryk 9/14/1886 – 3/10/1948
Czechoslovakian statesman and diplomat66 Karl Compton 9/14/1887 – 6/22/1954
American educator, physicist, and president of M. I. T. (1930-48)74 Norman Chandler 9/14/1899 – 10/20/1973
American publisher of the Los Angeles Times87 Hal Wallis 9/14/1899 – 10/5/1986
American motion-picture producer62 Allan Bloom 9/14/1930 – 10/7/1992
American writer, philosopher and teacher
