SEPTEMBER 2 | Birthdays and Events

Notable Birthdays for September 2

Lysander Button (1810-1898) - Engineer and inventor of early significant improvements on steam fire engines.

Albert Spalding (1850-1915) - Co-founder of the Spalding Sporting Goods Company.

William F. Harrah (1911-1978) - Founder Harrah's Hotel and Casinos (now Caesars Entertainment).

Arthur Ashkin (1922-2020) - Physicist considered to be the "Father of Optical Tweezers" (microscopic laser tweezers).

Arnold Greenberg (1932-2012) - Co-founder of Snapple.

Andrew Grove (1936-2016) - Co-founder of Intel.

Terry Bradshaw (1948-Still Living) - Former NFL quarterback and current sportscaster/commentator.

Christa McAuliffe (1948-1986) - Astronaut who sadly died on the Space Shuttle Challenger (1986).

Mark Harmon (1951-Still Living) - Actor who is best known for role as "Gibbs" on the television series NCIS.

Katt Williams (1971-Still Living) - Comedian and actor.

Memorable Events for September 2

1789 - The U.S. Department of the Treasury is founded.

1898 - Americans use machine guns for the first time in battle (Marines at Guantanamo Bay).

1901 - While giving a speech at the MN State Fair, VP Theodore Roosevelt utters the famous phrase, "Speak softly and carry a big stick."

1902 - The first sci-fi film is released (A Trip To The Moon).

1912 - Arthur Rose Eldred is awarded the first "Eagle Scout" award of the Boy Scouts of America.

1931 - Bing Crosby makes his solo radio debut (15 Minutes with Bing Crosby).

1937 - The U.S. Housing Authority is created.

1940 - The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is established and dedicated.

1944 - The future President George H. W. Bush bails out of a burning plane during a mission in the Pacific.

1945 - Japan formally surrenders to the U.S., ending WWII (V-J Day).

1963 - CBS Evening News becomes the first U.S. network to broadcast the first half-hour weeknight news.

1969 - The first automated teller machine is installed in Rockville Centre, NY.

1974 - President Ford signs the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, setting minimum standards for pension plans.

2008 - Google launches its Google Chrome.