On Sept. 21, 1792, the French National Convention voted to abolish the monarchy.
In 1897 the New York Sun published its famous editorial in which Francis P. Church answered 8-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon’s question: “Is there a Santa Claus?”
In 1937 “The Hobbit” by J.R.R. Tolkien was published.
In 1938 a hurricane swept over parts of New York, New Jersey and New England, claiming more than 600 lives.
In 1948 Milton Berle made his debut as permanent host of “The Texaco Star Theater” on NBC.
In 1949 the People’s Republic of China was proclaimed by its Communist leaders.
In 1950 actor Bill Murray was born in Evanston.
In 1970 “NFL Monday Night Football” debuted on ABC; the Cleveland Browns defeated the visiting New York Jets, 31-21.
In 1981 the Senate confirmed Sandra Day O’Connor as the first woman on the Supreme Court.
In 1982 National Football League players began a strike that lasted 57 days.
In 1983, in a speech to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Interior Secretary James Watt described a special advisory panel consisting of “a black . . . a woman, two Jews and a cripple.” Watt later apologized and resigned.
In 2003 NASA’s aging Galileo spacecraft deliberately plunged into Jupiter’s turbulent atmosphere, bringing a fiery conclusion to a 14-year exploration of the solar system’s largest planet and its moons.
