On Sept. 6, 1901, President William McKinley was mortally wounded by an anarchist-gunman in Buffalo. (McKinley, who died eight days later, was succeeded by Theodore Roosevelt.)
In 1909 American explorer Robert Peary sent word that he had reached the North Pole five months earlier.
In 1916 the first self-serve grocery store, Piggly Wiggly, was opened in Memphis by Clarence Saunders. (The store was set up to enable shoppers to handpick groceries rather than request them from a clerk standing behind a counter.)
In 1941 Jews over age 6 in German-occupied areas were ordered to wear yellow Stars of David.
In 1966 South African Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd was stabbed to death by a deranged page during a parliamentary session in Cape Town.
In 1975 Czechoslovak tennis star Martina Navratilova asked for political asylum in New York.
In 1991, in the Soviet Union, the State Council, a new executive body made up of President Mikhail Gorbachev and republic leaders, recognized the independence of the Baltic states.
In 1995 the Senate Ethics Committee voted unanimously to recommend expulsion of Sen. Bob Packwood, accused of sexual and official misconduct. Also, Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken broke Lou Gehrig’s record by playing his 2,131st consecutive game.
In 1997 Britain bade farewell to Princess Diana with a funeral at Westminster Abbey.
In 2001 the Bush administration abandoned the Clinton-era effort to break up Microsoft.
In 2002, meeting outside Washington for only the second time since 1800, Congress convened in New York to pay homage to the victims and heroes of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
In 2004 former President Bill Clinton underwent heart bypass surgery in New York.
In 2005 the California Legislature became the first legislative body in the nation to approve same-sex marriages, but Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed the bill.
