This Day In History, September 23rd.
Five Historical Events That Happened on September 23rd
The first commencement exercises took place in 1642 at Harvard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
In 1806, Lewis and Clark's expedition arrived in St. Louis, Missouri, concluding their epic trek to the Pacific Northwest.
The planet Neptune was discovered in 1846 by German astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle, who used calculations by French mathematician Urbain Le Verrier.
In 1952, as a candidate for Vice President of the United States, Richard Nixon delivered his famous "Checkers" speech on national television, addressing claims of financial impropriety.
The first public version of the web browser Mozilla Firefox was launched in 2002, marking a significant milestone in the evolution of open-source software.
In 1642, the first commencement exercises occurred at Harvard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States.
On September 23, 1642, nine students graduated from Harvard College in the country's inaugural graduation ceremony. The event was held at the meetinghouse of the First Parish Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was attended by several significant personalities of the day, including Massachusetts Bay Colony Governor John Winthrop. The graduates got their degrees in Latin, and the occasion was a watershed moment in the history of higher education in the American colonies.
In 1806, the expedition led by Lewis and Clark reached St. Louis, Missouri, completing their historic journey to the Pacific Northwest.
The Lewis and Clark Expedition arrived at St. Louis, Missouri, on September 23, 1806, but it was not the end of their trek to the Pacific Northwest. The expedition had arrived in the Pacific Ocean in November 1805 and spent the winter there before returning eastward in the spring of 1806. The expedition's arrival at St. Louis on September 23, 1806, marked the end of a lengthy and hard voyage that lasted over two years and spanned thousands of kilometers.
In 1846, German astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle discovered the planet Neptune, using calculations by French mathematician Urbain Le Verrier.f years of activism by abolitionists, including William Wilberforce.
On September 23, 1846, German astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle discovered the planet Neptune using calculations developed by French mathematician Urbain Le Verrier. Le Verrier had anticipated the planet's existence and position based on abnormalities in Uranus' orbit, and he had forwarded his forecasts to Galle at the Berlin Observatory. Using Le Verrier's calculations, Galle was able to locate Neptune within an hour of searching for it. Neptune's discovery was a landmark triumph in astronomy, providing more proof for the veracity of Isaac Newton's principles of motion and gravitation.
In 1952, Richard Nixon, then a candidate for Vice President of the United States, gave his famous "Checkers" speech on national television, addressing allegations of financial improprieties.
On September 23, 1952, Richard Nixon, then running for Vice President on the Republican ticket with presidential candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower, delivered a nationally televised address that became known as the "Checkers" speech. The speech was given in response to charges of financial mismanagement involving a fund set up by Nixon's supporters to defray his electoral costs. In his address, Nixon acknowledged receiving presents, including a puppy named Checkers, but denied any wrongdoing and asked for the American people's support. The speech was a success, increasing Nixon's popularity and the Republican ticket's chances in the next presidential election.
In 2002, the first public version of the web browser Mozilla Firefox was released, marking a major milestone in the development of open-source software.
On September 23, 2002, the Mozilla Foundation published the first public version of the web browser Mozilla Firefox, dubbed just "Firefox" at the time. Firefox was created as an open-source project, which means that the source code was made accessible to anybody who wished to use, alter, or distribute it for free. Firefox's debut was a watershed moment in the evolution of open-source software, demonstrating that high-quality, user-friendly software could be created through collaborative, community-driven efforts. Firefox immediately attracted a devoted user base who praised its speed, security, and customizability, and it is still one of the most popular web browsers in use today.