September 24
1180. Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos dies. He will be the last of the Byzantine Emperors with both foresight and ability, and some degree of control over his circumstances. The Empire will now slip into a long slow terminal decline.
1780. Benedict Arnold flees to British lines after his treachery is uncovered.
1869. Black Friday. President Grant compounds a bad situation on Wall Street by ordering the treasury to sell large quantities of gold, causing gold prices to decline dramatically. Grant's action was in reaction to a plot by Jay Gould and James Fisk to corner the gold market.
The blackboard, used to track the price of gold, at the gold exchange on Wall Street, as introduced into evidence at the subsequent Congressional hearings. Handwriting on the bottom is that of future President James Garfield.
1890. The Mormon Church officially renounces polygamy.
1906. President Roosevelt (Theodore) declares Devils Tower, Wyoming, the first National Monument.
1948. Honda Motor Company is founded. Raise your hand if you thought that Nintendo was 60 years older than Honda.
1957. President Eisenhower sends the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock, Arkansas, to "persuade" the governor that his opinion on desegregation and obeying the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education is misguided.
1968. 60 Minutes debuts.