The month of September has been home to many historical events over the years. Going back a century, here’s a look at some that helped to shape the world in September 1926.
One hundred people lose their lives in Spain on September 1 due to flooding from storms. The storms come after a 55-day drought.
The funeral train of actor Rudolph Valentino arrives in Chicago on September 3 after departing New York a day earlier. Despite a heavy police presence, several grieving fans break through a police cordon and run onto the tracks.
Fifteen members of the League of Nations Council unanimously accept a resolution to admit Germany to the League on September 4. A condition of that acceptance was Germany’s pledge that the country would never again go to war.
Five prisoners are shot and killed in Raymondville, Texas, by a group of Willacy County officers on September 7. The five prisoners were being held on suspicion of killing two Willacy County peace officers on September 5.
Roughly 1,000 Greek rebels attack government troops in Athens on September 9. Many of the troops are loyal to deposed Greek dictator Theodoros Pangalos, but their revolt is quickly put down.
Twenty-six-year-old Italian anarchist Gino Lucetti throws a bomb at the limousine of Benito Mussolini on September 11. Mussolini is unhurt, but eight others are injured and Lucetti is quickly captured and imprisoned.
The Aloha Tower opens in Honolulu, Hawaii on September 11. The tower ultimately welcomes hundreds of thousands of immigrants to Honolulu and draws comparisons to the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor.
The formation of the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is announced on September 13.
Argentina enacts law No. 11,357 on September 14. The law provides more legal protection for married women and expands civil rights for women.
English writer Rudyard Kipling publishes his Debits and Credits collection on September 15. The collection includes the poem, “The Vineyard,” which is interpreted as a criticism of the United States for its late entry into World War I.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Asa Keyes orders the arrest of five individuals on September 16. Among those to be arrested is evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson, who is accused of conspiracy to corrupt public morals.
A Category 4 hurricane strikes Miami and much of southern Florida on September 18. The hurricane causes an estimated $100 million in damage and ultimately kills more than 370 people.
Gangster Al Capone escapes harm when The North Side Gang conducts a failed assassination attempt on him in Cicero, Illinois, on September 20. The failed attempt is made in broad daylight while Capone is eating at his headquarters.
Two men die during a failed takeoff as French aviator René Fonck attempts to conduct the first non-stop transatlantic flight on September 21. Fonck attempted to take off from Long Island’s Roosevelt Field but he and his co-pilot were forced to leap to safety when the landing gear of his plane collapsed under the weight of the four passengers while the plane traveled on the runway.
American inventor Thomas Edison declares radio broadcasting to be a commercial failure on September 22.
A crowd of more than 132,000 people watch challenger Gene Tunney defeat heavyweight boxing champion Jack Dempsey on September 23 at the Sesquicentennial Stadium in Philadelphia. Dempsey was fighting his first bout in more than three years.
John Coltrane is born in Hamlet, North Carolina, on September 23. Coltrane would become one of the most influential figures in 20th century music before succumbing to cancer in 1967.
Henry Ford introduces the eight-hour workday and five-day workweek at the Ford Motor Company on September 25.
American burglars Ray Terrill and Elmer H. Inman escape from prison in Oklahoma on September 27. The men would ultimately form the Kimes-Terrill Gang alongside gangster Matthew Kimes.
The controversial play The Captive opens on Broadway on September 29. The play is among the first Broadway plays to address the subject of lesbianism and is shut down after 160 performances.
