by Stephanie Petrovick
September 14
In 1901, President William Mckinley died. He had been shot by an anarchist named Leon Czolgosz on September 6, during the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. Czolgosz shot the President two times, the first one bouncing off his button, and the second going through his kidneys and lodging in his back. He died from the gangrene that resulted from the wound.
September 15
In 1862, during the Civil War, Harper’s Ferry was taken by the Confederate Army. Confederate General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson captured the town when the federal garrison was vulnerable after an earlier attack. On September 14, Jackson started to bombard the town with artillery shells. The commander of the fort, General Dixon Miles, surrendered after a day when reinforcements did not arrive.
September 16
In 1908, William Durant created the company General Motors, which went on to dominate the car industry. It was made up of 30 different small companies, including companies like Cadillac and Oldsmobile. But, because buying those companies was expensive, Durant was kicked out of the company.
September 17
In 1787 the Constitution was finally signed by 38 of the 41 present delegates at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Rhode Island was the only state not present, and George Washington was elected president. After a long, hard debate, the delegates created the government system we have now.
September 18
In 1978 the first ever space shuttle, the Enterprise, was unveiled to the public by NASA. The ceremony was held in Palmdale, California. Its first flight occurred in 1977, when a Boeing 747 airplane towed it to 25,000 feet in elevation and was then released to glide down to the Edwards Air Force Base.