Sept. 13
Today in history
Today is Sept. 13. On this day in:
1848: Phineas Gage, an American railroad construction foreman, suffered a traumatic brain injury when an iron rod was driven through his head, destroying much of his brain’s left frontal lobe. He survived, but the incident profoundly affected his personality and behavior, making his case a seminal event in the history of neuroscience.
1881: Lewis Latimer, an African American inventor and patent draftsman, received a patent (along with Joseph V. Nichols) for a method of attaching carbon filaments to conducting wires within an electric lamp. His invention, along with improvements he received a patent for in early 1882, made light bulbs longer-lasting and more practical for widespread use.
1948: With her election to the U.S. Senate, Margaret Chase Smith of Maine made history as the first woman to serve in both chambers of Congress, first as a representative (1940-1949) and then as a senator (1949-1973).
1963: Mary Kay Ash launched the Beauty by Mary Kay cosmetics company in Dallas with a $5,000 investment and the support of her son, Richard Rogers. Mary Kay Inc. grew into a cosmetic empire, known for its iconic pink Cadillacs awarded to top salespeople.
1964: Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a powerful sermon to a crowd of 20,000 at the Waldbuhne stadium in West Berlin, advocating for unity and peace amid the city’s division by the Berlin Wall. His visit included a stop at the Berlin Wall, symbolizing his stand against barriers that divide humanity.
1985: Super Mario Bros. was released for the Family Computer, or Famicom, the Japanese version of the Nintendo Entertainment System. Developed by Nintendo, the video game introduced players to the Mushroom Kingdom and launched the legendary series starring the plumber Mario and his brother, Luigi.
1989: Archbishop Desmond Tutu led the largest anti-apartheid march in South African history. The gathering, which took place in Cape Town, saw an estimated 30,000 participants advocating against the apartheid system and calling for the release of Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners.
1993: Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin shook hands with Yasser Arafat, chair of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, at the White House to affirm Rabin and PLO negotiator Mahmoud Abbas’ signing of the Oslo Accords, a major step toward peace between Israelis and Palestinians. The event, witnessed by President Bill Clinton and a global audience, marked the first-ever public handshake between the two adversaries.
2007: The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, a comprehensive framework affirming the rights of Indigenous populations worldwide. The declaration, which was the result of over two decades of deliberation, emphasized the rights of Indigenous peoples to maintain their cultural identities and to be free from discrimination.
– USA TODAY Network
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Today in history, September 13
