Devils Tower in 1890.
On this day in 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed
Devils Tower, a massive rock formation in Wyoming, the
country’s first national monument.
He called the “lofty and isolated rock” a “natural wonder.”
Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt Jr.
(October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919)
Devils Tower today draws more than half a million visitors
a year.
Sophia Loren is an Italian actress whose beauty and acting
in films like "Two Women" won her both popularity and an
Oscar.
With a career spanning over 70 years, she is one of the last
surviving major stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood
cinema.
1960
On September 6, 1995, Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken Jr.
played in his 2,131st consecutive game, breaking “Iron Horse” Lou Gehrig’s record for most consecutive games played.
“The Iron Man” was credited with reviving interest in baseball after
a 1994 work stoppage forced the cancellation of the World Series
and soured fans on the national pastime.
Calvin Edwin Ripken Jr. (65)
U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Guion S. Bluford became
the first African American to travel into space when the space
shuttle Challenger lifted off on its third mission.
It was the first night launch of a space shuttle, and many people
stayed up late to watch the spacecraft roar up from Cape
Canaveral, Florida, at 2:32 a.m.
The Challenger spent six days in space, during which time
Bluford and his crew members launched a communications
satellite for the government of India, made contact with an
errant communications satellite, conducted various scientific experiments, and tested the shuttle’s robotic arm.
Just before dawn on September 5, the shuttle landed at Edwards
Air Force Base in California, bringing an end to the most flawless
shuttle mission to that date.
Guion Stewart Bluford Jr. (82)
