On September 3, 1939, in response to Hitler’s invasion of Poland,
Britain and France, both allies of the overrun nation declare war
on Germany.

The first casualty of that declaration was not German—but the
British ocean liner Athenia, which was sunk by a German U-30
submarine that had assumed the liner was armed and belligerent.

There were more than 1,100 passengers on board, 112 of whom
lost their lives. Of those, 28 were Americans, but President
Roosevelt was unfazed by the tragedy, declaring that no one
was to “thoughtlessly or falsely talk of America sending its
armies to European fields.” The United States would remain
neutral.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt
(January 30, 1882 – April 12, 1945)

British ocean liner SS Athenia was sunk when a torpedo
from the German submarine U-30 sank her in the Western Approaches.

A statement posted on his website said Jimmy Buffett passed
away peacefully Friday night "surrounded by his family, friends,
music and dogs.” A cause of death was not immediately released.

.

General  Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Allied Commander, speaking at the opening of the surrender ceremonies, on
board USS Missouri (BB-63).

Aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, Japan formally
surrendered to the Allies, bringing an end to World
War II. 

By the summer of 1945, the defeat of Japan was a foregone
conclusion. The Japanese navy and air force were destroyed.

Army General Douglas MacArthur signs the Instrument of Surrender.
 

Tonight Starring Steve Allen was a talk show hosted by
Steve Allen. It was the first version of what eventually
became known  as The Tonight Show. Tonight was the
first late-night talk show, as well as the first late night
television series of any kind to achieve long-term
success. Allen’s run as host of the show lasted for
two and a half seasons, beginning in fall 1954 and
ending with Allen’s departure in January 1957.
(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Stephen Valentine Patrick William Allen
(December 26, 1921 – October 30, 2000)

Bobby Fischer (right) defeated Russian Boris Spassky.

On September 1, 1972, in what’s billed as the “Match of the
Century,” American chess grandmaster Bobby Fischer
defeated Russian Boris Spassky during the World Chess
Championship in Reykjavik, Iceland.

In the world’s most publicized title match ever played, Fischer,
a 29-year-old Brooklynite, became the first American to win
the competition since its inception in 1866. The victory also
marked the first time a non-Russian had won the event in
24 years.