On This Day in History: September 18

King Henry VIII personally joins the siege of Boulogne in France taking command of the English forces who had already begun the siege under the Duke of Suffolk, ultimately capturing the strategic port on September 18, 1544 and Henry triumphantly entering the city.  Expand +

President George Washington crosses the Potomac to lay the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol. The ceremony held in the federal city included the Alexandria Volunteer Artillery, members of Masonic lodges from Virginia and Maryland. and large crowd, with a procession and a Masonic ritual. More

Chile's Independence Day . Officially The Republic of Chile. (Establishment of the Government Junta of Chile).

The prominent banking firm of Jay Cooke and Company, which was heavily invested in railroad construction, closes its doors as it could no longer sell enough railroad bonds to meet its obligations, leading to a crisis of confidence triggering bank runs and failures throughout the country and plunging the United States into a severe depression referred to as the Panic of 1873. 

Fidel Castro arrives in New York to address the UN General Assembly. His brief trip put the Cuban leader on the world stage. Days after his return to Cuba, the US imposed a trade embargo that would last more than half a century. Diplomatic relations with the island were severed in January 1961. More

Scotland holds a referendum on independence from the United Kingdom. The "No" side won with 2,001,926 (55.3%) voting against independence.