What Happened in September?

Geronimo, also known as Goyathlay, hands his rifle to a U.S. General bringing the Apache armed resistance to an end after his tribe had been relocated to a reservation in Arizona 14 years earlier. His military resistance with his tiny band of Chiricahuas made him feared by white settlers.  Expand +

U.S. Patent No. 388,850 is granted to George Eastman for the Kodak camera. He also registered the trademark "Kodak". The patent marked a significant moment in photography by introducing a small, handheld, and easy-to-use box camera loaded with roll film.  Expand +

The first issue of National Geographic Magazine is published, nine months after the founding of the National Geographic Society. The initial publication was a scholarly journal, focusing on geographical topics and lacking photographs. In January 1905 the first photo feature appeared, depicting views of Lhasa, Tibet, leading to the magazine becoming known for its innovative use of photography to document discovery and travel.

Church President Wilford Woodruff releases its Anti-polygamy "Manifesto" officially advising the Mormon community, against any future plural marriage in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). Upon its issuance, the LDS Church in conference accepted Woodruff's Manifesto as "authoritative and binding".  Expand +

The largest land run in U.S. history occurred as more than 100,000 white settlers rushed to claim over more than 6 million acres of land to claim valuable land that had once belonged to Native Americans in what is now northern Oklahoma. The mad dash began with a single gun shot, and land-hungry pioneers on horseback and in carriages raced forward to stake their claims to the best acres.  Expand +

New Zealand governor, Lord Glasgow, signs a new Electoral Act into law which makes New Zealand the first self-governing country in the world in which women had the right to vote in parliamentary elections. Teo months later, on November 28, 1893 Women in New Zealand become the first in the world to vote in a national election. More

US President Grover Cleveland signs Proclamation 369 - Granting Amnesty and Pardon to the Mormon community, members of the Church of Latter-Day Saints (LDS), for the Offenses of Polygamy, Bigamy, Adultery, or Unlawful Cohabitation. The pardon helped clear the path for Utah to achieve statehood in 1896. More

The United States second-class battleship Maine is commissioned on September 17, 1895 at the New York Navy Yard. The 6,682-ton armored vessel was designed to modernize the fleet but was largely considered obsolete upon completion. The Maine, famously sank in Havana Harbor on February 15, 1898 killing over 260 American crew members.

The first ever recorded drunk driving arrest takes place in London. The driver was a man named George Smith who was a taxi cab driver in London. He was drinking and driving and crashed into a building, he was arrested for drunk driving and pleaded guilty to the charge. Smith was sentenced to pay 25 shillings. The first DUI charge in the United States occurred in 1910 when New York became the first state to prohibit drunk driving. No specific individual name was recorded.

The world's first recorded automobile accident occurs in New York City, involving a motor vehicle and a cyclist.

The United States captures the city of Manila during the Spanish-American War, establishing American control over the Philippines.

A major hurricane, the nation's deadliest natural disaster, destroys the island city of Galveston, with winds of 130 to 140 miles per hour and a storm surge in excess of 15 feet. It is believed that more than 8,000 lives on Galveston Island and several thousand more on the mainland were lost.  Expand +

William McKinley, the 25th president of the United States, is shot and mortally wounded by anarchist Leon Czolgosz at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. President McKinley died days later on September 14. Theodore Roosevelt was immediately sworn in as president.  Expand +

The Boxer Rebellion officially ends with the signing of the Boxer Protocol treaty between China's Qing Dynasty and the Eight-Nation Alliance. The Boxer Rebellion had started circa November 1899. The protocol also imposed a massive war indemnity on China and weakened the already struggling Qing government. The Qing dynasty was overthrown in 1911 and the Republic of China was established the following year, bringing an end to more than 2,000 years of imperial dynastic rule. Expand +

Theodore Roosevelt is inaugurated as the 26th President of the United States following the assassination of William McKinley.

Chief Joseph, of the Nez Perce Native American tribe, of the interior Pacific Northwest region of the US died in Nespelem, Washington, of an undiagnosed illness and what his doctor called "a broken heart." His tomb remains in Nespelem today. More

William Durant creates General Motors which included Buick and Oldsmobile on September 16, 1908. Less than 16 months later, Durant purchased other companies including Cadillac, Oakland (Pontiac), McLaughlin (GM Canada) and GMC. More

Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria Independence day from the Ottoman Empire. Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey to the south, Serbia and North Macedonia to the west, and Romania to the north. Bulgaria's estimated 2025 population is 6.5 Million and its capital city is Sofia. 

The very first Ford Model T, finishes assembly at the Piquette plant in Detroit. The production card lists it as Model 2090, car #1. It had 4 cylinders, 2 levers (the second for reverse), and 2 foot pedals. About 1,000 of these early Ts were produced. More

Inventor Rudolf Diesel disappeared from a steamer in route to London. His body was recovered on the shore days later. The circumstances surrounding his death are still a mystery. Some believe he may have committed suicide, while others speculate that he was murdered by coal industrialists. More