Moments in Time – August 26, 2020

#Middlebury

• On Sept. 10, 1813, in the first unqualified defeat of a British naval squadron in history, U.S. Capt. Oliver Hazard Perry leads a fleet of nine American ships to victory over a squadron of six British warships. After the battle, Perry sent a famous dispatch to U.S. Gen. William Henry Harrison that read, “We have met the enemy, and they are ours.”
• On Sept. 9, 1939, audiences at the Fox Theater in Riverside, California, get a surprise showing of “Gone with the Wind.” The film became an instant hit, breaking all box office records. It was nominated for more than a dozen Oscars and won nine.
• On Sept. 8, 1945, U.S. troops land in Korea to begin their postwar occupation of the southern part of that nation, one month after Soviet troops had entered northern Korea to begin their own occupation. The division of Korea quickly became permanent.
• On Sept. 12, 1951, former middleweight champion Sugar Ray Robinson defeats Randy Turpin to win back the belt after losing to Turpin two months prior. Robinson knocked Turpin down with a right to the jaw in the 10th round.
• On Sept. 11, 1965, the 1st Cavalry Division begins to arrive in South Vietnam, bringing U.S. troop strength to more than 125,000. The unit was the first full U.S. Army division deployed to Vietnam.
• On Sept. 7, 1977, President Jimmy Carter signs a treaty that will give Panama control over the Panama Canal beginning in the year 2000. A 1904 agreement had given the U.S. the right to build the canal and a renewable lease.
• On Sept. 13, 1980, country music artist Willie Nelson and his band perform at the White House with President Jimmy Carter in attendance. Later that night, unbeknownst to the president, Nelson allegedly retired to the White House roof to smoke a marijuana cigarette.

© 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc.
All Rights Reserved