Commentaries by Kermit Roosevelt

The Luzerne County Sheriff and deputies opened fire on a group of 400 striking miners in the town of Lattimer, Pennsylvania on September 10, 1897. Around 19 strikers were killed, and 39 were injured as a result. Luzerne County Sheriff James Martin and his deputies were later acquitted by a Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania jury after claiming that the strikers advanced upon the police. Learn more about the Lattimer Massacre from the Zinn Education Project and the Pennsylvania Center for the Book.

On September 10, 1846, United States patent number 3640 was awarded to Elias Howe for his sewing machine. In 1854, Howe brought legal action against Isaac Singer, because he alleged Singer's machine infringed upon the patent. Howe won the case and was awarded royalties from the Singer sewing machines. Learn more about Elias Howe from the University of Rochester.

On September 10, 1977, Hamida Djandoubi, a Tunisian immigrant convicted of murder, became the last person executed by guillotine in France. The French death penalty was formally abolished by President Francois Mitterand in 1981. Learn more about the history of the guillotine.