On September 23, 1905, negotiations on the Karlstad Treaty ended with an agreement to split the union of Sweden and Norway. The accord was then approved by Norway’s parliament on October 9 and by Sweden’s on October 13. Learn more about the former Union of Sweden and Norway.
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On September 23, 1901, Leon Czolgosz was put on trial for assassinating US President William McKinley at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. Learn more about the legal aftermath of the McKinley assassination from the University of Buffalo Libraries.
On September 22, 1896, Queen Victoria became the longest-reigning monarch in English history. One of the country’s most successful rulers, Victoria oversaw the expansion of the British Empire to its greatest height of power during her reign of 63 years and 7 months. Read Victoria’s speeches to the British Parliament from Archive.org.
On September 22, 1692, two men and six women were executed for witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts. Read more about the Salem witchcraft trials in JURIST’s Famous Trials series.
On September 21, 1981, the US Senate approved the nomination of Sandra Day O’Connor to the US Supreme Court by a vote of 99-0, making her the first female Supreme Court justice. Learn more about Justice O’Connor from Oyez.
On September 21, 1972, President Ferdinand Marcos signed Proclamation 1081, implementing martial law in the Philippines. Marcos used the proclamation not only to suppress a communist insurgency but to eliminate political opponents as well. He remained in power until he was forced from office and into exile by the People Power Revolution in 1986.
On September 20, 1633, the Roman Catholic Church tried Galileo Galilei on charges of heresy. Galileo was brought before the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith for his assertion that the Earth orbits the Sun. He was sentenced to spend the rest of his life under house arrest. Read documents from the trial of Galileo.
On September 20, 1884, a group of American suffragists formed the Equal Rights Party in San Francisco, dedicated to “equal and exact justice to every class of our citizens, without distinction of color, sex, or nationality” and in support of the proposition that “the laws of the several states be so amended that women will [...]
On September 19, 2002, President George W. Bush gave a speech to Congress, requesting broad authority to invade Iraq and disarm Saddam Hussein.
On September 19, 1945, a British court sentenced to death American-born William Joyce, known as “Lord Haw-Haw,” for his Nazi propaganda broadcasts during World War II. Joyce was hanged on January 6, 1946.
