On Sept. 15, 1776, British forces occupied New York City during the American Revolution.
In 1857, William Howard Taft — who served as President of the United States and as U.S. chief justice — was born in Cincinnati, Ohio.
In 1890, English mystery writer Agatha Christie was born in Torquay.
In 1963, four Black girls were killed when a bomb went off at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. (Three Ku Klux Klansmen were eventually convicted.)
In 1981, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted unanimously to approve the Supreme Court nomination of Sandra Day O’Connor.
In 1985, Nike began selling its “Air Jordan 1” sneaker.
In 2008, the Dow Jones fell 504.48, or 4.42 percent, to 10,917.51 while oil closed below $100 a barrel for the first time in six months.