On September 7, ... 1776 - During the Revolutionary War, the American submersible craft Turtle attempts to attach a time bomb to the hull of British Admiral Richard Howe's flagship Eagle in New York Harbor. It was the first use of a submarine in warfare. Large enough to accommodate one operator, the submarine was entirely hand-powered. 1813 - The earliest known printed reference to the United States by the nickname Uncle Sam occurred in the Troy Post. 1825 - The Marquis de Lafayette, the French hero of the American Revolution, bade farewell to President John Quincy Adams at the White House. 1864 - In preparation for his march to the sea, Union General William T. Sherman orders residents of Atlanta, Georgia, to evacuate the city. Even though Sherman had just successfully captured Atlanta with minimal losses, he was worried about his supply lines, which stretched all the way to Louisville, Kentucky. 1867 - President Andrew Johnson extended amnesty to all but a few of the leaders of the Confederacy. 1901 - The Peace of Peking (Beijing) ended the Boxer Rebellion in China. 1903 - Marines from the USS Brooklyn landed at Beirut to protect American lives. 1940 - Nazi Germany began its initial blitz on London during the World War II Battle of Britain. The German Luftwaffe blitzed London for the 1st of 57 consecutive nights. Nazi Germany launched the aerial bombing of London that Adolf Hitler believed would soften Britain for an invasion. The blitz only strengthened Britain's resistance. The defense of London was for the Royal Air Force what Churchill called "their finest hour." 1942 - First air evacuation of casualties to hospital ships off shore occurs at Guadalcanal. 1942 - A force of Marine Corps Raiders, 600 in strength, attack the Japanese base at Taivu. The raid succeeds in damaging the base and disrupting the Japanese preparation for an attack on the main American position at Guadalcanal. 1950 - Slightly more than two months after the United Nations approved a U.S. resolution calling for the use of force to repel the communist North Korean invasion of South Korea, the Security Council rejects a Soviet resolution that would condemn the American bombing of North Korea. The Security Council action was another victory for the United States in securing U.N. support for the war in Korea. 1950 - The 1st Provisional Marine Brigade withdrew from combat in the Naktong Perimeter and reassembled at Pusan to embark for the Inchon invasion. 1951 - The U.S. destroyer Barton struck a mine killing five sailors and wounding seven in the vicinity of Wonsan Harbor. 1965 - U.S. Marines and South Vietnamese forces launch Operation Pirahna on the Batangan Peninsula, 23 miles south of the Marine base at Chu Lai. This was a follow-up to Operation Starlight, which had been conducted in August. During the course of the operation, the Allied forces stormed a stronghold of the Viet Cong 1st Regiment, claiming 200 enemy dead after intense fighting. 1967 - U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara announces plans to build an electronic anti-infiltration barrier to block communist flow of arms and troops into South Vietnam from the north at the eastern end of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The "McNamra Line," as it became known, would employ state-of-the-art, high-tech listening devices to alert U.S. forces when North Vietnamese troops and supplies were moving south so that air and artillery strikes could be brought to bear on them. It was estimated that the cost of completing and maintaining the project would be more than $800 million per year. Construction on the barrier line, initially code named "Practice Nine" and later changed to "Dye Marker," began almost at once. But in the end, the concept proved impractical as the North Vietnamese just shifted their infiltration routes to other areas. 1977 - In Washington, President Jimmy Carter and Panamanian dictator Omar Torrijos sign a treaty agreeing to transfer control of the Panama Canal from the United States to Panama at the end of the 20th century. The Panama Canal Treaty also authorized the immediate abolishment of the Canal Zone, a 10-mile-wide, 40-mile-long U.S.-controlled area that bisected the Republic of Panama. Many in Congress opposed giving up control of the Panama Canal--an enduring symbol of U.S. power and technological prowess--but America's colonial-type administration of the strategic waterway had long irritated Panamanians and other Latin Americans. 1986 - Off the Coast of Florida " An F-106 Delta Dart of the 125th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron encounters a Soviet Air Force Tu-95 Bear bomber flying parallel to the twelve-mile limit of U.S. airspace as it makes its way from Russia to Cuba. These are routine flights which are just as routinely met by Air Guard fighters who act as escorts to be sure the bombers pose no threat to the U.S. homeland. 1995 - The space shuttle Endeavour thundered into orbit with five astronauts on a mission to release and recapture a pair of science satellites. 1997 - The US F-22 Raptor Advanced Tactical Fighter took its first flight from Dobbins Air Reserve Base north of Atlanta, Ga. The plane was estimated to cost $100 million. 1999 - In NY twelve Puerto Rican prisoners agreed to accept Pres. Clinton's offer of conditional amnesty. The House of Rep. Later condemned the offer in a symbolic vote of 311-41. 1999 - In Vietnam Madeleine Albright commissioned the new US consulate in Ho Chi Minh City. 2001 - The US State Dept. issued a memo that warned Americans may be the target of a terrorist threat. 2002 - Pres. Bush met with British PM Tony Blair at Camp David, Md., to work out a strategy for taking action against Iraq's Saddam Hussein. They said the world had to act against Saddam Hussein, arguing that the Iraqi leader had defied the United Nations and reneged on promises to destroy weapons of mass destruction. Congressional Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken 7 September KING, HUGH: Ordinary Seaman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1845, Ireland. On board the U.S.S. Iroquois, Delaware River, 7 September 1871. MAXWELL, ROBERT D.: Technician Fifth Grade, U.S. Army, 7th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Besancon, France, 7 September 1944. CRUMP, JERRY K.: Corporal, U.S. Army, Company L, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Chorwon, Korea, 6 and 7 September 1951. KANELL, BILLIE G.: Private, U.S. Army, Company I, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Pyongyang, Korea, 7 September 1951. PORTER, DONN F.: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company G, 14th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Mundung-ni Korea, 7 September 1952. ENGLISH, GLENN H., JR.: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company E, 3d Battalion, 03 Infantry, 173d Airborne Brigade. Place and date: Phu My District, Republic of Vietnam, 7 September 1970. --- Regards, Walt Schmidt