Today in History: Trial of the Chicago Eight, later the Chicago Seven, begins

Today is Tuesday, Sept. 24, the 268th day of 2024. There are 98 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Sept. 24, 1969, the trial of the Chicago Eight, later the Chicago Seven, began. (Five were later convicted of crossing state lines to incite riots at the 1968 Democratic convention, but the convictions were ultimately overturned.)

The Chicago 7: A timeline of the protests, the clashes, the trial and the fallout

Also on this date:

In 1789, President George Washington signed a Judiciary Act establishing America’s federal court system and creating the post of attorney general.

In 1869, thousands of businessmen were ruined in a Wall Street panic known as “Black Friday” after financiers Jay Gould and James Fisk attempted to corner the gold market.

In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt established Devil’s Tower as the first U.S. national monument.

In 1957, the Los Angeles-bound Brooklyn Dodgers played their last game at Ebbets Field, defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-0.

In 1960, the USS Enterprise, the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, was launched at Newport News, Virginia.

In 1963, the U.S. Senate ratified a treaty with Britain and the Soviet Union limiting nuclear testing.

In 1968, the TV news magazine “60 Minutes” premiered on CBS.

In 1988, Jackie Joyner-Kersey won gold and set a world record in the women’s heptathlon at the Summer Olympics in Seoul.

In 2013, a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake rocked southwest Pakistan, killing at least 376 people.

In 2015, a stampede and crush of Muslim pilgrims occurred in the holy city of Mina, Saudi Arabia. While the official Saudi death toll stood at 769, The Associated Press estimated that more than 2,400 people were killed.

In 2017, more than 200 NFL players kneeled or sat during the national anthem after President Donald Trump criticized the players’ protests in a speech and a series of tweets.

In 2022, Russian forces launched new strikes on Ukrainian cities as Kremlin-orchestrated votes took place in occupied regions of Ukraine to create a pretext for their annexation by Moscow.

Today’s Birthdays: Football Hall of Famer Joe Greene is 78. Actor Gordon Clapp is 76. Actor Harriet Walter is 74. Filmmaker Brad Bird is 67. Actor Kevin Sorbo is 66. Actor-screenwriter Nia Vardalos is 62. Celebrity chef Robert Irvine is 59. TV personality Ross Matthews is 45. Olympic gold medal gymnast Paul Hamm is 42. Actor Spencer Treat Clark is 37. Actor Grey Damon is 37. Actor Ben Platt is 31. Actor Joe Locke is 21.

Related posts