TEMPLE, Texas — Sept. 25 has been the center of numerous historic milestones over the years, from the first female Supreme Court Justice in the U.S. to a landmark battle between the English and the Vikings, and even the passing of one of the most important documents in American history.
Sept. 25 was also an important milestone in the fight for school integration, as the famous Little Rock Nine attended their controversial first full day of classes at an Arkansas high school.
This Day in History:
1957- The Little Rock Nine begin their first full day of classes at Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Three weeks after National Guard troops under the orders of Governor Orval Faubus had prevented nine Black students from attending, President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent 1,000 Arkansas National Guard paratroopers to Little Rock to enforce the federal court-ordered integration, escorting the students to school under heavily armed guard.
Troops would remain at Central High School throughout the school year, as the Black students continued to face threats and abuse from white students. Legal battles over school integration in the state would continue for the next few years.
All grades in Little Rock public schools were officially integrated in 1972.
Other significant events of Sept. 25:
1981- Sandra Day O'Connor, the first female U.S. Supreme Court Justice, is sworn in.
1934- Baseball legend Lou Gehrig plays his 1,500th consecutive game.
1875- Legendary outlaw Billy the Kid escapes jail in Silver City, New Mexico by climbing out of a chimney.
1789- U.S. Congress passes the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
The rights the amendments establish include freedom of speech and the press, the right to bear arms and numerous legal rights of those accused of crimes, including the right to a trial by an impartial jury, protection from cruel and unusual punishments and protection against self-incrimination.
The Bill of Rights also states that any powers not specifically delegated to the Federal Government by the Constitution belong to the States or the people themselves.
1780- Benedict Arnold defects to the British.
1106- The Battle of Stamford Bridge is fought. An English Army under King Harold II defeats a Norwegian invasion led by King of Norway Harald Hardrada and Harold's brother and rival Tostig. Both Harald and Tostig are killed in the battle.
In addition to the Battle of Hastings a few weeks later, the Battle of Stamford Bridge marks a major step in the Norman Conquest of England and the end of the Viking age in Europe.
King Harold would be killed at the Battle of Hastings three weeks later, allowing more Norman forces under William I, later known as William the Conqueror, to take over England, ending 500 years of Anglo-Saxon rule in Britain.
Legends of the battle claim a single Viking warrior defended the eponymous bridge single-handedly from English forces, allowing time for Norwegian reinforcements to arrive and for Kings Harold and Hardrada to arrange a personal meeting, though the authenticity of the story is doubted.
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