TEMPLE, Texas — It can be astounding to look back and think about everything that has happened over the course of human history. What may seem like just another workday could actually hold much more significance than we think. The week of Sept. 4 has seen its fair share of history over the years as well, from sports records to international tragedies to turning points in the founding of America. This week, 6 News takes a look at just some of the events that have taken place over these seven days throughout the years.
Sept. 4
2006: Television host and wildlife conservationist Steve Irwin dies after being pierced through the chest by a stingray.
1998: Google Inc. is formally established by Sergey Brin and Larry Page.
1981: Grammy award-winner Beyoncé Knowles is born.
1944: Antwerp, Belgium is liberated by British troops.
1886: Apache leader Geronimo surrenders to General Nelson A. Miles at Skeleton Cayon, Arizona.
1862: The Confederate Army, led by Robert E. Lee, invades Maryland, beginning the Antietam Campaign.
1781: Los Angeles is founded by Spanish settlers.
Sept. 5
1997: Nobel Peace Prize winner Mother Teresa dies in Calcutta at age 87.
1976: The first episode of "The Muppet Show" airs.
1972: 11 Israeli athletes are taken hostage by a Palestinian militant group at the Olympic Games in Munich. All 11 athletes and all but three terrorists are killed.
1842: Famous outlaw Jesse James is born.
1836: Sam Houston is elected president of the Republic of Texas.
Sept. 6
1997: Princess Diana's funeral is held, with an estimated 2.5 billion people watching the televised ceremony.
1995: Baltimore Orioles' Cal Ripken Jr. plays in his 2,131st consecutive game, breaking Lou Gehrig's 56-year record.
1991: Leningrad is renamed to St. Petersburg.
1988: Lee Roy Young becomes the first African-American Texas Ranger in the 165-year history of the organization.
1953: The last American and Korean prisoners are exchanged in Operation Big Switch, the last official act of the Korean War.
1901: U.S. President William McKinley is shot by Leon Czolgosz, dying eight days later.
Sept. 7
1996: Rapper and actor Tupac Shakur is shot, dying six days later.
1979: Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, or ESPN, debuts.
1965: The Pro Football Hall of Fame opens in Canton, Ohio, with its first inductees including Jim Thorpe and George Halas.
1953: Nikita Khrushchev is elected the first secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
1940: Germany's blitz against London begins during the Battle of Britain.
1916: The U.S. Congress passes the Workman's Compensation Act.
1901: The Boxer Rebellion officially ends in China with the signing of the Boxer Protocol.
Sept. 8
2022: Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, the world's longest-reigning monarch, passes away at the age of 96.
1998: Mark McGwire hits his 62nd home run of the season to break Roger Maris' 1961 record for most home runs in a single regular professional baseball season.
1974: President Gerald Ford pardons Richard Nixon for any crimes arising from the Watergate scandal he may have committed while in office.
1966: The first episode of "Star Trek" airs.
1945: Korea is partitioned by the United States and the Soviet Union.
1941: The German and Finnish armies begin the siege of Leningrad, which lasts a total of 872 days.
1921: The first Miss America, Margaret Gorman of Washington D.C., is crowned.
1565: Spanish explorers found St. Augustine, Florida, the first permanent settlement in what is now the United States.
1504: Michelangelo's David is unveiled in Florence, Italy.
1429: Joan of Arc attacks Paris to depose the Duke of Burgundy and take Paris for King Charles VII.
Sept. 9
1993: The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) officially recognizes Israel as a legitimate state.
1976: Chinese Communist Party leader Mao Zedong dies at age 82.
1966: Actor Adam Sandler is born.
1956: Elvis Presley makes his first appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show".
1948: Kim Il-Sung declares the establishment of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
1850: California joins the Union as the 31st state in the United States.
1776: The Continental Congress adopts the term "United States" instead of the "United Colonies".
1087: William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy and King of England, dies in Rouen from an injury he suffered while trying to capture the town of Mantes.
Sept. 10
2008: The Large Hadron Collider conducts its first test operation.
1985: Alex Trebek makes his debut as host of "Jeopardy!".
1919: Austria and the Allied powers sign the Treaty of Saint-Germain, ending World War I.
1608: John Smith is chosen as president of Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in North America.
More from 6 News: