Today in History: September 8, Ford pardons Nixon
President Gerald Ford reads a proclamation in the White House on Sept. 8, 1974 granting former president Richard Nixon “a full, free and absolute pardon” for all “offenses against the United States” during the period of his presidency. (AP Photo)
Today in history:
On Sept. 8, 1974, one month after taking office, President Gerald R. Ford granted a “full, free, and absolute pardon” to former President Richard Nixon for any crimes committed during Nixon’s presidency.
Also on this date:
In 1504, Michelangelo’s towering marble statue of David was unveiled to the public in Florence, Italy.
In 1565, a Spanish expedition established the first permanent European settlement in North America at present-day St. Augustine, Florida.
In 1664, the Dutch surrendered New Amsterdam to the British, who renamed it New York.
In 1900, Galveston, Texas, was struck by a hurricane that killed an estimated 8,000 people; it remains the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history.
In 1935, Sen. Huey P. Long, D-La., was fatally shot in the Louisiana State Capitol building.
In 1941, the 900-day Siege of Leningrad by German forces began during World War II.
Japans Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida signs Japanese peace treaty as representatives of U.S. and United Kingdom, co-sponsors of treaty conference, watch at San Francisco Opera House in California on Sept. 8, 1951. Behind Yoshida (left to right) are: Hisato Ichimada, Muneyoshi Tokugawa, Niro Hoshijima, Gizo Tomabechi, Hayato Ikeda, all members of the Japanese delegation, and John W. Foley, Jr. treaty technician. On dais (left to right) are: Warren Kelchner, conference secretary-general; Percy Spencer of Australia, conference vice president; Dean Acheson of the U.S., conference president, and Herbert Morrison of Great Britain. (AP Photo)
In 1951, a peace treaty with Japan was signed by 49 nations in San Francisco.
In 1964, public schools in Prince Edward County, Virginia, reopened after being closed for five years by officials attempting to prevent court-ordered racial desegregation.
Oprah Winfrey joins Roger King, left, chairman of the board of King World, and Joseph Ahern, right, former general manager of WLS-TV, at a news conference in Chicago in July 24, 1985 where it was announced that “The Oprah Winfrey Show” will be syndicated nation-wide beginning Sept. of 1986. (AP Photo/Charlie Bennet)
In 1986, “The Oprah Winfrey Show” began the first of 25 seasons in national syndication.
In 2016, California and federal regulators fined Wells Fargo a combined $185 million, alleging the bank’s employees illegally opened millions of unauthorized accounts for their customers in order to meet aggressive sales goals.
In 2022, Queen Elizabeth II, who spent more than seven decades on the British throne, died at age 96; her 73-year-old son became King Charles III.
Click here to see who was born on September 8.