September 1
German invasion of Poland
German Junkers JU 87 Stuka dive- bomber.
1939: The combination of German blitzkrieg tactics, French inactivity, and Russian perfidy doomed Poland to swift defeat when Adolf Hitler launched war on that country this day, sparking World War II. German tanks quickly burst into the rear, while dive-bombing Stukas disrupted Polish supply and reinforcements. The Polish air force was destroyed in 48 hours. Within a week two panzer corps advanced 225 km (140 miles) to the outskirts of Warsaw.
1985: The wreck of the Titanic was found on the ocean floor at a depth of about 4,000 metres (13,000 feet).
1969: A group of young army officers led by Muammar al-Qaddafi deposed the king and made Libya a republic.
1951: Australia, New Zealand, and the United States signed the ANZUS Pact.
1930: The Young Plan, the second renegotiation of Germany's World War I reparation payments, went into effect.
1923: A great earthquake struck the Tokyo-Yokohama metropolitan area; the death toll from the shock was estimated at 142,800.
1914: The last known passenger pigeon died in the Cincinnati (Ohio) Zoo.
1870: The French army suffered a decisive defeat at the Battle of Sedan in the Franco-German War.
1864: The Charlottetown Conference, the first of a series of meetings that ultimately led to the formation of the Dominion of Canada, convened at Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. |
