Today in History: September 13, Rabin and Arafat sign Oslo Accord

Today in History

Today is Sunday, Sept. 13, the 256th day of 2026. There are 109 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Sept. 13, 1993, at the White House, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat shook hands after signing an accord granting limited Palestinian autonomy.

Also on this date:

In 1788, the Congress of the Confederation authorized the first national election and declared New York City the temporary national capital.

In 1940, during World War II, bombs dropped by the German Luftwaffe damaged Buckingham Palace for the first time; King George VI and Queen Elizabeth were in the palace but were unharmed.

In 1948, Republican Margaret Chase Smith of Maine was elected to the U.S. Senate; she became the first woman to serve in both houses of Congress.

In 1971, a four-day inmate rebellion at the Attica Correctional Facility in western New York ended as police and guards stormed the prison; the ordeal and final assault claimed the lives of 32 inmates and 11 hostages.

In 1997, a funeral was held in Kolkata, India, for Nobel peace laureate Mother Teresa.

In 2008, crews rescued people from their homes along the Texas coast in an all-out search for thousands of people who ignored warnings and tried to ride out Hurricane Ike.

In 2010, Rafael Nadal beat Novak Djokovic to win his first U.S. Open title and complete a career Grand Slam.

In 2021, school resumed for New York City public school students in the nation’s largest experiment of in-person learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Barbara Bain is 95. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Óscar Arias is 86. Actor Jacqueline Bisset is 82. Singer Peter Cetera is 82. Actor Jean Smart is 75. Record producer Don Was is 74. Chef Alain Ducasse is 70. Rock singer-musician Dave Mustaine (Megadeth) is 65. Olympic gold medal sprinter Michael Johnson is 59. Filmmaker Tyler Perry is 57. Fashion designer Stella McCartney is 55. Country musician Joe Don Rooney (Rascal Flatts) is 51. Singer-songwriter Fiona Apple is 49. Actor Ben Savage is 46. Soccer player Thomas Müller is 37. Rock singer Niall Horan (One Direction) is 33. Actor Lili Reinhart (TV: “Riverdale”) is 30.