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Today in History: September 23, Nixon’s 'Checkers' speech
Israeli strikes killed hundreds in Lebanon; the attack marked one of the deadliest barrages since the regional conflict
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LA NACION
Today is Wednesday, Sept. 23, the 266th day of 2026. There are 99 days left in the year.
Today in history:
On Sept. 23, 1952, Republican Sen. Richard M. Nixon of California salvaged his vice presidential nomination by appearing on TV from Los Angeles to refute allegations of improper campaign fundraising in what became known as the “Checkers” speech for its reference to his family’s cocker spaniel.
Also on this date:
In 1780, British spy John Andre was captured along with papers revealing Benedict Arnold’s plot to surrender West Point to the British.
In 1806, the Lewis and Clark expedition returned to St. Louis, more than two years after setting out for the Pacific Northwest.
In 1955, a jury in Sumner, Mississippi, acquitted two white men, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam, of killing Black teenager Emmett Till. (The two later admitted to the crime in an interview with Look magazine.)
In 1957, nine Black students who entered Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas were forced to leave under police escort because of a white mob outside. The Little Rock Nine returned under federal troop escort two days later for their first full day at the school.
In 2002, Gov. Gray Davis signed a law making California the first state to offer workers paid family leave.
In 2018, capping a comeback from four back surgeries, Tiger Woods won the Tour Championship in Atlanta, the 80th victory of his PGA Tour career and his first in more than five years.
In 2022, Roger Federer played his final professional match after an illustrious career that included 20 Grand Slam titles.
In 2024, Israeli strikes on Lebanon killed more than 490 people, including more than 90 women and children in one of the deadliest barrages since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war.
Today’s Birthdays: Singer Julio Iglesias is 83. Actor/singer Mary Kay Place is 79. Rock star Bruce Springsteen is 77. Director/playwright George C. Wolfe is 72. Actor Rosalind Chao is 69. Actor Jason Alexander is 67. Actor Chi McBride is 65. Singer Ani (AH’-nee) DiFranco is 56. Producer-rapper Jermaine Dupri is 54. Filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos is 53. Actor Anthony Mackie is 48. Actor Skylar Astin is 39. High diver Molly Carlson is 28. Singer Artemas is 27.
LA NACION
