Today in History: September 4, the 1949 Peekskill Riots

Today in History

Today is Friday, Sept. 4, the 247th day of 2026. There are 118 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Sept. 4, 1949, more than 140 people were injured following a performance by singer Paul Robeson in Peekskill, New York, as an anti-Communist mob attacked departing concertgoers.

Also on this date:

In 1781, Los Angeles was founded by Spanish settlers under the leadership of Gov. Felipe de Neve.

In 1886, Chiricahua Apache leader Geronimo surrendered to U.S. troops in present-day Arizona after more than two decades of fighting to protect his homeland.

In 1888, George Eastman secured a patent for a hand-roll camera and registered the trademark Kodak.

In 1944, during World War II, British troops liberated Antwerp, Belgium.

In 1957, Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus ordered National Guardsmen to prevent nine Black students from entering all-white Central High School in Little Rock.

In 1972, U.S. swimmer Mark Spitz became the first to win seven medals at a single Olympic Games, winning a seventh gold at the Munich Olympics in the 400-meter medley relay.

In 1972, the longest-running game show in U.S. history, “The Price is Right,” debuted on CBS.

In 1974, the United States established diplomatic relations with East Germany.

In 1998, Google was founded by Stanford University Ph.D. students Sergey Brin and Larry Page.

In 2016, elevating the “saint of the gutters” to one of the Catholic Church’s highest honors, Pope Francis canonized Mother Teresa, praising her radical dedication to society’s outcasts and her courage in shaming world leaders for the “crimes of poverty they themselves created.”

In 2018, the Senate Judiciary Committee began confirmation hearings for future Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on a day that saw rancorous exchanges between Democrats and Republicans.

In 2024, a 14-year-old student opened fire at a Georgia high school northeast of Atlanta, killing four people and sending students scrambling for shelter.

Today’s Birthdays: Golf Hall of Famer Raymond Floyd is 84. Golf Hall of Famer Tom Watson is 77. Actor Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs is 73. Actor Khandi Alexander is 69. Actor-comedian Damon Wayans Sr. is 66. Baseball Hall of Famer Mike Piazza is 58. DJ-musician-producer Mark Ronson is 51. Actor Wes Bentley is 48. Actor Max Greenfield is 47. Singer-actor Beyoncé is 45. Actor-comedian Whitney Cummings is 44. Actor-comedian Kyle Mooney (TV: “Saturday Night Live”) is 42. Actor Victoria Moroles is 30. Singer Mackenzie Sol is 26.