Today in History: September 8, Ford pardons Nixon

Today in History

Today is Tuesday, Sept. 8, the 251st day of 2026. There are 114 days left in the year.

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 1860, the steamboat Lady Elgin was rammed by a schooner during a storm in Lake Michigan and sank; about 300 people perished, making it the deadliest loss of life on the Great Lakes.

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, U.S. 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.

In 1951, a peace treaty with Japan was signed by 49 nations in San Francisco.

In 1957, Althea Gibson became the first Black tennis player to win the U.S. National Championships, now known as the U.S. Open.

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.

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 then 73-year-old son became King Charles III.

In 2023, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake rocked Morocco late at night, killing more than 2,100 people. Many of the deaths were concentrated in mountain villages near the epicenter as homes and other buildings collapsed into rubble.

Today’s Birthdays: Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, is 85. Civil rights activist Ruby Bridges is 72. Author Terry Tempest Williams is 71. Basketball Hall of Famer Maurice Cheeks is 70. Actor Heather Thomas is 69. Singer Aimee Mann is 66. Actor Thomas Kretschmann is 64. Alternative country singer Neko (NEE’-koh) Case is 56. TV personality Brooke Burke is 55. Actor Martin Freeman is 55. Actor David Arquette is 55. Actor Larenz Tate is 51. Singer-songwriter Pink is 47. Actor Jonathan Taylor Thomas is 45. Rapper Wiz Khalifa is 39. MLB pitcher Gerrit Cole is 36. Actor Sierra Capri is 28. Choreographer Grant Gilmore is 28. Actor Gaten Matarazzo (TV: “Stranger Things”) is 24.