Today in HIstory....September 15

On this day in …

1776, British forces occupied New York City during the American Revolution

1789, the U.S. Department of Foreign Affairs was renamed the Department of State

1911, the Procter and Gamble Co. began producing Crisco, the hydrogenated vegetable shortening made from cottonseed oil

1917, Russia was proclaimed a republic by Alexander Kerensky, the head of a provisional government

1935, the Nuremberg Laws deprived German Jews of their citizenship and made the swastika the official symbol of the Nazis, ym"sh

1940, during the Battle of Britain in World War II, the tide turned as the Luftwaffe sustained heavy losses inflicted by the Royal Air Force
1950, during the Korean conflict, United Nations forces landed at Incheon in the south and began their drive toward Seoul

1959, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev arrived in the U.S. to begin a 13-day visit

1963, four black girls were killed when a bomb went off during Sunday services at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala.

1993, in response to a wave of carjackings, F.B.I. Director William S. Sessions promised a new national campaign to stem carjacking and other car-related crimes

2001, President Bush ordered U.S. troops to get ready for war and braced Americans for a long, difficult assault against terrorists to avenge the Sept. 11 attacks.

ALSO: Beleaguered Afghans streamed out of Kabul, fearing a U.S. military strike against Taliban rulers who were harboring Osama bin Laden

2005, President Bush, addressing the nation from storm-ravaged New Orleans, acknowledged the government failed to respond adequately to Hurricane Katrina, and urged Congress to approve a massive reconstruction program