This Day In History, September 2

Here are some notable events that occurred on this day throughout history. 

1666 – The Great Fire of London ignited at King Charles’s II baker’s house near London Bridge. The fire took four days to extinguish, and when it was finally put out, nearly 4/5 of the city had been destroyed. However, only 16 deaths are documented.

1901 – Vice President Theodore Roosevelt coins the phase “speak softly and carry a big stick” to describe his style of foreign policy. He would go on to become president after William McKinley was assassinated.

1945 – Japanese officials aboard the USS Missouri, docked in Tokyo Bay, formally surrender to the Allies, bringing an end to World War II.

1959 – Ford introduces the Falcon, the first compact American-made vehicle. The introduction caused GM and Chevy to follow suit, and led to the creations of the Corvair and Valiant, respectively.

1969 – The First ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) goes into public use at Chemical Bank in Rockville Center, New York.

1973 – Best-selling author JRR Tolkien, creator of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, dies at the age of 81 in Bournemouth, England.

2013 – Diana Nyad, at the age of 64, becomes the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without the use of a shark cage. The swim covered 110 miles and took Nyad 53 hours to complete.