Today in RI History
Explore significant events from Rhode Island's rich history.
September
September 1
Samuel Slater leaves England for American textile industry
Samuel Slater left England for America, carrying the textile knowledge that would later transform Pawtucket and American industry.
September 2
Rhode Island enters postwar era after Japan surrenders
Rhode Island entered the postwar era after Japan's formal surrender, with naval, industrial, and veterans' legacies from World War II.
September 3
Treaty of Paris ends Revolutionary War for Rhode Island
The Treaty of Paris ended the Revolution, closing the war in which Rhode Island's troops, ports, and French alliance role had been central.
September 4
Rhode Island and Connecticut sue over wind farm order
Rhode Island and Connecticut sued the Trump administration over the Revolution Wind stop-work order.
September 5
Baseball Hall of Famer Nap Lajoie born in Woonsocket
Napoleon "Nap" Lajoie was born in Woonsocket and went on to win the 1901 Triple Crown, collect 3,254 career hits, and enter the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939.
September 6
Mayor Buddy Cianci sentenced to prison and forced to resign
Providence Mayor Buddy Cianci, the city's longest-serving mayor, was sentenced to prison and forced to resign on September 6, 2002, ending Operation Plunder Dome and his scandal-plagued tenure.
September 7
Rhode Island Civil War units deploy to Maryland campaign
Rhode Island Civil War units were active in the Maryland Campaign buildup.
September 8
Providence College basketball legend Marvin Barnes dies
Marvin "Bad News" Barnes, a Providence College basketball star who led the nation in rebounding in 1973–74 under coach Dave Gavitt and was the ABA Rookie of the Year, died on September 8, 2014. He was part of PC's storied Final Four era.
September 9
President Eisenhower signs Civil Rights Act of 1957
President Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act of 1957 on September 9 while working from Naval Station Newport. It was the first federal civil rights law since Reconstruction.
September 10
Oliver Hazard Perry wins Battle of Lake Erie
Rhode Island-born Oliver Hazard Perry won the Battle of Lake Erie.
September 11
Rhode Island mobilizes after September 11 attacks
Rhode Islanders were killed in the September 11 attacks, and the state mobilized emergency and military responses.
September 12
Kennedy marries Bouvier in Newport ceremony
John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier were married at St. Mary's Church in Newport.
September 13
General Ambrose Burnside dies in Bristol
Ambrose Burnside died in Bristol.
September 14
Great Atlantic Hurricane batters Rhode Island
The Great Atlantic Hurricane struck southern New England, including Rhode Island.
September 15
Rhode Island recovers from King Philip's War
Rhode Island communities were still recovering from King Philip's War devastation.
September 16
Basketball Hall of Famer Dave Gavitt dies
Dave Gavitt, the Rhode Island Basketball Hall of Famer who founded the Big East Conference and led Providence College to its first Final Four, died on September 16, 2011, in Rumford.
September 17
Rhode Island skips Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia
The U.S. Constitution was signed without Rhode Island participating in the Philadelphia Convention.
September 18
Rhode Island shapes federal politics under Washington
Rhode Island's post-ratification federal politics took shape during the Washington administration.
September 19
Tennis innovator Jimmy Van Alen born in Newport
Jimmy Van Alen, the Newport tennis figure who founded the International Tennis Hall of Fame and invented the tiebreaker still used in every Grand Slam, was born in Newport on September 19, 1902.
September 20
John Brown, merchant and philanthropist, dies
John Brown, Providence merchant, Gaspee participant, slave trader, and Brown University benefactor, died.
September 21
Great New England Hurricane devastates Rhode Island
The Great New England Hurricane struck Rhode Island with catastrophic wind and flooding
Snow Town race riot erupts in Providence
The Snow Town race riot began in Providence.
September 22
Tarzan Brown, Boston Marathon champion, born in Westerly
Ellison "Tarzan" Brown, the Narragansett runner who twice won the Boston Marathon in 1936 and 1939 and set the American marathon record, was born in Westerly on September 22, 1913. He remains the only Indigenous runner to win Boston twice.
September 23
Great Gale of 1815 floods Providence
The Great Gale of 1815 caused extensive flooding and damage in Providence
Moses Brown born in Rhode Island
Moses Brown was born.
September 24
Militia action ends Snow Town riot deaths
Militia intervention in the Snow Town riot left four people dead and helped lead to Providence's city charter.
September 25
Rhode Island watches Congress approve Bill of Rights
Rhode Island, still outside the Union, watched Congress approve what became the Bill of Rights.
September 26
Australia II wins America's Cup, ending New York Yacht Club's 132-year streak
Australia II defeated Liberty off Newport on September 26, 1983, to win the America's Cup, ending the New York Yacht Club's 132-year winning streak. It was the last America's Cup ever sailed in Newport.
September 27
Hurricane Gloria strikes Rhode Island, cuts power to 300,000
Hurricane Gloria slammed Rhode Island on September 27, 1985, cutting power to 300,000 residents in the state's largest outage since the 1965 Northeast blackout and killing two.
September 28
Rhode Island troops join Yorktown siege campaign
The siege of Yorktown began; Rhode Island soldiers, including veterans of the 1st Rhode Island Regiment, were part of the Revolutionary endgame.
September 29
Providence expands industrial press and daily newspaper culture
Providence's early industrial press and daily-newspaper culture expanded as the city became an industrial center.
September 30
Rhode Island continues post-Dorr constitutional voting reforms
Rhode Island's post-Dorr constitutional reforms continued to reshape voting and representation.