Good News in History, September 8
On a September morning in 1916, Augusta and Adeline Van Buren reached Los Angeles after riding their Indian Power Plus motorcycles 5,500 miles from Brooklyn. They had crossed the Rockies, endured mud and rain, and climbed Pikes Peak, all while wearing leather breeches that drew arrests along the way. Their goal was to show that women could serve as military dispatch riders on the eve of U.S. entry into World War I. Four and a half centuries earlier, on the same date in 1504, the citizens of Florence gathered in the Piazza della Signoria to see Michelangelo's David placed on public view. Carved from a single flawed block of Carrara marble that other sculptors had rejected, the 17-foot figure stood as a new symbol of the city. In 1966, two events unfolded on September 8 that would shape modern culture and travel. The first episode of Star Trek aired on NBC, introducing viewers to the USS Enterprise and its mission set in the 23rd century. That same day Queen Elizabeth II opened the Severn Bridge, a one-mile suspension structure linking England and Wales whose zig-zag cables and Stockbridge dampers reduced vibration across the estuary. Gene Roddenberry had created the series to explore contemporary issues through stories of exploration and cooperation. The program ran for three seasons yet grew into a franchise that later inspired NASA to name its first space shuttle Enterprise after the fictional vessel. The bridge itself combined four connected spans and followed wind-tunnel refinements first tested for another crossing. Its deck sections were built in Chepstow, floated downriver, and lifted into place, easing road travel between the two nations. On September 8, 1979, Alecia Moore was born in Pennsylvania. She later performed as Pink, releasing seven studio albums whose sales exceeded 90 million records and earning three Grammy Awards, including one for her contribution to the Moulin Rouge soundtrack. Pink has supported UNICEF as a national spokesperson and ambassador, along with campaigns for human rights and children's health. These September 8 anniversaries together trace a line from Renaissance stonework and early motorcycle endurance to television storytelling, engineering links, and contemporary music that continues to reach new audiences.