September 18 is:
Rosh Hashanah Day The Jewish New Year begins at sundown on September 18, 2020.
Wife Appreciation Day
Play-Dough Day
Rice Krispies Treats Day
National Cheeseburger Day
Birthday of Samuel Johnson (September 18, 1709), English poet and essayist, creator of the first dictionary of the English language. Quotes from Johnson:
The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.
Prejudice, not being founded on reason, cannot be removed by argument.
A horse that can count to ten is a remarkable horse, not a remarkable mathematician.
1763 – It was reported, by the Boston Gazette, that the first piano had been built in the United States. The instrument was named the spinet and was made by John Harris.
The first cornerstone of the Capitol building was laid by George Washington on this date in 1793. The Capitol was expanded in the 1850’s with two new wings added – a south wing for the House of Representatives and a north wing for the Senate.
Grammar Note:
As a noun, capital refers to (1) a city that serves as a center of government, (2) wealth in the form of money or property, and (3) a capital letter. As an adjective, it means (1) principal, (2) involving financial assets, and (3) deserving of the death penalty. There are other definitions of capital, but these are the most commonly used ones.
Capitol has two very specific definitions (outside ancient Rome): (1) a U.S. state legislature building, and (2) the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. State capitols are located in the capital cities of U.S. states, and the Capitol is located in the capital city of the U.S. If you’re not talking about any of these capitol buildings, then the word you want is probably capital.
The Capitol building located in Washington, D.C. is spelled with a capital C, but state capitol buildings ordinarily don’t have the capital C (which is not to say that some writers don’t capitalize them anyway).
The “Tom Thumb”, the first locomotive built in America, raced a horse on a nine-mile course in 1830. The horse won when the locomotive had some mechanical difficulties. “Tom Thumb” was the first American-built steam locomotive used on a common-carrier railroad. Designed and built by Peter Cooper in 1830, it was designed to convince owners of the newly formed Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) to use steam engines.
1850 – The Fugitive Slave Act was declared by the U.S. Congress. The act allowed slave owners to claim slaves that had escaped into other states.
1851 – First publication of The New-York Daily Times, (2 cents a copy) which later becomes The New York Times.
1870 – Old Faithful Geyser was observed and named by Henry D. Washburn during the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition to Yellowstone.
The first episode of “I Dream of Jeannie” was shown on NBC-TV on September 18, 1965. The last show was televised on September 1, 1970.