OK - it's September and the beginning of meteorlogical autumn, so where are the fall-like conditions? After the broiling month of August we look forward to some respite from the sizzling temperatures of this summer past. In the southern half of the country, expect little respite. In the northern half, we should at least begin to see cooler nights and some tapering off of the daily highs.

Football season gets into full swing during the month of September.

September is the 9th month of the year (the Romans measured id as the seventh month, hence the "sept" (for seven) in the name.

September was traditionally a "harvest" month (the Swiss call it "Harvest Month" and the Germans celebrate the harvests with Octoberfest).

September has been recognized as National Preparedness month, Hispanic Heritage Month, and German-American Heritage month.

Labor Day (Monday, 5 SEP) is the only national holiday celebrated this month.

Sep 3-13, 1752 - Nothing Happened

September 2, 1752 - The British ended their use of the Julian calendar, switching instead to the Gregorian calendar, resulting in a major adjustment as Wednesday, September 2, was followed by Thursday, September 14. The correction resulted in rioting by people who felt cheated and demanded the missing eleven days back.

WWII Begins

World War II Began on 1 SEP 1939, when Hitler invaded Poland. His thinking was that he could get away with it, given the allies' string of appeasements in the face of his previous acts of aggression. He was wrong. On 3 SEP 1939, Britain and France declared war on Germany. On the 17th, Russia invaded Poland. Warsaw capitulated on the 27th.

Just over a year later (7 Sep 1940), the German Luftwaffe began its Blitz bombing campaign against London.

You can follow the progress of that devestating war in the animated map we published back in April 2011.

September was a Bad month if you were ...

A President

September 5, 1975 marked the first of two September assassination attempts on President Gerald Ford, as a woman pointed a gun at the President in Sacramento, California. Two weeks later, a second attempt occurred as another woman fired a shot at Ford in San Francisco. Ford was not harmed in either incident.

Presidents Garfield and McKinley both died of gunshot wounds in September. Garfield was shot in July and died in September 1881. McKinley was shot on Sept.6, and died on Sept. 14, 1901

An English King

On 28 Sep 1066, during the battle of Hastings, King Harold was shot by an arrow to the head, specifically, the eye (giving rise to the famous quotation, memorialized in the movie, "A Christmas Story", "You'll shoot your eye out, kid!").

An Abyssinian Emperor

Haile Selassie was overthrown as ruler of Ethiopia in September 1974, after 44 years as Emperor, 5 of which were during forced exile in England.

Patriot Day - 11 SEP 2011 ("9/11")

Patriot Day is an annual observance on September 11 to remember those who were injured or died during the terrorist attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001. This month's Patriot Day marks the tenth anniversary of that event.

On the direction of the President, the flag of the United States of America should be displayed on the homes of Americans, the White House and all United States government buildings in the whole world. The flag should be flown at half-staff as a mark of respect to those who died on September 11, 2001.

Many people observe a moment of silence at 8:46 AM (Eastern Daylight Time). This marks the time that the first of four hijacked airplanes flew into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. A second plane followed, crashing into the South Tower at 9:59 AM. Some communities, particularly in the areas directly affected by the attacks, hold special church services or prayer meetings. People who personally experienced the events in 2001 or lost loved ones in them, may lay flowers or visit memorials.

The Pentagon was also hit by a hijacked airplane on 9/11/01 at 9:38 AM (Eastern). That was on the 60th anniversary of the start of its construction.

One hundred and twenty-five people in the building, plus 59 innocent passengers and crew on the plane were killed.

The fourth aircraft, United Flight 93 was hijacked by four al-Qaeda terrorists as part of the September 11 attacks. It subsequently crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania during an attempt by some of the passengers to regain control.

2nd Largest Terror Attack pre-2001

Described as one of the most infamous terror attacks inthe 19th century, the Mountain meadows Massacre occurred on 11 Sep 1857. The Mountain Meadows massacre was a series of attacks on the Baker–Fancher emigrant wagon train, at Mountain Meadows in southern Utah. The attacks culminated on September 11, 1857 in the mass slaughter of the emigrant party by the Iron County district of the Utah Territorial Militia and some local Indians. The perpetrators killed all the adults and older children (totaling about 120 men, women, and children). Seventeen children, all younger than seven, were spared.

Autumnal Equinox - 22 Sep 2012

Fall for 2012 begins in the Northern Hemisphere on September 22, 10:49 A.M. EDT. An equinox occurs twice a year, when the tilt of the Earth's axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the Sun, the center of the Sun being in the same plane as the Earth's equator. The term equinox can also be used in a broader sense, meaning the date when such a passage happens. The name "equinox" is derived from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night), because around the equinox, the night and day have approximately equal length.

Star Spangled Banner is Penned

September 13, 1814 - The Battle of Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor occurred, observed by Francis Scott Key aboard a ship. He watched the British attack overnight and at dawn saw the American flag still flying over the fort, inspiring him to write a poem titled "Defence of Ft McHenry". The verses from this poem were later coupled with the tune of a popular drinking song and became the U.S. National Anthem in 1931 (supplanting the earlier, defacto anthems, "Hail Columbia" and "My Country, Tis of Thee").

US Army Units Enter Germany

September 15, 1944 - The first entry of American troops into Hitler's Germany occurred as elements of the U.S. VII and V Corps reached the southwestern frontier of Germany. VII Corps deployed out of Germanu in 1990 for duty in the 1st Gulf War. V Corps is still in Germany.

• California (31), September 9, 1850