September 2

This Day in History

Also on This Day

Lead Story
First ATM opens for business, 1969
American Revolution
Congress founds U.S. Treasury, 1789
Automotive
Ford introduces the compact, fuel-efficient Falcon, 1959
Civil War
McClellan is restored to full command, 1862
Cold War
Trial of Mathias Rust begins, 1987
Crime
A UN court hands down the first international conviction for genocide, 1998
Disaster
Great Tokyo Fire continues to blaze, 1923
General Interest
The Battle of Actium, 31 B.C.
Great Fire of London begins, 1666
Japan surrenders, 1945
Vietnam independence proclaimed, 1945
Hollywood
Lord of the Rings creator Tolkien dies, 1973
Literary
The Iceman Cometh, by Eugene O'Neill, opens on Broadway, 1946
Music
Michael Jackson earns his 12th and final solo #1 with "You Are Not Alone", 1996
Old West
Whites massacre Chinese in Wyoming Territory, 1885
Presidential
Navy aviator George H.W. Bush and his squadron attacked, 1944
Sports
Connors celebrates birthday with win at U.S. Open, 1991
Vietnam War
Ho Chi Minh dies, 1969
47th North Vietnamese MiG shot down, 1972
World War I
Fatherland Party formally launched in Germany , 1917
World War II
Allies celebrate V-J Day, 1945

Presidential

Sep 2, 1944:

Navy aviator George H.W. Bush and his squadron attacked

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On this day in 1944, future President George Herbert Walker Bush is serving as a torpedo bomber pilot in the Pacific theater of World War II when his squadron is attacked by Japanese anti-aircraft guns. Bush was forced to bail out of the plane over the ocean. According to the Navy's records, Bush's squadron was conducting a bombing mission on a Japanese installation on the island of Chi Chi Jima in the Pacific when they encountered heavy anti-aircraft fire. The engine on Bush's plane was set ablaze, yet Bush managed to release his bombs and head back toward the aircraft carrier San Jacinto before bailing out over the water. Three other crew members perished in the attack. After floating on a raft for four hours, a submarine crew fished a safe but exhausted Bush out of the water.  His bravery in action earned him a Distinguished Flying Cross. The previous June, Bush had experienced a similar close call with death when he was forced to make a crash landing on water after a bombing run; a U.S. destroyer crew rescued him from the sea. After his harrowing experience near Chi Chi Jima, Bush returned to the San Jacinto and continued to pilot torpedo bombers in several successful missions. Over the course of 1944, while his squadron suffered a 300 percent casualty rate among its pilots, an undaunted Bush won three Air Medals as well as a Presidential Unit Citation. In total, Bush flew 58 combat missions during the war. In December 1944, Bush was reassigned to Norfolk Naval Base in Norfolk, Virginia, where he was tasked with training new pilots. He received an honorable discharge from the Navy in September 1945 after the Japanese surrender.

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This Week in History, Sep 2 - Sep 8

Sep 02, 1944
Navy aviator George H.W. Bush and his squadron attacked
Sep 03, 1919
Wilson embarks on tour to promote League of Nations
Sep 04, 1951
President Truman makes first transcontinental television broadcast
Sep 05, 1975
Gerald Ford survives first assassination attempt
Sep 06, 1901
President William McKinley is shot
Sep 07, 1977
Carter agrees to transfer Panama Canal to Panama
Sep 08, 1974
President Ford pardons former President Nixon

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