In a book written in 1981, Ernest L. Martin claims that the famous Star of Bethlehem appeared in the sky on September 11th, 3 BC, thus placing the birth of religious leader Joshua of Nazareth (Jesus Christ) on this day. Martin's book is The Birth of Christ Recalculated.

The first demonstration of remote computing occurred on this day in 1940. George Stibitz, a scientist at Bell Labs, developed a digital calculator using dry cell batteries, metal strips from a tobacco can, and flashlight bulbs. His binary adding machine, called the Model I Complex Calculator, was used at Bell for the next nine years. Stibitz demonstrated the machine to the American Mathematical Association at Dartmouth College. He asked mathematicians to propose problems, which he transmitted to the computer in New York via a teleprinter. The answers returned over the telephone line hookup within a minute.

Despite Arab protests, a British mandate was proclaimed in Palestine on September 11th, 1922. The mandate came into effect at the end of September 1922.

The Mountain Meadows Massacre took place on September 11th, 1858, in Utah, forever changing the political landscape of the area. Almost a decade after the start of the California Gold Rush, people poured westward in ever-increasing numbers. Many cut southwest through Utah, much to the displeasure of the secluded Mormons living there. It came to a head when a wagon train from Missouri was denied the opportunity to purchase supplies in Salt Lake City and was told to exit the territory as quickly as possible. The Missourians reportedly taunted the locals and recalled how the Mormons had been run out of their state. In responce, a group of Mormon farmers and some friendly Paiute Indians caught up to the wagon train and slaughtered over 100 unarmed men, women and children. The raid caused an outrage and the U.S. government did indeed move in. The leader of the raid was hanged, but to the very end, insisted that he had been ordered into action by Brigham Young himself.

Construction of the Pentagon officially began on September 11th, 1941. The building was created in the midst of the Second World War to provide a temporary solution to the War Department�s shortage of office space.

Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the first head of state for Pakistan, died in Karachi on September 11th, 1948. Jinnah is still called "The Great Leader" and "Father of the Nation." Born on Christmas Day, 1876, he was schooled in London and later returned to build the nation of Pakistan. Jinnah, a Muslim, was a strong advocate for Muslim-Hindu unity.

Richard Melville Hall, better known as Moby, was born on September 11th, 1965. Happy birthday, man.

On September 11th, 1973, Chilean President Salvador Allende was killed in a violent military coup led by General Augusto Pinochet with the active support of the United States government. Allende was a socialist who was elected president in a free and democratic election. This didn't sit well with the CIA or their partner, Coca-Cola, so for three years, the U.S. worked to undermine Allende's government. Official reports stated that Allende committed suicide as forces led by Pinochet advanced on La Moneda, the fortress-like presidential palace in Santiago. Unofficial reports claim that Allende's body had dozens of bullet wounds in it, meaning that during his suicide, he would have had to pause several times to reload.

On September 11th, 1990, then U.S. President George Bush addressed Congress on the Persian Gulf crisis, vowing that "Sadam Hussein will fail" in his takeover of Kuwait.

Independent counsel Kenneth Starr's investigation into President Clinton's relationship with Monica Lewinsky was released on the Web on September 11th, 1998. The posting of the report was viewed as a landmark event for the Web and focused attention on the Internet as a mass communication medium. Some three- to five thousand users per minute tried to access the report throughout the day, with many finding the site too heavily trafficked to get on at all.