Date with History: September 9

Congress picks the name United States of America; a moth in a relay becomes the first bug.

One paperback for one calendar date: what happened on September 9, and who was born on it.

What happened on September 9

1776: Congress names the nation the United States of America

The Continental Congress decided that "United Colonies" sounded temporary and dependent, and formally adopted the name "United States of America." It was, in effect, history's most consequential rebranding: a name that announced permanence, unity, and continental ambition. Naming a thing confers reality and respect, and America has been building a mythology around this one ever since.

1947: A moth in the Harvard Mark II becomes the first bug

Engineers on the Harvard Mark II found the machine misbehaving and traced the fault to a moth caught in one of its mechanical relays. The insect was removed and taped into the logbook with the note "First actual case of bug being found." Grace Hopper popularized the story, and the moth is now in the Smithsonian, probably the most famous dead insect in technological history.

Famous birthdays on September 9

1828 — Leo Tolstoy
Russian count who wrote War and Peace and Anna Karenina, then renounced his wealth and copyrights.

1890 — Colonel Harland Sanders
Perfected pressure-fried chicken and started franchising KFC at 62, after a dozen other careers.

Nearby dates

September 8 · September 10 · All September dates

Part of Date with History, a 366-book collection with one book for every date of the year. 5″×8″ paperback, cream paper.

Historical selections are editorially researched. This is a date-specific book, not a personalized or custom-made product.