Moments in Time: Battle of Worcester
The History Channel
On Aug. 31, 2005, the World Music Awards honored Destiny's Child as the best-selling female group of all time, having sold more than 50 million records globally, including four No. 1 hits and 10 top-10 songs on the Billboard Top 100.
On Sept. 1, 1917, American soldier Stull Holt wrote a letter home in which he described some of his battlefield experiences on the Western Front in Verdun, France. The most arresting part of his missive recounted being struck by a shell containing poisonous gas, which he likened to "the extreme terror of the man who goes under in the water and will clutch at a straw."
On Sept. 2, 1945, Vietnamese communist Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam's independence from France hours after Japan's surrender in World War II, though it would take another 30 years for his vision of a united communist Vietnam to become a reality.
On Sept. 3, 1935, professional bowler Andrew Varipapa, considered by many "the greatest one-man bowling show on Earth" for his trick shot artistry still emulated by modern bowlers, set a record of 2,652 points in 10 games.
On Sept. 4, 476 A.D., Romulus Augustulus, the last emperor of the Western Roman Empire, was deposed by Odoacer, a German barbarian who declared himself the king of Italy, presaging what many historians consider the fall of the Roman Empire.
On Sept. 5, 1957, New York Times writer Gilbert Millstein delivered a rave review for "On the Road," the second novel by a Columbia University dropout Jack Kerouac. As his girlfriend, writer Joyce Johnson, quipped to a reporter, "Jack went to bed obscure and woke up famous." Though he wrote a total of more than 25 books, "On the Road" remains his most noteworthy.
On Sept. 6, 1651, King Charles II of England, after losing the Battle of Worcester and his attempt to reclaim the British throne, disguised himself by cutting his hair, staining his skin with walnut oil, donning peasant clothes, and spending a day hiding in an oak tree while searchers passed beneath him, before eventually making a successful escape to France.
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