Sunday · September 27, 2026
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American history, reported as it happened
Made for the 250th
On this day › September 10

What happened on September 10 in American history

September 10 is the 253rd day of the year (the 254th in leap years). Patriot Compass has published 6 stories from September 10 spanning 1608 to 2025. Among them: in 1608, Jamestown's council names John Smith president; and in 1776, Washington needs a spy in New York; only one officer steps forward.

1608Member story · 1776 Club

Jamestown's council names John Smith president

The colony had already lost more than half its settlers; Smith returns from mapping the Chesapeake to take charge.
1776

Washington needs a spy in New York; only one officer steps forward

Nathan Hale, a 21-year-old Connecticut schoolteacher turned Continental officer, takes the mission no one else will.
1813

Perry rows through cannon fire and comes back with the whole British squadron

Six British ships strike their colors off Put-in-Bay; not one escapes.
1932Member story · 1776 Club

A city-owned subway opens on Eighth Avenue; New York now runs three rival systems

The IND ran from 207th Street to Chambers Street with a fleet a tenth the size of its private rivals.
2024

A billionaire-funded crew lifts off before dawn, reaching farther than any astronauts since 1972

Jared Isaacman's privately funded Polaris Dawn leaves Kennedy Space Center carrying a spacewalk suit that has never flown.
2025Member story · 1776 Club

Charlie Kirk is shot in the neck mid-debate at Utah Valley University and dies hours later

A single round fired from a rooftop 430 feet away ends a campus event minutes after it began.