September 23 Birthday
On September 23, 1952, Senator Nixon gave the "Checkers" speech — a thirty-minute national television address defending himself against charges of misusing a campaign fund. He detailed his finances — his house, his car, his debts. He acknowledged one gift he would not return: a cocker spaniel named Checkers, given to his daughters. "Regardless of what they say about it, we're going to keep it." The speech was watched by 60 million Americans and saved Nixon's place on the Eisenhower ticket. It was the first use of television for political rehabilitation. Neptune was discovered on September 23, 1846, by Johann Galle at the Berlin Observatory, using mathematical predictions by Urbain Le Verrier. It was the first planet discovered by mathematics. Neptune takes 165 years to orbit the Sun. It has not completed one full orbit since its discovery. It has fourteen known moons, the largest of which, Triton, orbits backwards. People born on September 23 fall under the zodiac sign of Libra. The birthstone is Sapphire and the birth flower is Aster. Historical events on September 23 include 1806: Lewis and Clark return to St. Louis after two-and-a-half year expedition, 1952: Richard Nixon delivers "Checkers" speech, 1846: Planet Neptune discovered by Johann Galle at Berlin Observatory. Famous people born on September 23 include John Coltrane (1926), Ray Charles (1930), Julio Iglesias (1943).