September 9 Birthday
September 9, 1942 was when a Japanese fire balloon, launched from Japan and carried by the Pacific jet stream, reached the Oregon coast and started a forest fire. It was the only attack by the Japanese military on the US mainland that caused casualties — six people died in a later balloon explosion while on a picnic. The US government censored news of the balloon bombs to prevent panic and to deny the Japanese intelligence about whether the weapons worked. Also born this day: Leo Tolstoy, who wrote War and Peace and then spent the rest of his life trying to live by its moral conclusions. People born on September 9 fall under the zodiac sign of Virgo. The birthstone is Sapphire and the birth flower is Aster. Historical events on September 9 include 1776: United Colonies renamed United States, 1850: California becomes 31st state, 2001: First .tv domain registered. Famous people born on September 9 include Leo Tolstoy (1828), Otis Redding (1941), Adam Sandler (1966).