1945: Japan formally surrendered to the United States in a ceremony on the USS Missouri bringing an end to World War II. The war began on September 1, 1939 when Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany invaded Poland. The United States entered World War II following the Japanese attack on the U.S. Navy Base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on December 7, 1941.

1935: Library of Congress: George Gershwin signed his name to the completed orchestral score of the opera, Porgy and Bess. The composer called the 700-page score his masterpiece and never ceased to marvel that he had created it. Many critics consider Porgy and Bess to be the first and finest American opera.

1666: The Great Fire of London began and lasted until September 5. The fire started in the wooden house of a baker. More than 13,000 houses were destroyed.