On Sept. 21, 1912, magician Harry Houdini first publicly performed his “Water Torture Cell” trick in Berlin.

In 1948, Milton Berle made his debut as permanent host of “The Texaco Star Theater” on NBC-TV.

In 1981, the Senate unanimously confirmed the nomination of Sandra Day O’Connor to become the first female justice on the Supreme Court.

In 1982, National Football League players began a 57-day strike, their first regular-season walkout ever.

In 1985, in North Korea and South Korea, family members who had been separated for decades were allowed to visit each other as both countries opened their borders in an unprecedented family-reunion program.

In 2011, alternative rock group R.E.M. announced on its website that it had “decided to call it a day as a band.”