On Sept. 14, 1959, the Soviet probe Luna 2 -- known informally as Lunik 2 -- became the first Earth-launched space vehicle to land on the moon.

On September 14, 1959, the Soviet probe Luna 2 -- known informally as Lunik 2 -- became the first Earth-launched space vehicle to land on the moon. File Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI UPI Princess Grace is honored in Philadelphia at a gala celebrating her film career as actress Grace Kelly on March 31, 1982. She died September 14, 1982, when her car plunged off a mountain road by the Cote D'Azur. File Photo by George Bilyk/UPI UPI President George W. Bush leads his staff in a moment of silence on the south lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on September 18, 2001, with Vice President Dick Cheney to his left and advisor Karen Hughes to his right. File Photo by Michael Kleinfeld/UPI UPI On September 14, 1975, Pope Paul VI canonized Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American-born saint. File Photo by Stefano Spaziani/UPI UPI Sarah Shourd (L) listens to her mother Nora speak to the media during her visit north of Tehran, Iran on May 20, 2010. On September 14, 2010, Shourd, imprisoned in Iran on charges of espionage for more than a year after she and two male companions were accused of illegally crossing into Iranian territory, was released on $500,000 bail. File Photo by Maryam Rahmanian/UPI UPI A Northwest Airlines airplane approaches a gate at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Va., on December 26, 2009. On September 14, 2005, Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines, the third and fourth largest U.S. air carriers, filed for bankruptcy as the industry reeled under record high jet fuel costs. File Photo by Alexis C. Glenn/UPI UPI People walk passed the Merrill Lynch building at 4 World Trade Center in New York on September 15, 2008. Bank of America agreed to buy Merrill Lynch for about $44 billion in a mega-deal on September 14, 2008. File Photo by Laura Cavanaugh/UPI UPI

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Sept. 14 (UPI) -- On this date in history:

In 1901, U.S. President William McKinley died of wounds inflicted by an assassin eight days earlier. He was succeeded by Vice President Theodore Roosevelt.

In 1920, the first live radio dance music was broadcast, carried by a Detroit station and featuring Paul Specht and his orchestra.

In 1959, the Soviet probe Luna 2 -- known informally as Lunik 2 -- became the first Earth-launched space vehicle to land on the moon.

In 1960, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries was founded.

In 1975, Pope Paul VI canonized Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American-born saint.

In 1982, Princess Grace of Monaco -- American film actress Grace Kelly -- was killed when her car plunged off a mountain road by the Cote D'Azur. She was 52.

In 1991, the South African government, ANC, Inkatha Freedom Party and 20 other anti-apartheid groups signed a peace accord to end black factional violence.

In 1996, Bosnians elected a three-person collective presidency: one Muslim, one Serb and one Croat.

In 2001, U.S. President George W. Bush proclaimed this to be a day of national mourning and remembrance for those killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The FBI identified the hijackers and said several had taken flying lessons in Florida.

In 2003, authorities said an estimated 124 people were dead or missing after South Korea was struck by the most powerful typhoon to hit the country in a century.

In 2005, Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines, the third and fourth largest U.S. air carriers, filed for bankruptcy as the industry reeled under record high jet fuel costs.

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In 2008, the U.S. brokerage firm Merrill Lynch agreed to sell itself to Bank of America for $50 billion and Lehman Brothers declared bankruptcy after it failed to find a buyer.

In 2010, U.S. hiker Sarah Shourd, imprisoned in Iran on charges of espionage for more than a year after she and two male companions were accused of illegally crossing into Iranian territory, was released on $500,000 bail. The men -- Shane Bauer, her fiance, and Josh Fattal -- were freed just over a year later.

In 2023, the U.S. Justice Department indicted Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, on felony gun charges. He was the first child of a sitting president to be charged by the department.