Today in History: September 23, Nixon’s 'Checkers' speech

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Today is Tuesday, Sept. 23, the 266th day of 2025. There are 99 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Sept. 23, 1952, Sen. Richard M. Nixon, R-Calif., salvaged his vice presidential nomination by appearing on television from Los Angeles to refute allegations of improper campaign fundraising in what became known as the “Checkers” speech for its reference to his family’s cocker spaniel.

Also on this date:

In 1780, British spy John Andre was captured along with papers revealing Benedict Arnold’s plot to surrender West Point to the British.

In 1806, the Lewis and Clark expedition returned to St. Louis, more than two years after setting out for the Pacific Northwest.

In 1955, a jury in Sumner, Mississippi, acquitted two white men, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam, of killing Black teenager Emmett Till. (The two later admitted to the crime in an interview with Look magazine.)

In 1957, nine Black students who entered Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas were forced to withdraw because of a white mob outside.

In 2002, Gov. Gray Davis signed a law making California the first state to offer workers paid family leave.

In 2018, capping a comeback from four back surgeries, Tiger Woods won the Tour Championship in Atlanta, the 80th victory of his PGA Tour career and his first in more than five years.

In 2022, Roger Federer played his final professional match after an illustrious career that included 20 Grand Slam titles.

Today’s Birthdays: Singer Julio Iglesias is 82. Actor/singer Mary Kay Place is 78. Rock star Bruce Springsteen is 76. Director/playwright George C. Wolfe is 71. Actor Rosalind Chao is 68. Actor Jason Alexander is 66. Actor Chi McBride is 64. Singer Ani (AH’-nee) DiFranco is 55. Producer-rapper Jermaine Dupri is 53. Filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos is 52. Actor Anthony Mackie is 47. Actor Skylar Astin is 38. Tennis player Juan Martín del Potro is 37.