This Day In History, September 15

Here are some notable events that occurred on this day throughout history. 

1620 – William Bradford and approximately 130 passengers and crews set sail from Plymouth, England on the way to the New World.

1835 – World-famous naturalist Darwin, aboard the HMS Beagle, reaches the Galapagos Islands.

1857 – The future 27th president of the U.S., William Taft is born in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Theodore Roosevelt and William Taft (left))

1916 – The first primitive tanks were deployed into battle by the British during the Battle of Somme against the Germans during WWI. (National World War I Museum, Kansas City, Mo.)

1954 – Marilyn Monroe’s famous “skirt” scene is recorded during the filming of “The Seven Year Itch”. The scene is often cited as the reason she and then-husband Joe DiMaggio divorced. (Marilyn Monroe and Tom Ewell in "The Seven Year Itch" (1955). / 20TH CENTURY FOX)

1963 – Four young black school girls are killed after a bomb explodes during Sunday morning services in the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala.

1978 – “The Greatest of All Time” boxing legend Muhammad Ali defeats Leon Spinks in New Orleans to win the World Heavyweight Championship. It was the third time he had earned the title, becoming the first fighter ever to do so. (AP)