On This Day, Sept. 10: Obama promises to 'degrade,' 'destroy' ISIS

Sept. 10 (UPI) -- On this date in history:

In 1813, U.S. naval units under the command of Capt. Oliver Perry defeated a British squadron in the Battle of Lake Erie.

In 1823, Simon Bolivar, who led the wars for independence from Spain in Venezuela, Colombia, Peru and Bolivia, was named president of Peru with dictatorial powers.

In 1846, Elias Howe received a patent for the sewing machine.

File Photo by Ali Jasim/UPI

In 1963, black students entered the white public schools of Birmingham, Tuskegee and Mobile in Alabama after U.S. President John F. Kennedy federalized the state's National Guard.

In 1977, Tunisian immigrant Hamida Djandoubi became the last person France executed by guillotine. He was convicted of torturing and strangling his girlfriend because she refused to become a prostitute.

In 1981, Pablo Picasso's epic painting, Guernica, which depicted the air bombing of the Spanish town by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italian planes, was delivered to Spain for the first time since it was painted in 1937. The painter, who was living in France, said it could not be returned to Spain until democracy was restored.

In 2002, Switzerland and Timor-Leste joined the United Nations, expanding the membership roll to 191. It eventually increased to 193.

Johann Schneide-Ammann, president of Switzerland, addresses the 71st session of the General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly on September 20. Switzerland joined the United Nations in 2002. File Photo by Monika Graff/UPI

In 2008, scientists in a Geneva lab activated the Large Hadron Collider, the world's largest and most powerful subatomic particle accelerator, built over a 14-year period and costing an estimated $8 billion. It had to be shut down after nine days for repairs.

In 2011, nearly 200 people died after an overloaded ferry capsized and sank off the coast of Tanzania. More than 600 were rescued.

In 2014, in a speech to the nation, President Barack Obama said the United States and a "broad coalition" will "degrade and ultimately destroy" Islamic State terrorists. The coalition declared victory over the group, also known as ISIS and ISIL, in July 2017, though the group remains active.

In 2020, the August Complex Fire in California's Tehama County became the largest blaze in the state's history at more than 471,000 acres burned. It ultimately burned more than 1 million acres.

In 2022, Britain's King Charles III was formally proclaimed monarch during a ceremony at St. James' Palace in London one day after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

In 2023, Novak Djokovic defeated Daniil Medvedev at the U.S. Open final, tying him with Margaret Court's record for most major titles -- 24 -- on the women or men's tennis circuits.