Sept. 21. 1638: In the final act of the Pequot War, English officials and their Native American allies in Connecticut divide the surviving 72 Pequots and enslave them. 1989: Israeli soldiers begin a 42-day occupation and house-to-house destruction of the Palestinian town of Beit Sahour, in retaliation for its mass two-year refusal to pay taxes to the occupying Israeli government.

Sept. 22. 1692: Last eight women hanged for witchcraft in American colonies, Salem, Mass. 1980: After 10 months of skirmishes, Iran-Iraq war starts, halting 60 percent of world's oil traffic.

Sept. 23. 1900: Paris congress of the Second International is first international body to recognize Irish nationhood. England still working on it. 1954: A Japanese tuna fishing boat, the Lucky Dragon, is caught in the path of fallout from a US atomic test 100 miles to the west, at Bikini Atoll. The crew members suffered from radiation sickness, and one of them died of liver and blood damage.

Sept. 24. 1794: Pres. Washington orders militia to put down Whiskey Rebellion. 1981: CIA Director William Casey urges "total exclusion from Freedom of Information Act for intelligence agencies."

Sept. 25. 1493: Christopher Columbus' second departure for New World, in search of gold, slaves, and tribute. 1789: Congress passes Bill of Rights. 1937: City of Los Angeles, California bans sale of war toys.

Sept. 26. 1786: Shay's Rebellion, against the authority of the newly-installed central US government, begins, Springfield Armory, Mass. 2000: IMF/World Bank meetings in Prague disrupted by thousands of protesters.

Sept. 27. 1954: US Senate committee calls for censure of Joe McCarthy. 1991: Pres. Bush decides to end full-time B-52 bombers alert.

Sept. 28. 1904: A woman arrested for smoking a cigarette in an open car on 5th Avenue. 1981: Director and assistant of research lab in Maryland convicted on 15 counts of cruelty to animals.

Sept. 29. 1906: Troops sent to Cuba to "protect US interests." 1982: US Marines land in Lebanon as part of multinational force.

Sept. 30. 1991: CIA finances military coup in Haiti, overthrowing the democratically elected government of Rev. Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Three years of state-sponsored murder, rape and theft follow.

Oct. 1. 1866: 3,750 acres of Chehalis Indian Reservation returned to public domain by executive order. They weren't really using it, anyway. 1946: Nuremberg War Crimes Tribunal rejects defense of "following orders" where crimes against humanity are concerned.

Oct. 2. 1967: Thurgood Marshall sworn in as first African-American US Supreme Court justice. 1986: Congress overrides Pres. Reagan's veto and passes South African sanctions.

Oct. 3. 1962: US closes ports to ships carrying cargo to Cuba. 1968: Univ. of Washington ROTC building torched by antiwar protesters in Seattle.

Oct. 4. 1912: Nicaraguan General Zeledon, an opponent of US occupation, is executed. 1957: Soviet Union launches world's first artificial satellite, Sputnik. 1957: "Leave It To Beaver" debuts on CBS television.

1992: Irish singer Sinead O'Connor rips up a picture of the Pope during an appearance on "Saturday Night Live." The ensuing uproar does much to damage O'Connor's popularity.