This Day in History: Sept. 2

On this day, Sept. 2 ...

1969: The first automatic teller machine (ATM) to utilize magnetic-striped cards is opened to the public at Chemical Bank in New York. (Called a "Docuteller," it was developed by Donald C. Wetzel.)

Also on this day:

• 1864: During the Civil War, Union Gen. William T. Sherman's forces occupy Atlanta.
• 1930: The first nonstop airplane flight from Europe to the U.S. is completed in 37 hours as Capt. Dieudonne Costes and Maurice Bellonte of France arrive in Valley Stream, N.Y., aboard their Breguet 19 biplane, which bears the symbol of a large question mark.
• 1945: Japan formally surrenders in ceremonies aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, ending World War II.
• 1958: President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs the National Defense Education Act, which provides aid to public and private education to promote learning in such fields as math and science.

• 1960: Wilma Rudolph of the United States wins the first of her three gold medals at the Rome Summer Olympics as she finishes the 100-meter dash in 11 seconds.
• 1963: Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace prevents the integration of Tuskegee High School by encircling the building with state troopers.
• 1963: "The CBS Evening News" with Walter Cronkite is lengthened from 15 to 30 minutes, becoming network television's first half-hour nightly newscast.
• 2003: A federal appeals court in San Francisco threw out more than 100 death sentences in Arizona, Montana and Idaho because the inmates had been sent to death row by judges instead of juries.
• 2005: President George W. Bush tours the Gulf Coast and meets with state and local officials, including New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin; at one point, Bush praises FEMA Director Michael Brown, telling him, "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job."

• 2009: Pfizer agrees to pay a record $2.3 billion settlement for illegal drug promotion.