SEPTEMBER 18, 1970 - Rock legend Jimi Hendrix died in London as a result of a drug overdose, becoming the second member of what would later be known as the 27 Club -- a group of influential rock musicians who all died at the age of 27. Other members of the "Club" include Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison of the Doors, and Kurt Cobain of Nirvana.

SEPTEMBER 19, 1957 - The Department of Defense conducted the first fully contained, underground nuclear test in Nevada's Yucca Basin. The 1.7-kiloton nuclear device was detonated in a chamber at the end of a 2,000-foot, horizontal tunnel. Testing was conducted underground to avoid releasing radioactive contamination into the air. The explosion was detected around the world by seismologists using ordinary seismic instruments.

SEPTEMBER 21, 1937 - J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit was published to wide critical acclaim including a nomination for the Carnegie Medal. Due to the book's success, a sequel was requested by Tolkien's publishers. As work on the The Lord of the Rings progressed, Tolkien decided edits to The Hobbit were necessary. In the first edition of The Hobbit, Gollum willingly bets his magic ring on the outcome of the riddle game, and he and Bilbo Baggins part amicably. However, in the second edition edits, Tolkien made Gollum more aggressive towards Bilbo and distraught at losing the ring, consistent with the new concept of the ring's corrupting abilities. The encounter ends with Gollum's curse, "Thief! Thief, Baggins! We hates it, we hates it, we hates it forever!"