Sept. 5, 1905: The Russian-Japanese peace treaty is signed at Portsmouth.
Sept. 5, 1929: Amateur radio enthusiast Robert Byron of 15 Fayette St. in Concord talks for an hour with Robert E. Byrd’s South Pole expedition 12,000 miles away. He says the reception is remarkably clear. Two years earlier, Byrd spoke to a packed house at the City Auditorium. Byron’s radio exploits are well known in town. The year before, he was the first to inform the Germans by radio that the Bremen had reached Greenley Island in Canada, meaning that three German pilots had succeeded in making the first east-to-west transatlantic flight.
Sept. 5, 1865: Amy Marcy Cheney Beach is born in Henniker. She will grow up to be a prominent composer and pianist, playing concerts in the United States and Europe.
Sept. 6, 2001: The state Supreme Court warns police departments that while not required by law, it is “good policy” to advise people that they have a right to refuse to consent to a warrantless search of their person or property. The court also sharply criticizes a Chesterfield police officer who failed to follow this procedure even after he illegally detained a black college student to search him for drugs without good reason.
Sept. 6, 1881: Bristol experiences what becomes known as the “Yellow Day.” A town history reports: “For several days previous, the smell of smoke had filled the air. The sun and sky were red in the early morning. As noon approached, this changed to yellow and everything to be seen, buildings, foliage, and the sky, assumed the same shade. Lamps were necessary in dwellings and stores, cattle came to the barns as for the night, and hens went to roost. In some instances, schools were dismissed. Two or three days passed before the atmosphere was as clear as usual.”
