Today in History - September 1: The grisly real-life crime behind legendary film
September 1
The Alfred Hitchcock-directed suspense thriller Rear Window was released on September 1, 1954, in American cinemas.
Starring James Stewart and Grace Kelly, the film about a photographer recuperating from a broken leg who witnesses a neighbour's murder is considered a cinematic masterpiece.
But few people knew about the grisly-real life crime it was inspired by.
American oceanographer Robert Ballard on September 1, 1985, discovered the wreck of the liner Titanic, 73 years after the famous vessel sunk on its maiden voyage in the Atlantic Ocean.
The success of Ballard's expedition was helped by deep sea imaging technology developed by the US Navy during the Cold War.
Libyan army officer Colonel Muammar Gaddafi seized power in the North African country on September 1, 1969.
Gaddafi led a bloodless military coup, gaining control of Libya's vast oil revenues. He remained in power until 2011 when he was killed as his regime fell during a national revolution.
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