Today In History: September 12th

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – On this day in Bahamian history, on September 12th, 1729 – The first elections in the British colony of the Bahama Islands were held for the House of Assembly.

The elections took place at the home of Samuel Lawford, which later hosted the first meeting of the General Assembly. Elections for the entire colony took place from the 12th – 18th September.

The City of Nassau was the first district to vote for representatives. Eight men were elected:

John Colebrooke

Edward Elding

Peter Goudet

Benjamin Hall

Samuel Lawford

William Pinder

Roger Reading

Moses Sims Sr

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On this day in Bahamian history in 1971 – Chandra Sturrup was born in Nassau.

Sturrup is a retired Bahamian athlete who specialized in the 100m, 200m and 400-meter relay. For her secondary school education, she went to R. M. Bailey High School and later attended Norfolk State University (NSU), in Virgina, United States. 

While at NSU she won the Division II outdoor national championship in the 200 meters in 1992, 1993 and 1995, the 100 meters in 1992 and 1993 and the long jump title in 1995.

As a professional representing The Bahamas she won multiple medals on the international stage. She competed in the Olympic Games, World Championships, Commonwealth Games, Pan American Games and the Central American and Caribbean Championships.

In 2000 at the Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia she won a gold medal in the women’s 400-meter relay along with Savatheda Fynes, Chandra Sturrup, Pauline Davis-Thompson,

Debbie Ferguson and Eldece Clarke. Their feat earned them the nickname ‘The Golden Girls.’

She set the national record holder for the women’s 100m with a personal best of 10.84 set in Lausanne, Switzerland on July 5, 2005.

In July 2013 Sturrup retired at the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations National Track & Field Championships in Freeport, Grand Bahama. She currently resides in North Carolina where she has taken up a career in interior design.

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On this day in Bahamian history, on September 12th, 1980 – Florida Commuter Airlines Flight 65 crashed near West End, Grand Bahama.

The flight originated from Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach in the United States and was making its way to Freeport, Grand Bahama.

On board were thirty passengers and four crew members. None of the persons on board survived when the airplane crashed into the water. 

Bahamas Air Sea Rescue Association and the United States Coast Guard conducted a search in the area in hopes of finding survivors. Of the 34 passengers on the flight only fifteen bodies were recovered.

The United States National Transportation Safety Board conducted an investigation into the crash and identified factors that may have contributed to the crash including “known thunderstorm activities and turbulence, preexisting discrepancies in the pitot-static system of the aircraft and their effect on the reliability of the flight instruments, and lack of operational control exercised by the airline’s management.”

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On this day in Bahamian history in 1983 – then Prime Minister Lynden Pindling appeared on the NBC Today program to answer allegations made in a report by NBC reporter Brian Ross that Bahamian government officials were involved in drug trafficking on Norman’s Cay.

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On this day in Bahamian history, on September 12th, 1995 – Steven Gardiner was born in Murphy Town, Abaco. 

Gardiner is a multi-medal winning track and field athlete specializing in the 200 meters and 400 meters. 

He is the national record holder in each of these disciplines. At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil he won the bronze medal in the 1600-meter relay. 

The following year at the IAAF World Championships he won the silver medal in 400 meters in London, United Kingdom with a time of 44.41 seconds. At the 2017 IAAF World Relays in Nassau, Bahamas he won the gold medal in the 4×400 Metres Relay Mixed.