September 21 in history: • 1776 – American Revolutionary War: The Great Fire of New York (depicted) broke out during the British occupation of New York City, destroying up to 1,000 buildings. → go there • 1937 – J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy children's novel The Hobbit, which later served as a prelude to The Lord of the Rings, was first published. → go there • 1965 – Portugal accepted a diplomatic mission from Southern Rhodesia despite objections by Britain, which had required the colony to implement black majority rule as a condition of independence. → go there • 1999 – The first chapter of Naruto, later one of the best-selling manga series, was published. → go there • 2001 – America: A Tribute to Heroes was broadcast by over 35 network and cable channels, raising over $200 million for the victims of the September 11 attacks. → go there Pictured: The Great Fire of New York.