_ On Sept. 3, 1783, the American Revolution comes to an end when representatives of the United States, Great Britain, Spain and France sign the Treaty of Paris. The signing signifi ed America’s status as a free nation, as Britain formally recognized the independence of its 13 former American colonies._ On Sept. 1, 1850, circus entrepreneur P.T. Barnum brings to the United States Jenny Lind (“The Swedish Nightingale”), the greatest opera performer in the world at the time. Her tour is believed to have netted Barnum close to a half-million dollars._ On Aug. 31, 1888, Mary Ann Nichols, the first ...