- 1217 The Estonian tribal leader Lembitu of Lehola was killed in a battle against Teutonic Knights
- 1348 Jews in Zurich, Switzerland, are accused of poisoning wells
- 1435 Treaty of Arras (1435) signed between Charles VII of France and Philip the Good of Burgundy
- 1451 Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa orders Jews of Holland to wear a badge
Event of Interest
1621 King James I of England gives Sir William Alexander a royal charter for colonisation of Nova Scotia
James I and VI
- 1648 -23] Battle at Pilawce: Bohdan Chmielricki's beats John Casimir [NS]
- 1676 Benedetto Odescalchi elected as Pope Innocent XI
- 1677 John and Nicolaas van der Heyden patent the fire extinguisher
- 1745 Battle of Preston Pans: Bonnie Prince Charles beats British government army
- 1746 French expeditionary army occupies Labourdonnais and Dupleix Madras
- 1765 Antoine de Beauterne announces he has killed the Beast of Gévaudan, but was later proved wrong by more attacks
- 1776 5 days after British take New York, a quarter of the city burns down
Event of Interest
1776 Nathan Hale, spied on British for American rebels, arrested
Nathan Hale
Event of Interest
1780 Benedict Arnold gives British Major John André plans to West Point
Benedict Arnold
- 1784 Pennsylvania Packet and Daily Advertiser becomes the 1st successful daily newspaper in the United States
Event of Interest
1792 French Revolution: The National Convention passes a proclamation announcing the formal abolition of the French monarchy
Georges Danton
Event of Interest
1794 French National Convention orders the remains of Comte de Mirabeau be removed from the Panthéon after his double-dealings with court revealed
Comte de Mirabeau
Event of Interest
1794 Jean-Paul Marat's remains are transferred to the Panthéon in Paris, with the eulogy given by the Marquis de Sade
Jean-Paul Marat
Marquis de Sade
- 1815 King Willem I takes oath in Brussels
Event of Interest
1823 Moroni first appears to Joseph Smith, according to Smith
Joseph Smith Jr
- 1827 According to Joseph Smith Jr., the angel Moroni gave him a record of gold plates, one-third of which Joseph translated into The Book of Mormon
- 1860 In the Second Opium War, an Anglo-French force defeats Chinese troops at the Battle of Baliqiao
- 1863 Union forces retreat to Chattanooga after defeat at Chickamauga
- 1872 John Henry Conyers of South Carolina becomes first black student at Annapolis
- 1883 First direct US-Brazil telegraph connection
- 1885 Dutch demonstrate for general voting right
- 1893 Frank Duryea drives the 1st American-made gas propelled vehicle
- 1895 America's first automotive producer, the Duryea Motor Wagon Company, is founded by Charles and J. Frank Duryea
Event of Interest
1896 British General Kitchener's army occupies Dongola, Sudan
Horatio Kitchener
- 1897 NY Sun runs famous "Yes, Virginia there is a Santa Claus" editorial
- 1898 Empress Dowager Cixi seizes power and ends the Hundred Days' Reform in China, imprisoning the Guangxu Emperor
- 1903 First cowboy film "Kit Carson" premieres in US
- 1904 The general strike called by the Socialist Party that spread throughout Italy ends
- 1905 Atlanta Life Insurance Co forms
- 1906 Yankee 1st baseman Hal Chase's 22 put-outs ties record
Election of Interest
1911 Canadian Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier loses the election to Robert Bordon of the Conservative Party
Wilfrid Laurier
- 1913 1st aerobatic maneuver, sustained inverted flight, performed in France
- 1913 Turkey and Bulgaria sign peace treaty in Constantinople
- 1915 Cecil Chubb buys English prehistoric monument Stonehenge for £6,600
- 1915 Emanuel Querido ("Kerido") begins publishing Querido
- 1921 Pope Benedictus XV donates 1 million lire to feed Russians
- 1921 A storage silo at a BASF fertiliser producing plant explodes in Oppau, Germany, 500—600 killed
Event of Interest
1922 US President Warren G. Harding signs a joint resolution of approval to establish a Jewish homeland in Palestine
Warren G. Harding
- 1928 "My Weekly Reader" magazine made its debut
- 1929 1st legal pass in Canada was thrown by Gerry Seiberling & 1st reception by Ralph Losie of Calgary Altomah-Tigers against Edmonton
- 1930 Johann Ostermeyer patents flashbulb
- 1931 Britain abandons gold standard; pound devalues 20%
- 1933 Trial against Marinus der Lubbe opens
- 1934 St Louis Card Paul Dean no-hits Bkln Dodgers, 3-0
- 1934 Typhoon strikes Honshu Island Japan, kills 4,000
Appointment of Interest
1936 Spanish fascist junta names Franco to Generalissimo and Supreme Commander
Francisco Franco
Historic Publication
1937 J. R. R. Tolkien's 'The Hobbit' is published by George Allen and Unwin in London
J. R. R. Tolkien
Event of Interest
1938 Winston Churchill condemns Hitler's annexation of Czechoslovakia
Winston Churchill
Adolf Hitler
- 1938 The Great Hurricane of 1938 makes landfall on Long Island in New York. The death toll is estimated at 500-700 people.
Meeting of Interest
1939 Reinhard Heydrich meets in Berlin to discuss final solution of Jews
Reinhard Heydrich
- 1942 116 hostages executed by Nazis in Paris
- 1942 Transport #35 departs with French Jews to nazi-Germany
- 1943 Arundel (Solomon Island) in US hands
- 1943 Lynch Triangle (Square) in Bronx named
- 1943 Soviet 13th/61st Army reconquer Chyernigov
- 1943 Soviet forces reach Dnjepr
- 1944 Last British paratroopers at bridge of Arnhem surrender
- 1946 Indians play their final game in League Park, ending a 55-year stay
- 1949 Chinese Communist leaders proclaim People's Republic of China
Event of Interest
1950 George Marshall sworn in as the 3rd Secretary of Defense of United States.
George Marshall
Boxing Title Fight
1955 In his last fight, undefeated world heavyweight boxing champion Rocky Marciano KOs light heavyweight Archie Moore in the 9th round at Yankee Stadium, NYC
Rocky Marciano
Archie Moore
Television Premiere
1957 "Perry Mason" TV series based on the character by author Erle Stanley Gardner, starring Raymond Burr premieres on CBS-TV
Erle Stanley Gardner
- 1957 German sail training ship Pamir sails Atlantic Ocean
- 1957 Olav V becomes king of Norway
- 1957 Pote Sarasin forms government in Thailand
- 1958 1st airplane flight exceeding 1200 hours, lands, Dallas Tx
- 1958 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
- 1959 600 Indian Dutch emigrate to US
- 1961 Antonio Abertondo swims English Channel both ways (44 miles)
- 1961 Maiden flight of the CH-47 Chinook transportation helicopter.
- 1964 Constellation (US) beats Sovereign (England) in 20th America's Cup
- 1964 Reds Chico Ruiz steals home, beats Phillies 1-0. Phillies start a 10 game losing streak that gives Cards the pennant
- 1964 Malta becomes independent from the United Kingdom.
- 1964 The North American XB-70 Valkyrie, the world's first Mach 3 bomber, makes its maiden flight from Palmdale, California
- 1965 O Kommissarova (USSR) sets women's longest parachute jump (46,250')
- 1965 Singapore admitted as part of the United Nations.
- 1966 Five inches of rain falls on NYC
Event of Interest
1966 Jimmy Hendrix changes spelling of his name to Jimi
Jimi Hendrix
- 1967 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
- 1968 Police drama "Adam-12" debuts on NBC in the US
- 1969 58th Davis Cup: USA beats Romania in Cleveland (5-0)
- 1969 NY Jet Steve O'Neal punts 98 yards against Denver Broncos
- 1969 Ron Hill wins European marathon (2:16:47.8)
- 1970 "Monday Night Football" premieres on ABC - Browns 31, Jets 21
- 1970 KAPP TV channel 35 in Yakima, WA (ABC) begins broadcasting
- 1970 Soviet space probe Luna 16 leaves the Moon
- 1970 Oakland A's Vida Blue no-hits Minnesota Twins, 6-0
- 1970 New York Times starts first modern op-ed page
- 1971 AL OKs Washington Senator move to Arlington (Texas Rangers)
Event of Interest
1972 Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos declares martial law in Philippines (not publicly announced until 23rd Sep)
Ferdinand Marcos
- 1972 USSR performs underground nuclear test
Event of Interest
1973 Jackson Pollocks painting "Blue Poles" sold for $2,000,000
Jackson Pollock
- 1973 NY Mets go into 1st place (at .500) after trailing 12½ games
Contract of Interest
1973 Nate Archibald signs 7 yr contract with NBA KC Kings for $450,000
Nate Archibald
Assassination
1976 Orlando Letelier is assassinated in Washington, D.C. He was a member of the Chilean socialist government of Salvador Allende, overthrown in 1973 by Augusto Pinochet.
Augusto Pinochet
- 1977 US minister of Foreign affairs Cyrus Vance dismissed
- 1978 The Provisional Irish Republican Army explodes bombs at the RAF airfield near Eglinton, County Londonderry; the terminal building, two aircraft hangars and four planes are destroyed
- 1978 3rd Toronto International Film Festival: "Girlfriends" directed by Claudia Weill wins the People's Choice Award
- 1979 Two RAF Hawker Siddeley Harrier jump-jets from RAF Wittering collide over Wisbech in Cambridgeshire. Both pilots eject safely, but three people killed and several injured when one of the aircraft destroys 3 dwellings
Event of Interest
1979 Stephen Jay Gould and Richard Lewontin publish influential paper (cited more than 4,000 times) "The Spandrels of San Marco and the panglossian paradigm", introducing idea of "spandrels" into evolutionary biology
Stephen Jay Gould
- 1980 LA Ram Johnnie Johnson scores a 99 yard interception
- 1980 Richard Todd of NY Jets completes 42 passes in a game (NFL record)
- 1980 Kerry GAA beat Roscommon GAA in Croke Park during the All-Ireland Football Final by 1-9 to 1-6 thus winning the championship and a three-in-a-row.
- 1981 Belize (British Honduras) gains independence from UK
Baseball Record
1981 Steve Carlton strikes out NL record 3,118th (Andre Dawson)
Andre Dawson
- 1981 Enterprise Radio (all sports) goes off the air
- 1982 2,251 turn out to see Expos play NY Mets at Shea Stadium
- 1982 NFL players begin a 57 day strike
- 1982 San Francisco cable cars cease operations for 2 years of repairs
- 1982 STS-5 vehicle moves to launch pad
- 1983 11 killed in anti Marcos demonstrations in Manila
- 1983 David Mamet's "Glengarry Glen Ross" premieres in London
- 1983 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
- 1984 NASA launches Galaxy-C
Event of Interest
1985 Michael Spinks beats Larry Holmes in 15 to become Heavyweight Boxing Champion
Larry Holmes
Event of Interest
1985 American CIA case officer Edward Lee Howard flees to Russia after being identified as a KGB agent
Edward Lee Howard
Emmy Awards
1986 38th Emmy Awards: "The Golden Girls", "Cagney & Lacey" & Michael J. Fox win
Michael J. Fox
- 1986 NY Jets beat Miami Dolphins 51-45 in OT; record 884 passing yards
- 1986 New Orleans Saints Mel Gray returns kickoff 101 yards for a touchdown
- 1986 SD Padre Jimmy Jones pitchs 1-hitter in his major league debut
- 1986 Kerry GAA beat Tyrone GAA in Croke Park during the All-Ireland Football Final by 2-15 to 1-10 thus winning the championship and a three-in-a-row.
- 1987 3 Belgian minesweepers depart to Persians Gulf
Event of Interest
1988 Mike Tyson smashes TV camera outside his Bernardsville, New Jersey home
Mike Tyson
- 1988 Suriname swimmer Anthony Nesty wins 100m butterfly at the Seoul Olympics; Suriname's first gold; first black to win individual Olympic swim gold medal; thwarts Matt Biondi's attempt at 7 gold medals
- 1988 East German swimmer Silke Hörner sets world record 2:26.71 to win the 200m breaststroke gold medal at the Seoul Olympics; first of 2 gold (4 x 100m medley relay)
- 1988 Hungarian swimmer Tamás Darnyi sets world record 4:14.75 to win the 400m individual medley at the Seoul Olympics; also wins 200m I/M gold for the medley double
- 1989 Poland's Sejm (National Assembly) approves prime minister Mazowiecki
- 1990 Oakland A's Bob Welch becomes 1st 25 game winner in 10 years
- 1990 Pirate Bobby Bond is 2nd to hit 30 HRs & steal 50 bases in a season (so he can play in 6 decades) because it is a publicity stunt
- 1990 Faye Vincent turns down White Sox bid to reinstate Minnie Minoso, 68
Event of Interest
1990 Reports that US refinery problems will lead to a loss in capacity and aggressive remarks by Saddam Hussein send crude prices to new highs
Saddam Hussein
- 1991 Armenia votes on whether to remain in Soviet Union
- 1991 USA Basketball announces "Dream Team" for the 1992 Olympics
- 1993 Ukraine government of Kutshma resigns
- 1994 Howard Stern Radio Show premieres in Ft Laud/Miami Fl (WBGG 105.9 FM)
- 1995 The Hindu milk miracle occurs: statues of the Hindu God Ganesh begin drinking milk when spoonfuls were placed near their mouths
- 1997 Mike Piazza is 2nd to hit a HR out of Dodger Stadium
- 1997 NY Yankee Cecil Fielder hits his 300th HR
- 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake occurs in central Taiwan, leaving about 2,400 people dead
- 2001 Deep Space 1 flies within 2,200 km of Comet Borrelly.
- 2001 University of Roorkee, becomes India's 7th Indian Institute of Technology, rechristened as IIT Roorkee
- 2001 AZF chemical plant explodes in Toulouse, France, killing 29 people
- 2003 Galileo mission terminated by sending the probe into Jupiter's atmosphere, where it is crushed by the pressure at the lower altitudes
Emmy Awards
2003 55th Emmy Awards: The West Wing, Everybody Loves Raymond, James Gandolfini & Edie Falco wins
James Gandolfini
Mike Dirnt
Event of Interest
2007 George Clooney is injured in a motorcycle accident in Weehawken, New Jersey
George Clooney
Film Release
2007 "Into the Wild" starring Emile Hirsch is released
Emile Hirsch
- 2008 Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, the two last remaining independent investment banks on Wall Street, become bank holding companies as a result of the subprime mortgage crisis.
- 2008 President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa resigns from office, effective September 25
- 2008 Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel formally resigns from office, effective as soon as his successor Tzipi Livni has successfully assembled a new government.
- 2008 The final home game is played at Yankee Stadium against the Baltimore Orioles.
Emmy Awards
2008 60th Emmy Awards: Mad Men, 30 Rock, Bryan Cranston & Glenn Close win
Bryan Cranston
- 2008 Ryder Cup Golf, Valhalla GC: US lead from start to finish to win 16½-11½ and regain Cup after 3 consecutive European victories
- 2009 Macedonia officially enters the recession after experiencing a drop in GDP of 0.9% in the first quarter, followed by 1.4% in the second quarter
- 2011 Scandinavian crime drama "The Bridge" created by Hans Rosenfeldt, starring Sofia Helin and Kim Bodnia premieres
- 2012 Japanese Prime Minister, Yoshihiko Noda, wins a leadership ballot
- 2013 6 people are killed in military and insurgent conflict in Zamboanga City, Philippines
- 2013 100 people are killed in a series of attacks across Iraq
- 2013 59 people are killed and 175 wounded in a shopping mall gun battle in Nairobi, Kenya
- 2015 Scott Walker, Governor of Wisconsin, pulls out of the Republican US Presidential race
Emmy Awards
2015 67th Emmy Awards: hosted by Andy Samberg, "Game of Thrones", Viola Davis, John Hamm win
Maisie Williams
Peter Dinklage
- 2016 Three genetic studies published in "Nature" conclude all non-Africans descended from one migration out of Africa 50-80,000 years ago
Event of Interest
2016 Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan pledge $3 billion to medical research to "cure, prevent or manage all diseases by the end of the century"
Mark Zuckerberg
Brainless Jellyfish that Sleeps
2017 Discovery of the first brainless animal that sleeps, the jellyfish Cassiopea, research published in "Current Biology" by Caltech scientists
Learn More >>
- 2017 Andre Ward, unified light heavyweight champion and world’s top pound-for-pound boxer, announces his retirement
- 2018 Fossil of Dickinsonia, “the Holy Grail of palaeontology” proven to be oldest known animal fossil, 558 million years old from White Sea, Russia
September in History
![Arc Lamps Light the Way to World-Beating Display]()
Arc Lamps Light the Way to World-Beating Display
"Artificial sunshine" came to a Northern England holiday resort in 1879, dazzling the visitors and showing the world the possibilities of outside electricity.
September 18, 1879![The Story of the First Country to Grant Women the Vote]()
The Story of the First Country to Grant Women the Vote
In the late 19th century the women's suffrage movement was widespread in Europe, America, Britain and its colonies. But who was first to grant women the vote?
September 19, 1893![A Sheep's Coat at Sunrise, A Man's Coat at Sunset]()
A Sheep's Coat at Sunrise, A Man's Coat at Sunset
Is it possible to produce a wearable man’s coat from wool shorn from a sheep the same day? They did it in 1811 and again – in record time – 180 years later.
September 21, 1991![Airship Bomb Crew Meet their Match in Policeman]()
Airship Bomb Crew Meet their Match in Policeman
They dropped their bombs and planned to escape, but the German airship crew hadn’t reckoned on the tenacity of a lone British policeman on his bike.
September 24, 1916
