September 15

September 15 in recent years

2024 (Sunday)

2023 (Friday)

2022 (Thursday)

2021 (Wednesday)

2020 (Tuesday)

2019 (Sunday)

2018 (Saturday)

2017 (Friday)

2016 (Thursday)

2015 (Tuesday)

September 15 is the 258th day of the year (259th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 107 days remain until the end of the year.

Events

• 668 – Eastern Roman Emperor Constans II is assassinated in his bath at Syracuse, Italy.
• 921 – At Tetin Saint Ludmila is murdered at the command of her daughter-in-law.
• 994 – Major Fatimid victory over the Byzantine Empire at the Battle of the Orontes.
• 1440 – Gilles de Rais, one of the earliest known serial killers, is taken into custody upon an accusation brought against him by the Bishop of Nantes.
• 1556 – Departing from Vlissingen, ex-Holy Roman Emperor Charles V returns to Spain.
• 1616 – The first non-aristocratic, free public school in Europe is opened in Frascati, Italy.
• 1762 – Seven Years War: Battle of Signal Hill.
• 1776 – American Revolutionary War: British forces land at Kip's Bay during the New York Campaign.
• 1789 – The United States Department of State is established (formerly known as the "Department of Foreign Affairs").
• 1812 – The French army under Napoleon reaches the Kremlin in Moscow.
• 1812 – War of 1812: A second supply train sent to relieve Fort Harrison is ambushed in the Attack at the Narrows.
• 1816 – HMS Whiting ran aground on the Doom Bar
• 1820 – Constitutionalist revolution in Lisbon, Portugal.
• 1821 – Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica jointly declare independence from Spain.
• 1830 – The Liverpool to Manchester railway line opens.
• 1831 – The locomotive John Bull operates for the first time in New Jersey on the Camden and Amboy Railroad.
• 1835 – HMS Beagle, with Charles Darwin aboard, reaches the Galápagos Islands. The ship lands at Chatham or San Cristobal, the easternmost of the archipielago.
• 1851 – Saint Joseph's University is founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
• 1862 – American Civil War: Confederate forces capture Harpers Ferry, Virginia.
• 1873 – Franco-Prussian War: The last German troops leave France upon completion of payment of indemnity.
• 1894 – First Sino-Japanese War: Japan defeats China in the Battle of Pyongyang.
• 1916 – World War I: Tanks are used for the first time in battle, at the Battle of the Somme.
• 1935 – India's first all-boys public school, The Doon School, is founded.
• 1935 – The Nuremberg Laws deprive German Jews of citizenship.
• 1935 – Nazi Germany adopts a new national flag with the swastika.
• 1940 – World War II: The climax of the Battle of Britain, when the Royal Air Force shoots down large numbers of Luftwaffe aircraft.
• 1942 – World War II: U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Wasp is torpedoed at Guadalcanal.
• 1944 – Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill meet in Quebec as part of the Octagon Conference to discuss strategy.
• 1944 – Battle of Peleliu begins as the United States Marine Corps' 1st Marine Division and the United States Army's 81st Infantry Division hit White and Orange beaches under heavy fire from Japanese infantry and artillery.
• 1945 – A hurricane in southern Florida and the Bahamas destroys 366 planes and 25 blimps at NAS Richmond.
• 1947 – RCA releases the 12AX7 vacuum tube.
• 1947 – Typhoon Kathleen hit the Kanto Region in Japan killing 1,077.
• 1948 – The F-86 Sabre sets the world aircraft speed record at 671 miles per hour (1,080 km/h).
• 1950 – Korean War: United States forces land at Inchon
• 1952 – United Nations gives Eritrea to Ethiopia.
• 1958 – A Central Railroad of New Jersey commuter train runs through an open drawbridge at the Newark Bay, killing 48.
• 1959 – Nikita Khrushchev becomes the first Soviet leader to visit the United States.
• 1961 – Hurricane Carla strikes Texas with winds of 175 miles per hour.
• 1962 – The Soviet ship Poltava heads toward Cuba, one of the events that sets into motion the Cuban Missile Crisis.
• 1963 – The 16th Street Baptist Church bombing: Four children killed at an African-American church in Birmingham, Alabama, United States
• 1966 – U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson, responding to a sniper attack at the University of Texas at Austin, writes a letter to Congress urging the enactment of gun control legislation.
• 1968 – The Soviet Zond 5 spaceship is launched, becoming the first spacecraft to fly around the Moon and re-enter the Earth's atmosphere.
• 1972 – A Scandinavian Airlines System domestic flight from Gothenburg to Stockholm is hijacked and flown to Malmö-Bulltofta Airport.
• 1974 – Air Vietnam Flight 706 is hijacked, then crashes while attempting to land with 75 on board.
• 1975 – The French département of Corse (the entire island of Corsica) is divided into two: Haute-Corse and Corse-du-Sud.
• 1981 – The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously approves Sandra Day O'Connor to become the first female justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
• 1981 – The John Bull becomes the oldest operable steam locomotive in the world when the Smithsonian Institution operates it under its own power outside Washington, D.C.
• 1981 – Vanuatu becomes a member of the United Nations.
• 1983 – Israeli premier Menachem Begin resigns.
• 1987 – United States Secretary of State George Shultz and Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze sign a treaty to establish centers to reduce the risk of nuclear war.
• 1990 – France announces it will send 4,000 troops to the Persian Gulf.
• 1993 – Liechtenstein Prince Hans-Adam II disbands Parliament
• 1998 – With the landmark merger of WorldCom and MCI Communications completed the day prior, the new MCI WorldCom opens its doors for business.
• 2004 – National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman announces lockout of the players union and cessation of operations by the NHL head office.
• 2008 – Lehman Brothers files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the largest bankruptcy filing in U.S. history.

Births

• 786 – Al-Ma'mun, Abbasid caliph (d. 833)
• 1254 – Marco Polo, Italian explorer (d. 1324)
• 1533 – Catherine of Austria, Queen of Poland (d. 1572)
• 1580 – Charles Annibal Fabrot, French lawyer (d. 1659)
• 1613 – François de La Rochefoucauld, French author (d. 1680)
• 1649 – Titus Oates, English minister, fabricated the Popish Plot (d. 1705)
• 1666 – Sophia Dorothea of Celle (d. 1726)
• 1690 – Ignazio Prota, Italian composer and educator (d. 1748)
• 1715 – Jean-Baptiste Vaquette de Gribeauval, French general (d. 1789)
• 1736 – Jean Sylvain Bailly, French astronomer (d. 1793)
• 1759 – Cornelio Saavedra, Argentinean military officer and statesman (d. 1829)
• 1760 – Bogislav Friedrich Emanuel von Tauentzien, Prussian general (d. 1824)
• 1765 – Bocage, Portuguese poet (d. 1805)
• 1789 – James Fenimore Cooper, American novelist (d. 1851)
• 1815 – Halfdan Kjerulf, Norwegian composer (d. 1868)
• 1819 – Cyprien Tanguay, Canadian priest and historian (d. 1902)
• 1828 – Aleksandr Mikhailovich Butlerov, Russian chemist (d. 1886)
• 1830 – Porfirio Díaz, Mexican general and politician, 29th President of Mexico (d. 1915)
• 1852 – Edward Bouchet, American physicist (d. 1918)
• 1857 – William Howard Taft, American politician, 27th President of the United States (d. 1930)
• 1858 – Charles de Foucauld, French priest (d. 1916)
• 1858 – Jenő Hubay, Hungarian violinist (d. 1937)
• 1860 – Visvesvaraya, Indian engineer, scholar, and statesman, Diwan of the Mysore Kingdom (d. 1962)
• 1863 – Horatio Parker, American composer (d. 1919)
• 1864 – Prince Sigismund of Prussia (d. 1866)
• 1867 – Vladimir May-Mayevsky, Russian general (d. 1920)
• 1870 – Rose Sutro, American pianist (d. 1957)
• 1876 – Bruno Walter, German conductor (d. 1962)
• 1876 – Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Indian novelist (d. 1938)
• 1877 – Jakob Ehrlich, Austrian zionist (d. 1938)
• 1879 – Joseph Lyons, Australian politician, 10th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1939)
• 1880 – Chujiro Hayashi, Japanese physician (d. 1940)
• 1881 – Ettore Bugatti, Italian-French businessman, founded Bugatti (d. 1947)
• 1881 – Julian Schmitz, American gymnast
• 1883 – Esteban Terradas i Illa, Spanish mathematician and engineer (d. 1950)
• 1887 – Carlos Dávila, Chilean politician, President of Chile (d. 1955)
• 1888 – Antonio Ascari, Italian race car driver (d. 1925)
• 1889 – Robert Benchley, American author (d. 1945)
• 1889 – Claude McKay, Jamaican-American poet and author (d. 1948)
• 1890 – Ernest Bullock, English organist and composer (d. 1979)
• 1890 – Agatha Christie, English author (d. 1976)
• 1890 – Frank Martin, Swiss composer (d. 1974)
• 1892 – Silpa Bhirasri, Italian sculptor (d. 1962)
• 1894 – Jean Renoir, French director (d. 1979)
• 1894 – Oskar Klein, Swedish physicist (d. 1977)
• 1895 – Magda Lupescu, Romanian wife of Carol II of Romania (d. 1977)
• 1895 – Chic Harley, American football player (d. 1974)
• 1897 – Merle Curti, American historian and author (d. 1997)
• 1898 – J. Slauerhoff, Dutch poet and novelist (d. 1936)
• 1901 – Donald Bailey, English engineer, designed Bailey bridge (d. 1985)
• 1903 – Roy Acuff, American singer-songwriter (d. 1992)
• 1904 – Umberto II of Italy (d. 1983)
• 1904 – Sheilah Graham Westbrook, English-American columnist (d. 1988)
• 1906 – Jacques Becker, French screenwriter and director (d. 1960)
• 1906 – Walter E. Rollins, American songwriter (d. 1973)
• 1907 – Gunnar Ekelöf, Swedish poet and author (d. 1968)
• 1907 – Fay Wray, Canadian-American actress (d. 2004)
• 1908 – Kid Sheik, American trumpet player (Preservation Hall Jazz Band) (d. 1996)
• 1908 – Penny Singleton, American actress (d. 2003)
• 1909 – C. N. Annadurai, Indian politician (d. 1969)
• 1909 – Phil Arnold, American actor (d. 1968)
• 1910 – Betty Neels, English novelist (d. 2001)
• 1911 – Karsten Solheim, Norwegian-American businessman, founded PING (d. 2000)
• 1911 – Luther Terry, American physician, 9th Surgeon General of the United States (d. 1985)
• 1913 – Henry Brant, Canadian-American composer (d. 2008)
• 1913 – Bruno Hoffmann, German glass harp player (d. 1991)
• 1913 – John N. Mitchell, American lawyer, 67th United States Attorney General (d. 1988)
• 1913 – Johannes Steinhoff, German pilot (d. 1994)
• 1914 – Creighton Abrams, American general (d. 1974)
• 1914 – Adolfo Bioy Casares, Argentine journalist and writer (d. 1999)
• 1914 – Orhan Kemal, Turkish author (d. 1970)
• 1914 – Robert McCloskey, American children's author and illustrator (d. 2003)
• 1915 – Fawn M. Brodie, American biographer and historian (d. 1981)
• 1915 – Al Casey, American guitarist (d. 2005)
• 1915 – José Nicomedes Grossi, Brazilian bishop (d. 2009)
• 1915 – Paul Ch'eng Shih-kuang, Taiwanese bishop (d. 2012)
• 1915 – Albert Whitlock, English painter (d. 1999)
• 1915 – Ismail Yasin, Egyptian comedian and actor (d. 1972)
• 1916 – Margaret Lockwood, English actress (d. 1990)
• 1916 – Frederick C. Weyand, American general (d. 2010)
• 1917 – Hilde Gueden, Austrian soprano (d. 1988)
• 1918 – Alfred D. Chandler, Jr., American business historian (d. 2007)
• 1918 – Phil Lamason, New Zealand pilot (d. 2012)
• 1918 – Nipsey Russell, American comedian and actor (d. 2005)
• 1919 – Fausto Coppi, Italian cyclist (d. 1960)
• 1919 – Nelson Gidding, American screenwriter (d. 2004)
• 1919 – Heda Margolius Kovály, Czech writer and translator (d. 2010)
• 1920 – Kym Bonython, Australian broadcaster and musician (d. 2011)
• 1921 – Richard Gordon, English author
• 1921 – Norma MacMillan, Canadian actress (d. 2001)
• 1921 – Snooky Pryor, American harmonica player (d. 2006)
• 1921 – Gene Roland, American composer and musician (d. 1982)
• 1922 – Jackie Cooper, American actor and director (d. 2011)
• 1922 – Bob Anderson, English fencer and choreographer (d. 2012)
• 1922 – Gaetano Cozzi, Italian historian (d. 2001)
• 1923 – Anton Heiller, Austrian organist, composer, and conductor (d. 1979)
• 1924 – Lucebert, Dutch poet and painter (d. 1994)
• 1924 – György Lázár, Hungarian politician
• 1924 – Bobby Short, American singer and pianist (d. 2005)
• 1925 – Stanley Chapman, English architect, designer, and author (d. 2009)
• 1925 – Forrest Compton, American actor
• 1925 – Helle Virkner, Danish actress (d. 2009)
• 1926 – Shohei Imamura, Japanese director (d. 2006)
• 1926 – Jean-Pierre Serre, French mathematician
• 1927 – Norm Crosby, American comedian
• 1927 – Erika Köth, German soprano (d. 1981)
• 1927 – David Stove, Australian philosopher (d. 1994)
• 1928 – Cannonball Adderley, American saxophonist and bandleader (d. 1975)
• 1929 – Eva Burrows, Australian 13th General of The Salvation Army
• 1929 – Murray Gell-Mann, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1931 – Brian Henderson, Australian journalist
• 1932 – Neil Bartlett, English chemist (d. 2008)
• 1933 – Henry Darrow, American actor
• 1933 – Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Spanish conductor and composer
• 1933 – Monica Maughan, Australian actress (d. 2010)
• 1934 – Tomie dePaola, American author and illustrator
• 1934 – Fred Nile, Australian politician
• 1936 – Ashley Cooper, Australian tennis player
• 1936 – Sara Henderson, Australian author (d. 2005)
• 1937 – Robert Lucas, Jr., American economist, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1937 – Pino Puglisi, Italian priest (d. 1993)
• 1937 – Fernando de la Rúa, Argentine politician, 51st President of Argentina
• 1938 – Gaylord Perry, American baseball player
• 1939 – Subramanian Swamy, Indian politician,economist,Ex-Harvard Professor
• 1940 – Merlin Olsen, American football player and actor (d. 2010)
• 1940 – Norman Spinrad, American author
• 1941 – Flórián Albert, Hungarian footballer and manager (d. 2011)
• 1941 – Signe Toly Anderson, American singer (Jefferson Airplane and KBC Band)
• 1941 – Mirosław Hermaszewski, Polish astronaut
• 1941 – Yuriy Norshteyn, Russian animator
• 1941 – Viktor Zubkov, Russian politician, 37th Prime Minister of Russia
• 1942 – Lee Dorman, American bass player (Iron Butterfly and Captain Beyond) (d. 2012)
• 1944 – Sotirios Hatzigakis, Greek politician
• 1944 – Mauro Piacenza, Italian cardinal
• 1945 – Carmen Maura, Spanish actress
• 1945 – Jessye Norman, American opera singer
• 1945 – Hans-Gert Pöttering, German politician, 23rd President of the European Parliament
• 1945 – Ron Shelton, American director
• 1946 – Ola Brunkert, Swedish drummer (d. 2008)
• 1946 – Tommy Lee Jones, American actor and director
• 1946 – Mike Procter, South African cricketer, coach, and referee
• 1946 – Oliver Stone, American director, screenwriter, and producer
• 1946 – Howard Waldrop, American author
• 1947 – Theodore Long, American wrestling referee and manager
• 1947 – Charles "Bobo" Shaw, American drummer (Black Artists Group and Human Arts Ensemble)
• 1947 – Larry Sparks, American singer and guitarist
• 1949 – Joe Barton, American politician
• 1950 – Mirza Masroor Ahmad, 5th Caliph and Head of Worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
• 1951 – Pete Carroll, American football coach
• 1951 – Johan Neeskens, Dutch footballer
• 1952 – Richard Brodeur, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1952 – Paula Duncan, Australian actress
• 1952 – Ratnajeevan Hoole, Sri Lankan Tamil engineer and academic
• 1952 – Kelly Keagy, American singer and drummer (Night Ranger)
• 1953 – Paul Piché, Canadian singer-songwriter
• 1954 – Hrant Dink, Turkish-Armenian journalist (d. 2007)
• 1955 – Željka Antunović, Croatian politician
• 1955 – Bruce Reitherman, American voice actor and singer
• 1955 – Renzo Rosso, Italian fashion designer and businessman, co-founded Diesel Clothing
• 1956 – Jaki Graham, English singer
• 1956 – Maggie Reilly, Scottish singer-songwriter (Cado Belle)
• 1956 – Ned Rothenberg, American musician and composer
• 1958 – Dr. Know, American guitarist (Bad Brains)
• 1958 – Joel Quenneville, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1958 – Wendie Jo Sperber, American actress (d. 2005)
• 1959 – Mark Kirk, American politician
• 1960 – Kevin Allen, Welsh actor
• 1960 – Ed Solomon, American screenwriter, director, and producer
• 1961 – Terry Lamb, Australian rugby player
• 1961 – Dan Marino, American football player
• 1962 – Dina Lohan, American dancer, actress, and manager
• 1962 – Scott McNeil, Australian-Canadian actor
• 1963 – Pete Myers, American basketball player
• 1964 – Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein, American guitarist and songwriter (The Misfits and Kryst the Conqueror)
• 1965 – Dyan Castillejo, Filipino tennis player
• 1965 – Robert Fico, Slovak politician, 14th Prime Minister of Slovakia
• 1966 – Sherman Douglas, American basketball player
• 1967 – Paul Abbott, American baseball player
• 1967 – Huw Bunford, Welsh guitarist and songwriter (Super Furry Animals)
• 1967 – Sari Kaasinen, Finnish singer (Värttinä)
• 1968 – Danny Nucci, American actor
• 1968 – Vicky Entwistle, English actress
• 1969 – Revaz Arveladze, Georgian footballer
• 1970 – Carsten Klee, German footballer
• 1971 – Nathan Astle, New Zealand cricketer
• 1971 – Josh Charles, American actor
• 1971 – Ben Wallers, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (Country Teasers)
• 1972 – Jimmy Carr, English-Irish comedian
• 1972 – Kit Chan, Singaporean singer and actor
• 1972 – Letizia, Princess of Asturias
• 1973 – Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland
• 1975 – Tom Dolan, American swimmer
• 1975 – Martina Krupičková, Czech painter
• 1976 – Paul Thomson, Scottish drummer (Franz Ferdinand, Correcto, and The Yummy Fur)
• 1976 – Matt Thornton, American baseball player
• 1977 – Angela Aki, Japanese singer-songwriter
• 1977 – Sophie Dahl, English model and author
• 1977 – Tom Hardy, English actor
• 1977 – Leander Jordan, American football player
• 1977 – Marisa Ramirez, American actress
• 1977 – Jason Terry, American basketball player
• 1978 – Eiður Guðjohnsen, Icelandic footballer
• 1979 – Dave Annable, American actor
• 1979 – Amy Davidson, American actress
• 1979 – Patrick Marleau, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1979 – Carlos Ruiz, Guatemalan footballer
• 1980 – Tammie Brown, American drag queen
• 1980 – David Diehl, American football player
• 1980 – Mike Dunleavy, Jr., American basketball player
• 1980 – Jolin Tsai, Taiwanese singer, actress, and dancer
• 1982 – Laila Boonyasak, Thai actress
• 1983 – Luke Hochevar, American baseball player
• 1984 – Prince Harry of Wales, Prince of Wales
• 1985 – François-Olivier Roberge, Canadian speed skater
• 1985 – Kayden Kross, American pornographic actress and writer
• 1986 – Heidi Montag, American model and singer
• 1986 – Peter Wilson, English target shooter
• 1986 – Poppy Delevingne, British model
• 1987 – Aly Cissokho, French footballer
• 1987 – Clare Maguire, English singer-songwriter
• 1988 – Chelsea Kane, American actress and singer
• 1989 – Kris Chetan Ramlu, New Zealand drummer
• 1990 – Oliver Gill, English footballer
• 1990 – Matt Shively, American actor
• 1991 – Phil Ofosu-Ayeh, German-Ghanaian footballer
• 1991 – Lee Jung Shin, South Korean rapper, bass player, and actor (CN Blue)
• 1996 – Jake Cherry, American actor

Deaths

• 585 – Bidatsu, emperor of Japan (b. 538)
• 668 – Constans II, Byzantine emperor (b. 630)
• 921 – Ludmila of Bohemia, Bohemian martyr and saint (b. 860)
• 1231 – Louis I, Duke of Bavaria (b. 1173)
• 1326 – Dmitry of Tver (b. 1299)
• 1352 – Ewostatewos, Ethiopian monk and religious leader (b. 1273)
• 1500 – John Morton, English archbishop (b. 1420)
• 1596 – Leonhard Rauwolf, German physician and botanist (b. 1535)
• 1613 – Thomas Overbury, English poet (b. 1581)
• 1643 – Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork, Irish politician (b. 1566)
• 1649 – John Floyd, English preacher (b. 1572)
• 1700 – André Le Nôtre, French gardener (b. 1613)
• 1701 – Edmé Boursault, French playwright (b. 1638)
• 1707 – George Stepney, English poet and diplomat (b. 1663)
• 1712 – Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin, English politician (b. 1645)
• 1750 – Charles Theodore Pachelbel, German composer (b. 1690)
• 1794 – Abraham Clark, American politician, signer of the United States Declaration of Independence (b. 1725)
• 1803 – Gian Francesco Albani, Italian cardinal (b. 1719)
• 1805 – Christopher Gadsden, American soldier and politician (b. 1724)
• 1830 – François Baillairgé, Canadian painter and sculptor (b. 1759)
• 1830 – William Huskisson, English politician (b. 1770)
• 1835 – Sarah Knox Taylor, American wife of Jefferson Davis (b. 1814)
• 1841 – Alessandro Rolla, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1757)
• 1842 – Pierre Baillot, French violinist and composer (b. 1771)
• 1842 – Francisco Morazán, Guatemalan lawyer and politician (b. 1792)
• 1859 – Isambard Kingdom Brunel, English engineer, designed the Great Western Railway (b. 1806)
• 1864 – John Hanning Speke, English army officer and explorer (b. 1827)
• 1883 – Joseph Plateau, Belgian physicist (b. 1801)
• 1885 – Jumbo, African elephant (b. 1861)
• 1893 – Thomas Hawksley, English engineer (b. 1807)
• 1915 – Ernest Gagnon, Canadian composer and organist (b. 1834)
• 1921 – Roman von Ungern-Sternberg, Russian general (b. 1886)
• 1926 – Rudolf Christoph Eucken, German philosopher, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1846)
• 1930 – Milton Sills, American actor (b. 1882)
• 1938 – Thomas Wolfe, American author (b. 1900)
• 1940 – William B. Bankhead, American politician (b. 1874)
• 1944 – Walter Middelberg, Dutch rower (b. 1875)
• 1945 – André Tardieu, French politician, 102nd Prime Minister of France (b. 1876)
• 1945 – Anton Webern, Austrian composer and conductor (b. 1883)
• 1945 – Linnie Marsh Wolfe, American librarian and biographer (b. 1881)
• 1965 – Steve Brown, American bassist (New Orleans Rhythm Kings) (b. 1890)
• 1972 – Geoffrey Fisher, English archbishop (b. 1887)
• 1973 – Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden (b. 1882)
• 1978 – Robert Cliche, Canadian politician and judge (b. 1921)
• 1978 – Willy Messerschmitt, German aircraft designer, designed the Messerschmitt Bf 109 (b. 1898)
• 1979 – Tommy Leonetti, American singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1929)
• 1980 – Bill Evans, American pianist and composer (b. 1929)
• 1981 – Harold Bennett, English actor (b. 1899)
• 1981 – Rafael Méndez, Mexican trumpet player (b. 1906)
• 1983 – Prince Far I, Jamaican DJ and producer (b. 1944)
• 1985 – Cootie Williams, American trumpet player (b. 1910)
• 1989 – Jan DeGaetani, American soprano (b. 1933)
• 1989 – Olga Erteszek, American fashion designer (b. 1916)
• 1989 – Robert Penn Warren, American poet, author, and critic (b. 1905)
• 1991 – John Hoyt, American actor (b. 1904)
• 1993 – Pino Puglisi, Italian priest (b. 1937)
• 1995 – Harry Calder, South African cricketer (b. 1901)
• 1995 – Gunnar Nordahl, Swedish football player (b. 1921)
• 1998 – Louis Rasminsky, Canadian economist, 3rd Governor of the Bank of Canada (b. 1908)
• 2001 – June Salter, Australian actress (b. 1932)
• 2001 – Balbir Singh Sodhi, Indian murder victim (b. 1949)
• 2003 – Garner Ted Armstrong, American evangelist (b. 1930)
• 2003 – Jack Brymer, English clarinet player (b. 1915)
• 2003 – Josef Hirsal, Czech novelist (b. 1920)
• 2004 – Johnny Ramone, American guitarist and songwriter (The Ramones) (b. 1948)
• 2004 – Walter Stewart, Canadian journalist (b. 1931)
• 2005 – Guy Green, English cinematographer and director (b. 1913)
• 2005 – Sidney Luft, American director (b. 1915)
• 2006 – Raymond Baxter, English television host (b. 1922)
• 2006 – Oriana Fallaci, Italian journalist (b. 1929)
• 2006 – Pablo Santos, Mexican actor (b. 1987)
• 2007 – Colin McRae, Scottish race car driver (b. 1968)
• 2007 – Jeremy Moore, English military commander (b. 1928)
• 2007 – Aldemaro Romero, Venezuelan pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1928)
• 2007 – Brett Somers, Canadian-American actress (b. 1924)
• 2008 – Stavros Paravas, Greek actor (b. 1935)
• 2008 – Richard Wright, English keyboard player and songwriter (Pink Floyd) (b. 1943)
• 2009 – Troy Kennedy Martin, Scottish screenwriter (b. 1932)
• 2010 – Arrow, Caribbean singer-songwriter (b. 1949)
• 2010 – Richard Livsey, Baron Livsey of Talgarth, Welsh politician (b. 1935)
• 2011 – Frances Bay, Canadian actress (b. 1919)
• 2012 – Tibor Antalpéter, Hungarian volleyball player and diplomat (b. 1930)
• 2012 – Fred Bodsworth, Canadian journalist (b. 1918)
• 2012 – Predrag Brzaković, Serbian footballer (b. 1964)
• 2012 – James "Sugar Boy" Crawford, American singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1934)
• 2012 – Olga Ferri, Argentine dancer and choreographer (b. 1928)
• 2012 – Jean-Louis Heinrich, French footballer (b. 1943)
• 2012 – Arthur Magugu, Kenyan politician (b. 1934)
• 2012 – Pierre Mondy, French actor and director (b. 1925)
• 2012 – Paul Okesene, Samoan rugby player (b. 1968)
• 2012 – Stephen Paul, American physicist (b. 1953)
• 2012 – Nevin Spence, Irish rugby player (b. 1990)
• 2012 – K. S. Sudarshan, Indian nationalist (b. 1931)

Holidays and observances

• Battle of Britain Day (United Kingdom)
• Christian Feast Day:
  • Catherine of Genoa
  • Joseph Abibos
  • Nicomedes
  • Our Lady of Sorrows
  • September 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics).
• "Cry of Dolores" or Grito de Dolores, celebrated on the eve of the Independence Day (Mexico).
• Earliest day on which German-American Steuben Parade can fall, while September 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Saturday in September. (United States, especially New York City)
• Earliest day on which POW/MIA Recognition Day can fall, while September 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Friday in September. (United States)
• Earliest day on which Prinsjesdag can fall, while September 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Tuesday in September. (Netherlands)
• Earliest day on which Respect for the Aged Day can fall, while September 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday in September. (Japan)
• Engineer's Day (India)
• Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Guatemala (a Patriotic Day), El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica from Spain in 1821.
• International Day of Democracy (International)
• Knowledge Day (Azerbaijan)
• Restoration of Primorska to the Motherland Day (Slovenia)
• Silpa Bhirasri Day (Thailand).
• The beginning of National Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated until October 15 (United States)
• World Lymphoma Awareness Day (International)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada

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