September 21
September 21 is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 101 days remain until the end of the year.
Events
- 1217 - The Estonian tribal leader Lembitu of Lehola was killed in a battle against Teutonic Knights.
- 1745 - Battle of Prestonpans: A Hanoverian army under the command of Sir John Cope is defeated, in ten minutes, by the Jacobite forces of Prince Charles Edward Stuart
- 1765 - Antoine de Beauterne announces he had killed the Beast of Gévaudan, but was later proved wrong by more attacks.
- 1780 - American Revolutionary War: Benedict Arnold gives the British the plans to West Point.
- 1792 - The French National Convention votes to abolish the monarchy.
- 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.
- 1896 - British force under Horatio Kitchener takes Dongola in the Sudan.
- 1897 - The "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" letter is published in the New York Sun.
- 1898 - Empress Dowager Cixi seizes power and ends the Hundred Days' Reform in China.
- 1921 - Oppau explosion, a storage silo at a fertilizer producing plant exploded in Oppau, Germany, 500—600 killed.
- 1934 - A large typhoon hits western Honshū, Japan. The Japanese government confirms 3,036 killed. Osaka is hardest hit with great property damage.
- 1937 - J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit is published.
- 1938 - The Great Hurricane of 1938 makes landfall on Long Island in New York. The death toll is estimated at 500-700 people.
- 1939 - Romanian Prime Minister Armand Calinescu is assassinated by ultranationalist members of the Iron Guard.
- 1942 - On Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, Nazis sent over 1.000 Jews of Pidhaytsi (west Ukraine) to Belzec extermination camp.
- 1942 - On the end of Yom Kippur, the Germans ordered Konstantynów Jews (Poland) to permanently evacuate Konstantynów and move to the Ghetto - established in Biała Podlaska, meant to assemble Jews from nearby 7 towns among them: Konstantynów, Janów Podlaski, Rossosz, Terespol, and 3 more.
- 1942 - In Dunaivtsi, Ukraine, Nazis murder 2588 Jews.
- 1942 - The B-29 Superfortress makes its maiden flight.
- 1950 - George Marshall sworn in as the 3rd Secretary of Defense of United States.
- 1961 - Maiden flight of the CH-47 Chinook transportation helicopter.
- 1964 - Malta becomes independent from the United Kingdom.
- 1964 - The North American XB-70 Valkyrie, the world's first Mach 3 bomber, made its maiden flight from Palmdale, California.
- 1965 - Singapore admitted as a part of the United Nations.
- 1970 - New York Times starts first modern op-ed page.
- 1972 - Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos signs Proclamation No. 1081 placing the entire country under martial law.
- 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.
- 1979 - Two RAF Hawker Siddeley Harrier jump-jets from RAF Wittering collide over the UK. Both pilots ejected safely. One of the jets broke up in midair and fell harmlessly into a field but the other dropped onto the centre of Wisbech in Cambridgeshire, destroying two houses and a bungalow. Several people were injured in the accident and three people were killed.
- 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 is granted full independence from the United Kingdom.
- 1981 - Sandra Day O'Connor is unanimously approved by the U.S. Senate as the first female supreme court justice.
- 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.
- 1989 - Hurricane Hugo makes landfall in the U.S. state of South Carolina.
- 1991 - Armenia is granted independence from Soviet Union.
- 1993 - Russian President Boris Yeltsin suspends parliament and scraps the then-functioning constitution, thus triggering the Russian constitutional crisis of 1993.
- 1995 - The Hindu milk miracle occurs, in which statues of the Hindu God Ganesh began drinking milk when spoonfuls were placed near their mouths.
- 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 - AZF chemical plant explodes in Toulouse, France, killing 29 people
- 2001 - University of Roorkee, becomes India's 7th Indian Institute of Technology, rechristened as IIT Roorkee
- 2003 - Galileo mission terminated by sending the probe into Jupiter's atmosphere, where it is crushed by the pressure at the lower altitudes.
- 2004 - The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) People's War and the Maoist Communist Centre of India merge to form the Communist Party of India (Maoist).
- 2004 - Construction of the Burj Dubai starts.
- 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 - Final baseball game played at Yankee Stadium
Births
- 1051 - Bertha of Savoy, German queen and Holy Roman Empire Empress (d. 1087)
- 1328 - Hongwu Emperor of China (d. 1398)
- 1411 - Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, claimant to the English throne (d. 1460)
- 1415 - Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1493)
- 1428 - Jingtai Emperor of China (d. 1457)
- 1452 - Girolamo Savonarola, Dominican priest and ruler of Florence (d. 1498)
- 1559 - Cigoli, Florentine painter, architect, and sculptor (d. 1613)
- 1629 - Philip Cardinal Howard, English Catholic cardinal (d. 1694)
- 1645 - Louis Joliet, Canadian explorer (d. 1700)
- 1706 - Polyxena Christina of Hesse-Rotenburg, queen of Sardinia (d. 1735)
- 1756 - John MacAdam, Scottish engineer and road-builder (d. 1836)
- 1758 - Christopher Gore, 8th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1827)
- 1760 - Ivan Dmitriev, Russian statesman (d. 1837)
- 1819 - Princess Louise Marie Thérèse of France (d. 1864)
- 1840 - Murad V, Ottoman Sultan (d. 1904)
- 1842 - Abd-ul-Hamid II, Ottoman Sultan (d. 1918)
- 1849 - Maurice Barrymore, Indian-born patriarch of the Barrymore family (d. 1905)
- 1853 - Heike Kamerlingh Onnes, Dutch physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1926)
- 1862 - James E. Talmage, LDS apostle and author (d. 1933)
- 1863 - John Bunny, American film comedian (d. 1915)
- 1866 - H. G. Wells, English writer (d. 1946)
- 1866 - Charles Nicolle, French bacteriologist, received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d. 1936)
- 1873 - Papa Jack Laine, American musician (d. 1966)
- 1874 - Gustav Holst, English composer (d. 1934)
- 1895 - Sergei Yesenin, Russian poet (d. 1925)
- 1899 - Frederick Coutts, the 8th General of The Salvation Army (d. 1986)
- 1902 - Luis Cernuda, Spanish poet (d. 1963)
- 1902 - Sir Allen Lane, British founder of Penguin Books (d. 1970)
- 1905 - Robert Lebel, French Canadian ice hockey executive (d. 1999)
- 1906 - Henry Beachell, American plant breeder (d. 2006)
- 1912 - Chuck Jones, American animator (d. 2002)
- 1912 - György Sándor, Hungarian pianist (d. 2005)
- 1916 - Françoise Giroud, French journalist and politician (d. 2003)
- 1917 - Phyllis Nicolson, British mathematician (d. 1968)
- 1918 - John Gofman, American Manhattan Project scientist and advocate (d. 2007)
- 1919 - Mario Bunge, Argentine philosopher and physicist
- 1919 - Fazlur Rahman, Pakistani scholar (d. 1988)
- 1926 - Donald A. Glaser, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1926 - Noor Jehan, Pakistani singer and actress (d. 2000)
- 1929 - Bernard Williams, English philosopher (d. 2003)
- 1929 - Sándor Kocsis, Hungarian footballer (d. 1979)
- 1931 - Larry Hagman, American actor
- 1933 - Dick Simon, American racing driver
- 1934 - Leonard Cohen, Canadian singer and songwriter
- 1935 - Jimmy Armfield, Former English Footballer and Manager
- 1935 - Henry Gibson, American actor
- 1936 - Diane Rehm, American radio talk show host for National Public Radio
- 1936 - Yuriy Luzhkov, Russian politician, mayor of Moscow
- 1936 - Dickey Lee, American singer and songwriter
- 1938 - Doug Moe, American basketball player and coach
- 1940 - Bill Kurtis, American television journalist
- 1940 - Hermann Knoflacher, Austrian civil engineer
- 1941 - R. James Woolsey, Jr., Central Intelligence Agency director
- 1941 - Jack Brisco, American professional wrestler
- 1944 - Fannie Flagg, American actress and novelist
- 1944 - Hamilton Jordan, U.S. President Jimmy Carter's original chief of staff
- 1944 - Steve Beshear, Democratic Governor of Kentucky.
- 1945 - Jerry Bruckheimer, American film and television producer
- 1945 - Richard Childress, NASCAR team owner
- 1945 - Shaw Clifton, the 18th General of The Salvation Army
- 1946 - Moritz Leuenberger, Swiss Federal Councilor
- 1947 - Stephen King, American author
- 1947 - Marsha Norman, American playwright
- 1947 - Don Felder, American guitarist (Eagles)
- 1949 - Artis Gilmore, American basketball player
- 1950 - Charles Clarke, British politician
- 1950 - Bill Murray, American actor
- 1951 - Bruce Arena, American soccer coach
- 1951 - Aslan Maskhadov, Chechen rebel leader (d. 2005)
- 1952 - Anneliese Michel, German exorcism victim (d. 1976)
- 1953 - Arie Luyendyk, Dutch race car driver
- 1954 - Shinzo Abe, Japanese politician
- 1954 - Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor, British musician (Motörhead)
- 1955 - Mika Kaurismäki, Finnish director
- 1955 - Richard Hieb, American astronaut
- 1956 - Jack Givens, American basketball player
- 1956 - Marta Kauffman, American television producer
- 1956 - Ricky Morton, American professional wrestler
- 1957 - Ethan Coen, American film director
- 1957 - Sidney Moncrief, American basketball player
- 1957 - Kevin Rudd, Australian politician
- 1957 - Penny Smith, English television presenter
- 1958 - Bruno Fitoussi, French poker player
- 1959 - Dave Coulier, American actor
- 1959 - Danny Cox, American baseball player
- 1959 - Corinne Drewery, British singer (Swing Out Sister)
- 1960 - David James Elliott, Canadian actor
- 1961 - Nancy Travis, American actress
- 1962 - Rob Morrow, American actor
- 1963 - Curtly Ambrose, Antiguan West Indies cricketer
- 1963 - Cecil Fielder, American baseball player
- 1963 - Angus Macfadyen, Scottish actor
- 1964 - Jorge Drexler, Uruguayan singer and composer
- 1965 - Cheryl Hines, American actress
- 1965 - David Wenham, Australian actor
- 1967 - Faith Hill, American singer
- 1967 - Tyler Stewart, Canadian drummer (Barenaked Ladies)
- 1968 - Ricki Lake, American actress and talk show hostess
- 1969 - Jason Christiansen, American baseball player
- 1970 - John Cudia, American actor
- 1970 - Bridget Moynahan, American model and actress
- 1971 - John Crawley, English cricketer
- 1971 - Alfonso Ribeiro, American actor
- 1971 - Luke Wilson, American actor
- 1972 - Liam Gallagher, English singer (Oasis)
- 1972 - Scott Spiezio, American baseball player
- 1972 - Jon Kitna, American football player
- 1972 - David Silveria, American drummer (KoЯn)
- 1973 - Oswaldo Sanchez, Mexican footballer
- 1973 - Vanessa Grigoriadis, American journalist
- 1974 - Taral Hicks, American musician
- 1974 - Jana Kandarr, German tennis player
- 1974 - Andy Todd, English footballer
- 1975 - Doug Davis, American baseball player
- 1976 - Jonas Bjerre, Danish singer and guitarist (Mew)
- 1976 - Poul Hübertz, Danish footballer
- 1977 - Brian Tallet, American baseball player
- 1978 - Doug Howlett, New Zealand rugby union footballer
- 1979 - Richard Dunne, Irish footballer
- 1979 - Chris Gayle, Jamaican West Indies cricketer
- 1979 - Julian Gray, English footballer
- 1979 - Jaymee Ong, Chinese-Australian model
- 1980 - Robert Hoffman, American actor
- 1980 - Kareena Kapoor, Indian actress
- 1980 - Nyree Lewis, British Paralympic swimmer
- 1980 - Aleksa Palladino, American actress
- 1980 - Autumn Reeser, American actress
- 1980 - Tomas Scheckter, South African racing driver
- 1981 - Nicole Richie, American socialite
- 1981 - Rimi Sen, Indian actress
- 1981 - Meilinda Soerjoko, Indonesian-Australian actress
- 1982 - Eduardo Azevedo, Brazilian racing driver
- 1982 - Danny Kass, American snowboarder
- 1982 - Marat Izmailov, Russian footballer
- 1982 - Rowan Vine, English footballer
- 1983 - Fernando Cavenaghi, Argentinian footballer
- 1983 - Maggie Grace, American actress
- 1983 - Joseph Mazzello, American actor
- 1983 - Anna Meares, Australian cyclist
- 1984 - Benjamin Wildman-Tobriner, American swimmer
- 1985 - Maryam Hassouni, Dutch actor
- 1986 - Faris Rotter, English vocalist (The Horrors)
- 1987 - Jimmy Clausen, American football player
- 1987 - Ashley Paris, American basketball player
- 1987 - Courtney Paris, American basketball player
- 1988 - Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Pakistani politician
- 1988 - Jason Derulo, American Pop singer and actor
- 1989 - Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins, American skateboarder
- 1990 - Allison Scagliotti, American actress
- 1990 - Christian Serratos, American actress
- 1991 - Jordan Hasay, American track and field athlete
- 1998 - Brino quadruplets, American actor/actresses
Deaths
- 19 BC - Virgil, Roman poet (b. 70 BC)
- 454 - Aëtius, Roman general (bc. 396)
- 1217 - Lembitu of Lehola, Estonian soldier
- 1327 - King Edward II of England (b. 1284)
- 1397 - Richard FitzAlan, 11th Earl of Arundel, English military leader (executed) (b. 1346)
- 1542 - Juan Boscán Almogáver, Spanish poet
- 1558 - Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1500)
- 1576 - Gerolamo Cardano, Italian mathematician (b. 1501)
- 1586 - Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle, French church leader (b. 1517)
- 1626 - François de Bonne, duc de Lesdiguières, Constable of France (b. 1543)
- 1719 - Johann Heinrich Acker, German writer (b. 1647)
- 1743 - Jai Singh II, King of Amber-Juiper (b. 1688)
- 1748 - John Balguy, English philosopher (b. 1686)
- 1796 - François Séverin Marceau-Desgraviers, French general (b. 1769)
- 1798 - George Read, American lawyer and signer of the Declaration of Independence (b. 1733)
- 1832 - Sir Walter Scott, Scottish writer (b. 1771)
- 1860 - Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher (b. 1788)
- 1874 - Jean-Baptiste Élie de Beaumont, French geologist (b. 1794)
- 1897 - Wilhelm Wattenbach, German historian (b. 1819)
- 1904 - Chief Joseph, Nez Perce leader (b. 1840)
- 1906 - Samuel Arnold, Lincoln conspirator (b. 1838)
- 1926 - Leon Charles Thevenin, French telegraph engineer (b. 1857)
- 1938 - Ivana Brlic-Mazuranic Croatian writer (b. 1874)
- 1939 - Armand Călinescu Romanian prime-minister (assassinated) (b. 1893)
- 1946 - Olga Engl, Austrian actress (b. 1871)
- 1954 - Kokichi Mikimoto, Japanese inventor (b. 1858)
- 1957 - King Haakon VII of Norway (b. 1872)
- 1963 - Paulino Masip, Spanish playwright (b. 1899)
- 1966 - Paul Reynaud, French politician (b. 1878)
- 1971 - Bernardo Houssay, Argentine physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1887)
- 1972 - Henry de Montherlant, French writer (b. 1896)
- 1974 - Walter Brennan, American actor (b. 1894)
- 1974 - Jacqueline Susann, American novelist (b. 1918)
- 1976 - Orlando Letelier, Chilean diplomat (b. 1932)
- 1982 - Hovhannes Bagramyan, Soviet general (b. 1897)
- 1985 - Gu Long, Taiwanese writer of wuxia novels (b. 1937)
- 1987 - Jaco Pastorius, American bassist (b. 1951)
- 1988 - Glenn Robert Davis, member of United States Congress (b. 1914
- 1995 - Rudy Perpich, American politician (b. 1928)
- 1997 - Jennifer Holt, American actress (b. 1920)
- 1998 - Florence Griffith Joyner, American athlete (b. 1959)
- 2000 - Bryan Smith, Man who ran over Stephen King (b. 1957)
- 2002 - Robert L. Forward, American physicist and writer (b. 1932)
- 2004 - Barry Noble Wakeman, American naturalist and educator (b. 1939)
- 2004 - Bob Mason, British actor (b. 1952)
- 2006 - Boz Burrell, English rock musician (b. 1946)
- 2007 - Hallgeir Brenden, Norwegian Olympic gold medalist (b. 1929)
- 2007 - Alice Ghostley, American actress (b. 1926)
- 2007 - Rex Humbard, American television evangelist (b. 1919)
Holidays and observances
- International Day of Peace
- Roman Catholic Saints - Matthew the Evangelist
- The Nativity of the Theotokos in Russia. Also see September 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Independence Day in Malta (1964), Belize (1981) & Armenia (1991)
- Mabon - Neopagan festival of Mabon
- In ancient Greece, the eighth day of the Eleusinian Mysteries, when the secret rites in the Telesterion finish and the feast, Pannychis, begin