Events

• 1217 – Livonian Crusade: The Estonian tribal leader Lembitu and Livonian leader Kaupo are killed in Battle of St. Matthew's Day.

• 1435 – An agreement between Charles VII of France and Philip the Good ends the partnership between the English and Burgundy in Hundred Years' War.

• 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

• 1780 – American Revolutionary War: Benedict Arnold gives the British the plans to West Point.

• 1792 – The National Convention declares France a republic and abolishes the monarchy.

• 1827 – Joseph Smith, Jr. is reportedly visited by the angel Moroni, who gave him a record of gold plates, one-third of which Smith has 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" editorial is published in the New York Sun.

• 1898 – Empress Dowager Cixi seizes power and ends the Hundred Days' Reform in China.

• 1921 – A storage silo in Oppau, Germany, explodes, killing 500-600 people.

• 1934 – A large typhoon hits western Honshū, Japan, killing 3,036 people.

• 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 the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, Nazis sent over 1,000 Jews of Pidhaytsi (west Ukraine) to Belzec extermination camp.

• 1942 – At 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 2,588 Jews.

• 1942 – The B-29 Superfortress makes its maiden flight.

• 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, makes its maiden flight from Palmdale, California.

• 1965 – Singapore is admitted as a member of the United Nations.

• 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 is a member of the Chilean socialist government of Salvador Allende, overthrown in 1973 by Augusto Pinochet.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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 31 people

• 2003 – Galileo mission is 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.

• 2009 – Chennai - New Delhi Duronto service inaugurated

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)

• 1896 – Walter Breuning, American supercentenarian

• 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)

• 1909 – Kwame Nkrumah, 1st President of Ghana (d. 1972)

• 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)

• 1924 – Hermann Buhl, Austrian mountaineer (d. 1957)

• 1926 – Donald A. Glaser, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate

• 1926 – Noor Jehan, Pakistani singer and actress (d. 2000)

• 1929 – Sándor Kocsis, Hungarian footballer (d. 1979)

• 1929 – Bernard Williams, English philosopher (d. 2003)

• 1931 – Larry Hagman, American actor

• 1933 – Dick Simon, American racing driver

• 1934 – Leonard Cohen, Canadian singer and songwriter

• 1935 – Jimmy Armfield, English footballer and manager

• 1935 – Henry Gibson, American actor (d. 2009)

• 1936 – Dickey Lee, American singer and songwriter

• 1936 – Yuriy Luzhkov, Russian politician, mayor of Moscow

• 1936 – Diane Rehm, American radio talk show host for National Public Radio

• 1938 – Doug Moe, American basketball player and coach

• 1940 – Hermann Knoflacher, Austrian civil engineer

• 1940 – Bill Kurtis, American television journalist

• 1941 – Jack Brisco, American professional wrestler

• 1941 – R. James Woolsey, Jr., Central Intelligence Agency director

• 1944 – Fannie Flagg, American actress and novelist

• 1944 – Hamilton Jordan, U.S. President Jimmy Carter's original chief of staff (d. 2008)

• 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 comedian and actor

• 1951 – Bruce Arena, American soccer coach

• 1951 – Aslan Maskhadov, Chechen rebel leader (d. 2005)

• 1952 – Dave Gregory, English guitar and keyboard player (XTC)

• 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, 26th Prime Minister of Australia

• 1957 – Penny Smith, English television presenter

• 1958 – Bruno Fitoussi, French poker player

• 1958 – Rick Mahorn, American basketball 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

• 1965 – Johanna Vuoksenmaa, Finnish film director

• 1967 – Glen Benton, American musician (Deicide)

• 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

• 1971 – John Crawley, English cricketer

• 1971 – Alfonso Ribeiro, American actor

• 1971 – Luke Wilson, American actor

• 1972 – Liam Gallagher, English singer (Oasis)

• 1972 – Jon Kitna, American football player

• 1972 – David Silveria, American drummer (KoЯn)

• 1972 – Scott Spiezio, American baseball player

• 1973 – Vanessa Grigoriadis, American journalist

• 1973 – Oswaldo Sanchez, Mexican footballer

• 1974 – Bryce Drew, American basketball player

• 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

• 1978 – Luke Godden, Australian rules footballer

• 1979 – Richard Dunne, Irish footballer

• 1979 – Chris Gayle, Jamaican West Indies cricketer

• 1979 – Julian Gray, English footballer

• 1979 – Jaymee Ong, Chinese-Australian model

• 1979 – James Allan, Scottish singer (Glasvegas)

• 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 – Parvati Shallow, American reality show contestant

• 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

• 1987 – Jimmy Clausen, American football player

• 1987 – Ashley Paris, American basketball player

• 1987 – Courtney Paris, American basketball player

• 1988 – Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Pakistani politician

Deaths

• 19 BC – Virgil, Roman poet (b. 70 BC)

• 454 – Aëtius, Roman general (b. c.396)

• 1217 – Caupo of Turaida, Livonian military leader

• 1217 – Lembitu of Lehola, Estonian military leader

• 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)

• 1944 – Artur Phleps, German Waffen-SS officer (b. 1881)

• 1946 – Olga Engl, Austrian actress (b. 1871)

• 1948 – Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Founder of Pakistan (b. 1876)

• 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)

• 1990 – Takis Kanellopoulos, Greek film director and screenwriter (b. 1933)

• 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, begins