September 8
is the 251st day of the year (252nd in
leap years). There are 114 days remaining.
*70 -
Titus, General of
Rome, sacks
Jerusalem. See also:
Destruction of Jerusalem.
*
1331 -
Stefan Dusan declares himself king of
Serbia*
1380 -
Battle of Kulikovo -
Russian forces defeat a mixed army of
Tatars and
Mongols, stopping their advance.
*
1449 -
Battle of Tumu Fortress -
Mongolians capture the
Chinese emperor.
*
1504 -
Michelangelo's David is unveiled in
Florence.
*
1514 -
Battle of Orsha - In one of the biggest battles of the century, Belarussians and
Poles defeat the Russian army.
*
1565 -
Pedro Menéndez de Avilés settles
St. Augustine, Florida.
* 1565 - The
Knights of Malta lift the
Turkish siege of
Malta (the
Siege of Malta started on
May 18).
*
1636 - A vote of the Great and General Court of the
Massachusetts Bay Colony establishes the first college in what would become the
United States, today known as
Harvard University.
*
1664 - The Dutch colony of New Amsterdam was surrendered to the British who renamed it
New York in
1669.
*
1727 - A barn fire during a puppet show in the village of
Burwell in Cambs, UK kills 78 people, many of whom are children.
*
1755 -
French and Indian War: Battle of Lake George
*
1796 -
Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Bassano -
French forces defeat
Austrian troops at
Bassano.
*
1810 - The
Tonquin sets sail from
New York Harbor with 33 employees of
John Jacob Astor's newly created
Pacific Fur Company on board. After a six-month journey around the tip of South America, the ship arrived at the mouth of the
Columbia River and Astor's men established fur-trading town of
Astoria, Oregon.
*
1831 -
William IV was crowned King of
Great Britain.
*
1863 -
American Civil War:
Second Battle of Sabine Pass - On the
Texas-
Louisiana border at the mouth of the
Sabine River, a small
Confederate force thwarts a
Union invasion of Texas.
*
1888 - In
London, the body of
Jack the Ripper's second murder victim,
Annie Chapman, is found.
* 1888 - In
England the first six
Football League matches ever are played.
*
1900 -
Galveston Hurricane of 1900: a powerful
hurricane hits
Galveston, Texas killing about 8,000 people.
*
1921 - 16-year-old
Margaret Gorman won the
Atlantic City Pageant's Golden Mermaid trophy; pageant officials later dubbed her the first
Miss America.
*
1923 -
Honda Point Disaster: Nine
US Navy destroyers run aground off the
California coast. Seven are lost.
*
1926 -
Germany was admitted to the
League of Nations.
*
1930 - 3M begins marketing Scotch transparent tape.
*
1934 - Off the
New Jersey coast, a fire aboard the passenger liner
SS Morro Castle kills 135 people.
*
1935 -
US Senator from
Louisiana,
Huey Long, nicknamed "Kingfish", is fatally shot in the Louisiana capitol building.
*
1941 -
World War II:
Siege of Leningrad begins.
German forces begin a siege against the
Soviet Union's second-largest city,
Leningrad. Stalin orders the
Volga Deutsche deported to
Siberia.
*
1943 -
World War II: The O.B.S. (German General Headquarters for the Mediterranean zone) in
Frascati was bombing by USAAF.
*
1943 -
World War II:
United States General
Dwight D. Eisenhower publicly announces the
Allied armistice with Italy.
* 1943 -
World War II:
Julius Fucik is executed by Nazis.
*
1944 -
World War II:
London is hit by a
V2 rocket for the first time.
* 1944 -
World War II:
Menton is liberated from
Germany.
*
1945 -
Cold War:
United States troops arrive to partition the southern part of
Korea in response to
Soviet troops occupying the northern part of the peninsula a month earlier.
*
1951 -
Treaty of San Francisco: In
San Francisco, California, 48 nations sign a
peace treaty with
Japan in formal recognition of the end of the
Pacific War.
*
1954 - The
Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) is established.
*
1960 - In
Huntsville, Alabama, US President
Dwight D. Eisenhower formally dedicates the
Marshall Space Flight Center (
NASA had already activated the facility on
July 1).
*
1962 - Newly independent,
Algeria, by referendum, adopts a Constitution.
*
1966 - "
The Man Trap", the first episode of the
science fiction television series
Star Trek airs.
* 1966 - The Severn Road Bridge was officially opened.
*
1971 - In
Washington, DC, the
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is inaugurated, with the opening feature being the premiere of
Leonard Bernstein's
Mass.
*
1974 -
Watergate Scandal: US President
Gerald Ford pardons former President
Richard Nixon for any crimes Nixon may have committed while in office.
* 1974 -
Evel Knievel's attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon at
Twin Falls,
Idaho, fails after a parachute prematurely deploys on his "sky cycle."
*
1975 -
Gays in the military:
US Air Force Tech Sergeant
Leonard Matlovich, a decorated veteran of the
Vietnam War, appears in his Air Force uniform on the cover of
Time magazine with the headline (printed in all uppercase) "I Am A Homosexual." He is later given a general discharge.
*
1986 - The first
Oprah Winfrey Show airs.
*
1991 -
Republic of Macedonia becomes independent.
*
1994 - A
Boeing 737 operating
USAir Flight 427 carrying 132 people on board, crashes on approach to
Pittsburgh International Airport. There are no survivors.
*
1998 - At
Busch Stadium in
St. Louis, Missouri,
Mark McGwire breaks
Roger Maris'
1961 record of 61
home runs hit in a single season.
*
1999 - US Attorney General
Janet Reno names former US Senator
John Danforth to head an independent investigation of the 1993 fire at the
Branch Davidian church near
Waco, Texas in response to revelations in the film
Waco: The Rules of Engagement contradicting the official government stories.
*
2000 - The
Republic of Albania officially joins the
World Trade Organization, as
Albania.
*
2001 -
Durban, South Africa hosts the World Conference against Racism.
*
2003 -
Brianna LaHara, a 12-year-old U.S. schoolgirl, is sued by the
RIAA for sharing music illegally.
*
2004 - The
NASA unmanned spacecraft
Genesis crash-lands when its parachute fails to open.
*
801 -
Ansgar, German Catholic archbishop
*
828 -
Ali al-Hadi, Shia Imam (d.
868)
*
1157 - King
Richard I of England (d.
1199)
*
1207 - King
Sancho II of Portugal*
1271 -
Charles Martel d'Anjou, son of
Charles II of Naples (d.
1295)
*
1380 - Saint
Bernardino of Siena, Italian Franciscan missionary (d.
1444)
*
1474 -
Ludovico Ariosto, Italian poet (d.
1533)
*
1515 -
Alfonso Salmeron, Spanish Jesuit biblical scholar (d.
1585)
*
1588 -
Marin Mersenne, French mathematician (d.
1648)
*
1611 -
Johann Friedrich Gronovius, German classical scholar (d.
1671)
*
1621 -
Louis II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé, French general (d.
1686)
*
1633 -
Ferdinand IV of Germany (d.
1654)
*
1672 -
Nicolas de Grigny, French organist and composer (d.
1703)
*
1749 -
Gabrielle de Polastron, comtesse de Polignac, French aristocrat (d.
1793)
*
1778 -
Clemens Brentano, German poet (d.
1842)
*
1783 -
Nicolai Grundtvig, Danish writer and philosopher (d.
1872)
*
1804 -
Eduard Mörike, German poet (d.
1875)
*
1814 -
Charles-Étienne Brasseur de Bourbourg, French writer and historian (d.
1874)
*
1828 -
Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, American Civil War soldier
*
1830 -
Frédéric Mistral, French poet,
Nobel Prize laureate (d.
1914)
*
1841 -
Antonín Dvořák, Czech composer (d.
1904)
*
1852 - Emperor
Gwangmu of Korea (d.
1919)
*
1857 -
Georg Michaelis,
Chancellor of Germany (d.
1936)
*
1873 -
David O. McKay, president of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (d.
1970)
*
1881 -
Harry Hillman, American athlete
*
1886 -
Siegfried Sassoon, English poet (d.
1967)
*
1887 -
Prince George of Yugoslavia (d.
1972)
*
1889 -
Robert Alphonso Taft, U.S. Senator from Ohio (d.
1953)
*
1897 -
Jimmie Rodgers, American singer and composer (d.
1933)
*
1901 -
Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd,
Prime Minister of South Africa (d.
1966)
*
1910 -
Jean-Louis Barrault, French actor and director (d.
1994)
*
1914 - Sir
Denys Lasdun, English architect (d.
2001)
*
1918 -
Derek Harold Richard Barton, British chemist,
Nobel Prize laureate (d.
1998)
*
1919 -
Gianni Brera, (Giovanni Luigi Brera), Italian journalist and writer (d.
1992)
*
1921 -
Harry Secombe, Welsh entertainer (d.
2001)
*
1922 -
Sid Caesar, American comedian
* 1922 -
Lyndon LaRouche, American politician
*
1924 -
Mimi Parent, Canadian painter (d.
2005)
*
1925 -
Peter Sellers, English actor (d.
1980)
*
1929 -
Christoph von Dohnanyi, German conductor
*
1930 -
Nguyen Cao Ky, Premier of South Vietnam
*
1932 -
Patsy Cline, American singer (d.
1963)
*
1933 -
Michael Frayn, British playwright
*
1934 -
Peter Maxwell Davies, British composer
*
1938 -
Sam Nunn, American politician
*
1939 -
Carsten Keller, German field hockey player
*
1944 -
Terry Jenner, Australian cricketer
*
1945 -
Ron Pigpen McKernan, American musician (the
Grateful Dead) (d.
1973)
* 1945 -
Rogie Vachon, Canadian ice hockey goaltender
*
1947 -
Ann Beattie, American writer
* 1947 -
Valery Afanassiev, Russian pianist
*
1956 -
Frank Tovey, British singer and musician (d.
2002)
*
1958 -
Mitsuru Miyamoto, Japanese
seiyu (voice actor)
*
1959 -
Daler Nazarov, Tajik composer, musician and actor
*
1960 -
Aimee Mann, American musician
*
1963 -
Li Ning, Chinese gymnast
*
1964 -
Michael Johns, American business executive and White House speechwriter
* 1964 -
Scott Levy, American professional wrestler
* 1964 -
Joachim Nielsen, Norwegian musician (d.
2000)
*
1966 -
Carola, Swedish singer
*
1969 -
Gary Speed, Welsh footballer
*
1970 -
Neko Case, American musician
* 1970 -
Latrell Sprewell, American basketball player
* 1970 -
Yuji Nishizawa, Japanese hijacker
*
1971 -
Brooke Burke, American model
* 1971 -
Daniel Petrov, Bulgarian boxer
*
1972 -
Lisa Kennedy, American television personality
* 1972 -
Tomokazu Seki, Japanese
seiyu (voice actor)
*
1975 -
Richard Hughes, English musician, (
Keane)
* 1975 -
Elena Likhovtseva, Russian tennis player
*
1976 -
Sjeng Schalken, Dutch tennis player
*1976 -
Jervis Drummond, Costa Rican footballer
*
1979 -
Pink, American singer
*
1981 -
Morten Gamst Pedersen, Norwegian footballer
* 1981 -
Jonathan Taylor Thomas, American actor
*
1983 -
Wali Lundy, American football player
*
701 -
Pope Sergius I*
780 -
Leo IV,
Byzantine Emperor*
1397 -
Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester.
*
1425 - King
Charles III of Navarre (b.
1361)
*
1539 -
John Stokesley, English churchman
*
1603 -
George Carey, 2nd Baron Hunsdon, English politician (b.
1547)
*
1613 -
Carlo Gesualdo, Italian composer (b.
1566)
*
1637 -
Robert Fludd, English mystic (b.
1574)
*
1644 -
John Coke, English politician (b.
1563)
* 1644 -
Francis Quarles, English poet (b.
1592)
*
1645 -
Francisco de Quevedo, Spanish writer (b.
1580)
*
1656 -
Joseph Hall, English bishop and writer (b.
1574)
*
1682 -
Juan Caramuel y Lobkowitz, Spanish writer (b.
1606)
*
1721 -
Michael Brokoff, Czech sculptor (b.
1686)
*
1739 -
Yuri Troubetzkoy, Governor of Belgorod (b.
1668)
*
1755 -
Ephraim Williams, American philanthropist (b.
1715)
*
1761 -
Bernard Forest de Bélidor, French engineer (b.
1698)
*
1780 -
Enoch Poor, American Continental Army general (b.
1736)
*
1784 -
Ann Lee, American religious leader (b.
1736)
*
1811 -
Peter Simon Pallas, German zoologist (b.
1741)
*
1894 -
Hermann von Helmholtz, German physician (b.
1821)
*
1933 - King
Faysal I of Iraq (b.
1883)
*
1943 -
Julius Fucik, Czech journalist (executed) (b.
1903)
*
1948 -
Thomas Mofolo, Lesotho writer (b.
1876)
*
1949 -
Richard Strauss, German composer (b.
1864)
*
1965 -
Dorothy Dandridge, American actress (b.
1922)
* 1965 -
Hermann Staudinger, German chemist,
Nobel Prize laureate (b.
1881)
*
1969 -
Bud Collyer, American television game show host (b.
1908)
* 1969 -
Alexandra David-Néel, French explorer and writer (b.
1868)
*
1977 -
Zero Mostel, American actor (b.
1915)
*
1979 -
Jean Seberg, American actress (b.
1938)
*
1980 -
Willard Libby, American chemist,
Nobel Prize laureate (b.
1908)
*
1981 -
Roy Wilkins, American civil rights activist (b.
1901)
* 1981 -
Hideki Yukawa, Japanese physicist,
Nobel Prize laureate (b.
1907)
*
1983 -
Antonin Magne, French cyclist (b.
1904)
*
1985 -
John Franklin Enders, American scientist, recipient of the
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b.
1887)
*
2002 -
Laurie Williams, West Indian cricketer (b.
1968)
*
2003 -
Jaclyn Linetsky, Canadian voice actress (b.
1986)
* 2003 -
Vadim Schneider, Canadian/French actor (b.
1986)
* 2003 -
Leni Riefenstahl, German film director (b.
1902)
*
2004 -
Frank Thomas, American animator (b.
1913)
*
2005 -
Noel Cantwell, Irish cricketer and footballer (b.
1932)
*
RC Saints - Feast of the Birth of
Mary, also in the Anglican Church;
Pope Sergius I*
Eastern Orthodoxy - Feast of the Nativity of the
Theotokos*
Andorra -
National day: Mare de Deu de Meritxell
*
Bahá'í Faith - Feast of 'Izzat (Might) - First day of the tenth month of the
Bahá'í calendar*
Republic of Macedonia -
Independence day (from Yugoslavia,
1991)
*
Fiestas de Santa Fe in
New Mexico,
USA*
BBC: On This DaySeptember 7 -
September 9 -
August 8 -
October 8 – more
historical anniversaries
