September 21

September 21 in recent years

2024 (Saturday)

2023 (Thursday)

2022 (Wednesday)

2021 (Tuesday)

2020 (Monday)

2019 (Saturday)

2018 (Friday)

2017 (Thursday)

2016 (Wednesday)

2015 (Monday)

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

• 455 – Emperor Avitus enters Rome with a Gallic army and consolidates his power.
• 1170 – Combined English and Irish forces, under the command of Richard de Clare, Earl of Pembroke and Diarmait Mac Murchada, King of Leinster seize Norse-Gaelic Dublin, forcing Ascall mac Ragnaill, King of Dublin into exile.
• 1217 – Livonian Crusade: The Estonian leader Lembitu and Livonian leader Kaupo the Accursed are killed in Battle of Matthew's Day.
• 1435 – The Congress of Arras causes Burgundy to switch sides in the 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
• 1776 – Part of New York City is burned shortly after being occupied by British forces.
• 1780 – American Revolutionary War: Benedict Arnold gives the British the plans to West Point.
• 1792 – French Revolution: The National Convention declares France a republic and abolishes the absolute monarchy.
• 1843 – John Williams Wilson takes possession of the Strait of Magellan on behalf of the newly independent Chilean government.
• 1860 – Second Opium War: An Anglo-French force defeats Chinese troops at the Battle of Palikao.
• 1896 – Mahdist War: British forces under the command of 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.
• 1933 – Salvador Lutteroth ran the first ever EMLL (now CMLL) show in Mexico, marking the birth of Lucha libre
• 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 Călinescu is assassinated by far-right legionnaires of the fascist paramilitary organization Iron Guard.
• 1942 – The Holocaust: On the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, Nazis send over 1,000 Jews of Pidhaitsi (west Ukraine) to Bełżec extermination camp.
• 1942 – In Poland, at the end of Yom Kippur, Germans order Jews to permanently evacuate Konstantynów and move to the ghetto in Biała Podlaska, established to assemble Jews from seven nearby towns, including Janów Podlaski, Rossosz and Terespol.
• 1942 – In Dunaivtsi, Ukraine, Nazis murder 2,588 Jews.
• 1942 – The Boeing B-29 Superfortress makes its maiden flight.
• 1953 – Lieutenant No Kum-sok, a North Korean pilot, defects to South Korea and is associated with Operation Moolah.
• 1961 – Maiden flight of the Boeing CH-47 Chinook transportation helicopter.
• 1964 – Malta gains independence 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 – The Gambia, Maldives and Singapore are admitted as members of the United Nations.
• 1971 – Bahrain, Bhutan and Qatar join the United Nations.
• 1972 – Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos signs Proclamation № 1081, placing the entire country under martial law and marking the beginning of his authoritarian rule.
• 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.
• 1976 – Seychelles joins the United Nations.
• 1977 – A nuclear non-proliferation pact is signed by 15 countries, including the United States and the Soviet Union.
• 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.
• 1984 – Brunei joins the United Nations.
• 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.
• 1996 – The Defense of Marriage Act passes the United States Congress (a vote of 342-67 in the House of Representatives and a vote of 85-14 in the Senate). The law prohibited federal recognition of same-sex marriage, while allowing states to adopt any marital definition of their choosing.
• 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 – America: A Tribute to Heroes is broadcast by over 35 network and cable channels, raising over $200 million for the victims of the September 11 attacks.
• 2003 – Galileo mission is terminated by sending the probe into Jupiter's atmosphere, where it is crushed by the pressure at the lower altitudes.
• 2005 – Hurricane Rita becomes the third most intense hurricane (dropped to 4th on October 19, 2005).
• 2013 – al-Shabaab Islamic militants attack the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya, killing at least 67 people.

Births

• 1051 – Bertha of Savoy (d. 1087)
• 1411 – Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York, English politician, Lord Protector of England (d. 1460)
• 1415 – Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1493)
• 1428 – Jingtai Emperor of China (d. 1457)
• 1433 – Guillaume Fichet, French scholar and academic (d. 1480)
• 1452 – Girolamo Savonarola, Italian priest and philosopher (d. 1498)
• 1559 – Cigoli, Italian painter and architect (d. 1613)
• 1629 – Philip Howard, English cardinal (d. 1694)
• 1645 – Louis Jolliet, Canadian explorer (d. 1700)
• 1706 – Polyxena of Hesse-Rotenburg (d. 1735)
• 1756 – John Loudon McAdam, Scottish engineer (d. 1836)
• 1758 – Christopher Gore, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 8th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1827)
• 1760 – Ivan Dmitriev, Russian poet and politician, Minister of Justice for Imperial Russia (d. 1837)
• 1819 – Princess Louise Marie Thérèse of Artois (d. 1864)
• 1840 – Murad V, Ottoman sultan (d. 1904)
• 1842 – Abdul Hamid II, 34th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (d. 1918)
• 1846 – Mihály Kolossa, Hungarian-Slovene author and poet (d. 1906)
• 1849 – Maurice Barrymore, Indian-American actor (d. 1905)
• 1853 – Heike Kamerlingh Onnes, Dutch physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1926)
• 1859 – Francesc Macià i Llussà, Catalan colonel and politician, 122nd President of Catalonia (d. 1933)
• 1860 – Wilson Kettle, Canadian centenarian (d. 1963)
• 1862 – James E. Talmage, English-American religious leader and author (d. 1933)
• 1863 – John Bunny, American actor (d. 1915)
• 1866 – Charles Nicolle, French-Tunisian microbiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1936)
• 1866 – H. G. Wells, English historian, author, and critic (d. 1946)
• 1867 – Henry L. Stimson, American colonel, lawyer, and politician, 46th United States Secretary of State (d. 1950)
• 1872 – Henry Tingle Wilde, English chief officer on the RMS Titanic (d. 1912)
• 1873 – Papa Jack Laine, American drummer and bandleader (d. 1966)
• 1874 – Gustav Holst, English composer and educator (d. 1934)
• 1878 – Peter McWilliam, Scottish-English footballer and manager (d. 1951)
• 1882 – Geevarghese Ivanios, Indian metropolitan (d. 1953)
• 1884 – Dénes Kőnig, Hungarian mathematician and theorist (d. 1944)
• 1890 – Max Immelmann, German lieutenant and pilot (d. 1916)
• 1890 – Charles William Train, English sergeant, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1965)
• 1892 – Olof Ås, Swedish actor and production manager (d. 1949)
• 1894 – Anton Piëch, Austrian lawyer and businessman (d. 1952)
• 1896 – Walter Breuning, American super-centenarian (d. 2011)
• 1899 – Frederick Coutts, Scottish 8th General of The Salvation Army (d. 1986)
• 1902 – Luis Cernuda, Spanish poet and critic (d. 1963)
• 1902 – Allen Lane, English publisher, founded Penguin Books (d. 1970)
• 1902 – Howie Morenz, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1937)
• 1903 – Preston Tucker, American engineer and businessman, designed the Tucker Sedan (d. 1956)
• 1905 – Robert Lebel, Canadian businessman and politician (d. 1999)
• 1906 – Henry Beachell, American biologist and botanist (d. 2006)
• 1909 – Kwame Nkrumah, Ghanaian educator and politician, 1st President of Ghana (d. 1972)
• 1910 – Meinrad Schütter, Swiss composer (d. 2006)
• 1912 – Chuck Jones, American animator, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2002)
• 1912 – György Sándor, Hungarian pianist and composer (d. 2005)
• 1914 – Slam Stewart, American bassist and composer (d. 1987)
• 1916 – Françoise Giroud, Swiss-French journalist and politician, French Minister of Culture (d. 2003)
• 1917 – Phyllis Nicolson, English mathematician and academic (d. 1968)
• 1917 – Jakob "Jackie" Gerlich, Austrian-American actor (d. 1960)
• 1918 – Rand Brooks, American actor and producer (d. 2003)
• 1918 – John Gofman, American physicist, chemist, and biologist (d. 2007)
• 1918 – Karl Slover, Slovak-American actor (d. 2011)
• 1919 – Mario Bunge, Argentinian-Canadian physicist and philosopher
• 1919 – Herman Fowlkes, Jr., American trumpet player and educator (d. 1993)
• 1919 – Fazlur Rahman Malik, Pakistani philosopher and scholar (d. 1988)
• 1921 – John McHale, American baseball player and manager (d. 2008)
• 1921 – Jimmy Young, English singer and radio host
• 1924 – Hermann Buhl, Austrian mountaineer (d. 1957)
• 1926 – Don Dunstan, Fijian-Australian lawyer and politician, 35th Premier of South Australia (d. 1999)
• 1926 – Donald A. Glaser, American physicist and neurobiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2013)
• 1926 – Noor Jehan, Pakistani actress and singer (d. 2000)
• 1926 – Fereydoon Moshiri, Iranian poet and critic (d. 2000)
• 1926 – Reies Tijerina, American pastor and activist (d. 2015)
• 1927 – Ward Swingle, American-French singer-songwriter and conductor (Les Double Six) (d. 2015)
• 1929 – Héctor Alterio, Argentinian actor and singer
• 1929 – Shafi Hadi, American saxophonist
• 1929 – Sándor Kocsis, Hungarian footballer and manager (d. 1979)
• 1929 – Edgar Valter, Estonian author and illustrator (d. 2006)
• 1929 – Bernard Williams, English-Italian philosopher and academic (d. 2003)
• 1930 – John Morgan, Welsh-Canadian actor and screenwriter (d. 2004)
• 1930 – Bob Stokoe, English footballer and manager (d. 2004)
• 1931 – Larry Hagman, American actor, director, and producer (d. 2012)
• 1932 – Shirley Conran, English journalist and author
• 1932 – Don Preston, American keyboard player and composer (The Mothers of Invention)
• 1933 – Allan Jeans, Australian footballer and coach (d. 2011)
• 1933 – Dick Simon, American race car driver
• 1934 – Leonard Cohen, Canadian singer-songwriter and poet
• 1935 – Jimmy Armfield, English footballer and manager
• 1935 – Henry Gibson, American actor and singer (d. 2009)
• 1936 – Ian Albery, English manager and producer
• 1936 – Dickey Lee, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1936 – Yury Luzhkov, Russian soldier and politician, 2nd Mayor of Moscow
• 1936 – Sunny Murray, American drummer
• 1936 – Diane Rehm, American journalist and radio host
• 1937 – John D'Amico, Canadian ice hockey player and referee (d. 2005)
• 1938 – Doug Moe, American basketball player and coach
• 1939 – Agnivesh, Indian philosopher, academic, and politician
• 1940 – Ron Fenton, English footballer, coach, and manager (d. 2013)
• 1940 – Hermann Knoflacher, Austrian engineer and academic
• 1940 – Bill Kurtis, American journalist and producer
• 1941 – Jack Brisco, American wrestler and manager (d. 2010)
• 1941 – R. James Woolsey, Jr., American scholar and diplomat, 16th Director of Central Intelligence
• 1942 – U-Roy, Jamaican singer-songwriter and DJ
• 1942 – Sam McDowell, American baseball player
• 1944 – Steve Beshear, American lawyer and politician, 61st Governor of Kentucky
• 1944 – Marcus Binney, English historian and author
• 1944 – Fannie Flagg, American actress and author
• 1944 – Hamilton Jordan, American politician, 8th White House Chief of Staff (d. 2008)
• 1944 – Bobby Tench, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (Gass, Hummingbird, Humble Pie, and Streetwalkers)
• 1945 – Jerry Bruckheimer, American film and television producer
• 1945 – G. C. Cameron, American singer (The Spinners and The Temptations)
• 1945 – Richard Childress, American race car driver and businessman
• 1945 – Shaw Clifton, Irish 18th General of The Salvation Army
• 1945 – Kay Ryan, American poet and educator
• 1946 – Rose Garrard, English sculptor and author
• 1946 – Moritz Leuenberger, Swiss lawyer and politician, 87th President of the Swiss Confederation
• 1946 – Ed Nimmervoll, Austrian-Australian journalist, historian, and author (d. 2014)
• 1946 – Mart Siimann, Estonian psychologist and politician, 12th Prime Minister of Estonia
• 1947 – Don Felder, American guitarist and songwriter (Eagles)
• 1947 – Keith Harris, English ventriloquist and singer (d. 2015)
• 1947 – Stephen King, American author and screenwriter
• 1947 – Marsha Norman, American playwright and author
• 1948 – Jack Dromey, English union leader and politician
• 1949 – Henry Butler, American pianist and photographer
• 1949 – Artis Gilmore, American basketball player and radio host
• 1949 – Yusaku Matsuda, Japanese actor (d. 1989)
• 1949 – Odilo Scherer, Brazilian cardinal
• 1950 – Charles Clarke, English economist and politician, Secretary of State for Education
• 1950 – Bill Murray, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1951 – Bruce Arena, American soccer player and manager
• 1951 – DeWayne Jessie, American actor
• 1951 – Aslan Maskhadov, Chechen general and politician, 3rd President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (d. 2005)
• 1952 – Dave Gregory, English guitarist and keyboard player (XTC and Big Big Train)
• 1952 – Anneliese Michel, German woman believed to be possessed by demons (d. 1976)
• 1952 – John Taylor, Baron Taylor of Warwick, English lawyer and politician
• 1953 – Sunny Johnson, American actress (d. 1984)
• 1953 – Arie Luyendyk, Dutch race car driver and sportscaster
• 1954 – Shinzō Abe, Japanese lawyer and politician, 90th Prime Minister of Japan
• 1954 – Thomas S. Ray, American ecologist and academic
• 1954 – Phil Taylor, English drummer (Motörhead and Waysted) (d. 2015)
• 1955 – François Cluzet, French actor
• 1955 – Gulshan Grover, Indian actor and singer
• 1955 – Richard Hieb, American engineer and astronaut
• 1955 – Mika Kaurismäki, Finnish director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1956 – Jack Givens, American basketball player and sportscaster
• 1956 – Marta Kauffman, American screenwriter and producer
• 1956 – Ricky Morton, American wrestler and trainer
• 1957 – Ethan Coen, American director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1957 – Mark Levin, American lawyer, radio host, and author
• 1957 – Sidney Moncrief, American basketball player and coach
• 1957 – Kevin Rudd, Australian politician and diplomat, 26th Prime Minister of Australia
• 1957 – Penny Smith, English journalist and actress
• 1958 – Bruno Fitoussi, French poker player and architect
• 1958 – Rick Mahorn, American basketball player and coach
• 1958 – Simon Mayo, English radio host
• 1959 – Crin Antonescu, Romanian educator and politician, President of Romania
• 1959 – Andrzej Buncol, Polish footballer
• 1959 – Dave Coulier, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1959 – Danny Cox, English-American baseball player and coach
• 1959 – Corinne Drewery, English singer-songwriter (Swing Out Sister and Working Week)
• 1959 – André Hennicke, German actor and screenwriter
• 1960 – David James Elliott, Canadian-American actor and director
• 1960 – Kelley Eskridge, American author and screenwriter
• 1960 – Sikandar Sanam, Pakistani actor and singer (d. 2012)
• 1960 – Graham Southern, English art dealer and gallery owner
• 1961 – Billy Collins, Jr., American boxer (d. 1984)
• 1961 – Dan Borislow, American businessman, invented the magicJack (d. 2014)
• 1961 – Nancy Travis, American actress and producer
• 1962 – Rob Morrow, American actor, singer, and director
• 1963 – Curtly Ambrose, Antiguan cricketer and bass player
• 1963 – Cecil Fielder, American baseball player and manager
• 1963 – Angus Macfadyen, Scottish actor and screenwriter
• 1963 – Mamoru Samuragochi, Japanese composer
• 1964 – Jorge Drexler, Uruguayan singer-songwriter and actor
• 1964 – Lester Quitzau, Canadian guitarist
• 1965 – Frédéric Beigbeder, French author and critic
• 1965 – Cheryl Hines, American actress, director, and producer
• 1965 – Juanjo Mena, Spanish conductor
• 1965 – Johanna Vuoksenmaa, Finnish director and screenwriter
• 1965 – David Wenham, Australian actor and producer
• 1966 – Kerrin Lee-Gartner, Canadian skier and journalist
• 1966 – Ronna Reeves, American singer
• 1967 – Glen Benton, American singer-songwriter and bass player (Deicide and Vital Remains)
• 1967 – Faith Hill, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
• 1967 – Suman Pokhrel, Nepali poet and songwriter
• 1967 – Tyler Stewart, Canadian drummer (Barenaked Ladies)
• 1968 – David Jude Jolicoeur, American rapper and producer (De La Soul)
• 1968 – Ricki Lake, American actress, producer, and talk show host
• 1969 – Anne Burrell, American chef and television host
• 1969 – Jason Christiansen, American baseball player
• 1969 – Curtis Leschyshyn, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
• 1970 – John Cudia, American actor
• 1970 – Melissa Ferrick, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1970 – James Lesure, American actor
• 1970 – Samantha Power, Irish-American journalist, academic, and diplomat, 28th United States Ambassador to the United Nations
• 1970 – Unique Priscilla, Indonesian actress and model
• 1971 – John Crawley, English cricketer and academic
• 1971 – Alfonso Ribeiro, American actor and director
• 1971 – David Vetter, American victim of SCID (d. 1984)
• 1971 – Luke Wilson, American actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1972 – Olivia Bonamy, French actress
• 1972 – Liam Gallagher, English singer-songwriter (Oasis, Beady Eye, and The Rain)
• 1972 – Jon Kitna, American football player and coach
• 1972 – David Silveria, American drummer and songwriter (Korn and L.A.P.D.)
• 1972 – Scott Spiezio, American baseball player
• 1973 – Derek Brewer, American model
• 1973 – Heather Brewer, American author
• 1973 – Keith Brewer, American model
• 1973 – Vanessa Grigoriadis, American journalist and author
• 1973 – Virginia Ruano Pascual, Spanish tennis player
• 1973 – Oswaldo Sánchez, Mexican footballer
• 1974 – Bryce Drew, American basketball player and coach
• 1974 – Taral Hicks, American actress and singer
• 1974 – Jana Kandarr, German tennis player
• 1974 – Andy Todd, English footballer and manager
• 1975 – Doug Davis, American baseball player
• 1976 – Jonas Bjerre, Danish singer-songwriter and guitarist (Mew and Apparatjik)
• 1976 – Poul Hübertz, Danish footballer and manager
• 1977 – Kārlis Lācis, Latvian pianist and composer
• 1977 – Andre Pärn, Estonian basketball player
• 1977 – Brian Tallet, American baseball player
• 1978 – Paulo Costanzo, Canadian actor, director, and producer
• 1978 – Luke Godden, Australian footballer
• 1978 – Doug Howlett, New Zealand rugby player
• 1978 – Mario Miranda, Brazilian mixed martial artist
• 1979 – James Allan, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (Glasvegas)
• 1979 – Bradford Anderson, American actor
• 1979 – Richard Dunne, Irish footballer
• 1979 – Chris Gayle, Jamaican cricketer
• 1979 – Julian Gray, English footballer
• 1979 – Monika Merl, German runner
• 1979 – Jaymee Ong, Australian model and actress
• 1980 – Stacy Clark, American singer-songwriter
• 1980 – Robert Hoffman, American actor, dancer, and choreographer
• 1980 – Kareena Kapoor Khan, Indian actress and singer
• 1980 – Nyree Kindred, Welsh swimmer
• 1980 – Aleksa Palladino, American actress and singer
• 1980 – Autumn Reeser, American actress
• 1980 – Tomas Scheckter, South African race car driver
• 1981 – Nicole Richie, American actress, singer, fashion designer, and author
• 1981 – Rimi Sen, Indian actress
• 1982 – Eduardo Azevedo, Brazilian race car driver
• 1982 – Marat Izmailov, Russian footballer
• 1982 – Danny Kass, American snowboarder
• 1982 – Parvati Shallow, American reality show contestant, winner of Survivor: Micronesia
• 1982 – Christos Tapoutos, Greek basketball player
• 1982 – Rowan Vine, English footballer
• 1983 – Fernando Cavenaghi, Argentinian footballer
• 1983 – Kristian Gidlund, Swedish drummer and journalist (Sugarplum Fairy) (d. 2013)
• 1983 – Maggie Grace, American actress
• 1983 – Greg Jennings, American football player
• 1983 – Joseph Mazzello, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1983 – Anna Meares, Australian cyclist
• 1984 – Wale, American rapper
• 1984 – Ben Wildman-Tobriner, American swimmer
• 1985 – Justin Durant, American football player
• 1985 – Maryam Hassouni, Dutch actress
• 1986 – Faris Badwan, English singer-songwriter (The Horrors and Cat's Eyes)
• 1986 – Lindsey Stirling, American violinist and composer
• 1987 – Jimmy Clausen, American football player
• 1987 – Marcelo Estigarribia, Paraguayan footballer
• 1987 – Ryan Guzman, American actor and dancer
• 1987 – Murilo Maccari, Brazilian footballer
• 1987 – Ashley Paris, American basketball player
• 1987 – Courtney Paris, American basketball player
• 1987 – Michał Pazdan, Polish footballer
• 1988 – Doug Baldwin, American football player
• 1988 – Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Pakistani politician
• 1989 – Jason Derulo, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor
• 1989 – Sandor Earl, Australian rugby player
• 1989 – Jef Gaitan, Filipino actress and singer
• 1989 – Emma Watkins, Australian singer and actress (The Wiggles)
• 1990 – Al-Farouq Aminu, American basketball player
• 1990 – Danny Batth, English footballer
• 1990 – Ivan Dorschner, American-Filipino model and actor
• 1990 – Allison Scagliotti, American actress
• 1990 – Christian Serratos, American actress
• 1991 – Anastassia Kovalenko, Estonian motorcycle racer
• 1992 – Chen, main vocalist of South Korean band EXO
• 1992 – Rodrigo Godínez, Mexican footballer
• 1993 – Kwon Mina, South Korean singer and actress (AOA)
• 1993 – Derik Osede, Spanish footballer
• 1994 – Fumi Nikaidō, Japanese model and actress
• 1994 – Ben Proud, English swimmer

Deaths

• 19 BC – Virgil, Roman poet (b. 70 BC)
• 454 – Flavius Aetius, Roman general and politician (b. 396)
• 687 – Pope Conon (b. 630)
• 1217 – Lembitu, Estonian soldier
• 1217 – Caupo of Turaida
• 1235 – Andrew II of Hungary (b. 1175)
• 1327 – Edward II of England (b. 1284)
• 1397 – Richard FitzAlan, 11th Earl of Arundel, English admiral (b. 1346)
• 1558 – Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1500)
• 1576 – Gerolamo Cardano, Italian mathematician, physician, and astrologer (b. 1501)
• 1586 – Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle, French cardinal and diplomat (b. 1517)
• 1626 – François de Bonne, Duke of Lesdiguières (b. 1543)
• 1719 – Johann Heinrich Acker, German historian and academic (b. 1647)
• 1743 – Jai Singh II, Indian king (b. 1688)
• 1748 – John Balguy, English philosopher and author (b. 1686)
• 1796 – François Séverin Marceau-Desgraviers, French general (b. 1769)
• 1798 – George Read, American lawyer and politician, 3rd Governor of Delaware (b. 1733)
• 1812 – Emanuel Schikaneder, German actor, singer, and playwright (b. 1751)
• 1832 – Walter Scott, Scottish author, poet, and playwright (b. 1771)
• 1860 – Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher and author (b. 1788)
• 1874 – Jean-Baptiste Élie de Beaumont, French geologist and engineer (b. 1794)
• 1875 – Princess Alexandra of Bavaria (b. 1826)
• 1880 – Manuel Montt, Chilean scholar and politician, 6th President of Chile (b. 1809)
• 1904 – Chief Joseph, American tribal leader (b. 1840)
• 1906 – Samuel Arnold, American conspirator (b. 1838)
• 1926 – Léon Charles Thévenin, French engineer (b. 1857)
• 1930 – Juhan Maaker, Estonian torupill player (b. 1845)
• 1933 – Kenji Miyazawa, Japanese author and poet (b. 1896)
• 1938 – Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić, Croatian author and poet (b. 1874)
• 1939 – Armand Călinescu, Romanian economist and politician, 39th Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1893)
• 1942 – John Symes, English cricketer (b. 1879)
• 1944 – Artur Phleps, Romanian general (b. 1881)
• 1946 – Olga Engl, Austrian-German actress (b. 1871)
• 1947 – Harry Carey, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1878)
• 1953 – Necmettin Sadak, Turkish publisher and politician, 10th Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1890)
• 1954 – Mikimoto Kōkichi, Japanese businessman (b. 1858)
• 1956 – Bill Struth, Scottish footballer and manager (b. 1875)
• 1957 – Haakon VII of Norway (b. 1872)
• 1958 – Peter Whitehead, English race car driver (b. 1914)
• 1962 – Bo Carter, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Mississippi Sheiks) (b. 1892)
• 1963 – Paulino Masip, Spanish author, playwright, and screenwriter (b. 1899)
• 1966 – Paul Reynaud, French lawyer and politician, 118th Prime Minister of France (b. 1878)
• 1971 – Bernardo Houssay, Argentinian physiologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1887)
• 1972 – Henry de Montherlant, French author and playwright (b. 1896)
• 1974 – Walter Brennan, American actor and singer (b. 1894)
• 1974 – Jacqueline Susann, American author and actress (b. 1918)
• 1975 – Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu, Turkish painter and poet (b. 1911)
• 1976 – Orlando Letelier, Chilean economist and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs for Chile (b. 1932)
• 1982 – Ivan Bagramyan, Russian general (b. 1897)
• 1985 – Gu Long, Chinese author and screenwriter (b. 1937)
• 1987 – Jaco Pastorius, American bass player, composer, and producer (Weather Report and Trio of Doom) (b. 1951)
• 1988 – Glenn Robert Davis, American lieutenant and politician (b. 1914)
• 1989 – Ertem Eğilmez, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1929)
• 1989 – Rajini Thiranagama, Sri Lankan physician and academic (b. 1954)
• 1990 – Takis Kanellopoulos, Greek director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1933)
• 1991 – Gordon Bashford, English engineer (b. 1916)
• 1992 – Tarachand Barjatya, Indian film producer, founded Rajshri Productions (b. 1914)
• 1995 – Rudy Perpich, American dentist and politician, 34th Governor of Minnesota (b. 1928)
• 1997 – Jennifer Holt, American-English actress and singer (b. 1920)
• 1998 – Florence Griffith Joyner, American sprinter (b. 1959)
• 2000 – Jacques Flynn, Canadian lawyer and politician, 35th Canadian Minister of Justice (b. 1915)
• 2000 – Leonid Rogozov, Russian physician and surgeon (b. 1934)
• 2002 – Robert L. Forward, American physicist and engineer (b. 1932)
• 2002 – Rocco Rock, American wrestler and boxer (b. 1953)
• 2004 – Bob Mason, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1952)
• 2006 – Tasos Athanasiadis, Greek author (b. 1913)
• 2006 – Boz Burrell, English singer-songwriter and bass player (Bad Company and King Crimson) (b. 1946)
• 2007 – Hallgeir Brenden, Norwegian skier (b. 1929)
• 2007 – Alice Ghostley, American actress and singer (b. 1926)
• 2007 – Rex Humbard, American evangelist and television host (b. 1919)
• 2009 – Robert Ginty, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1948)
• 2011 – Troy Davis, American murderer (b. 1968)
• 2011 – John Du Cann, English guitarist (The Attack, Andromeda, Atomic Rooster, and Hard Stuff) (b. 1946)
• 2011 – Jun Henmi, Japanese author and poet (b. 1939)
• 2011 – Pamela Ann Rymer, American lawyer and judge (b. 1941)
• 2012 – José Curbelo, Cuban-American pianist and manager (b. 1917)
• 2012 – Yehuda Elkana, Israeli historian and philosopher (b. 1934)
• 2012 – Sven Hassel, Danish-German soldier and author (b. 1917)
• 2012 – Bill King, English commander, sailor, and author (b. 1910)
• 2012 – Michael Rye, American voice actor (b. 1918)
• 2012 – Tom Umphlett, American baseball player and manager (b. 1930)
• 2013 – Ruhila Adatia-Sood, Kenyan journalist and radio host (b. 1982)
• 2013 – Kofi Awoonor, Ghanaian author, poet, and diplomat (b. 1935)
• 2013 – Michel Brault, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1928)
• 2013 – Harl H. Haas, Jr., American lawyer, jurist, and politician (b. 1932)
• 2013 – Taro Ishida, Japanese actor (b. 1944)
• 2013 – Walter Wallmann, German lawyer and politician, Minister-President of Hesse (b. 1932)
• 2013 – Ko Wierenga, Dutch lawyer and politician (b. 1933)
• 2014 – Cecilia Cenci, Argentinian actress (b. 1942)
• 2014 – Linda Griffiths, Canadian actress and playwright (b. 1953)
• 2014 – Michael Harari, Israeli intelligence officer (b. 1927)
• 2014 – Caldwell Jones, American basketball player and coach (b. 1950)
• 2014 – Sheldon Patinkin, American director and playwright (b. 1935)
• 2015 – Ben Cauley, American trumpet player and songwriter (The Bar-Kays) (b. 1947)
• 2015 – Victor Démé, Burkinabé singer-songwriter (b. 1962)
• 2015 – Yoram Gross, Polish-Australian director and producer (b. 1926)
• 2015 – Ray Warleigh, Australian-English saxophonist and flute player (b. 1938)
• 2015 – Richard Williamson, American footballer and coach (b. 1941)

Holidays and observances

• Autumnal equinox observances in the Northern hemisphere, vernal equinox observances in the Southern hemisphere (see September 22):
  • Arbor Day (Brazil)
  • Spring Day (Argentina)
  • Student's Day (Bolivia)
• Christian feast day:
  • Laurent-Joseph-Marius Imbert (one of the Korean Martyrs)
  • Matthew the Evangelist (Western Church)
  • Nativity of the Theotokos (Orthodox Church)
  • September 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Founder's Day and National Volunteer Day (Ghana)
• Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Armenia from the Soviet Union in 1991. (Armenia)
• Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Belize from the United Kingdom in 1981. (Belize)
• Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Malta from the United Kingdom in 1964. (Malta)
• International Day of Peace (International)
• Victory over the Golden Horde in the Battle of Kulikovo (Russia)

External links

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