September 20

September 20 in recent years

2024 (Friday)

2023 (Wednesday)

2022 (Tuesday)

2021 (Monday)

2020 (Sunday)

2019 (Friday)

2018 (Thursday)

2017 (Wednesday)

2016 (Tuesday)

2015 (Sunday)

September 20 is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 102 days remain until the end of the year.

Events

• 622 – Muhammad and Abu Bakr arrived in Medina
• 1058 – Agnes of Poitou and Andrew I of Hungary meet to negotiate about the border-zone in present-day Burgenland.
• 1066 – Battle of Fulford, Viking Harald Hardrada defeats earls Morcar and Edwin
• 1187 – Saladin begins the Siege of Jerusalem.
• 1260 – the Great Prussian Uprising among the old Prussians begins against the Teutonic Knights.
• 1378 – Cardinal Robert of Geneva, called by some the "Butcher of Cesena", is elected as Avignon Pope Clement VII, beginning the Papal schism.
• 1498 – The 1498 Nankai earthquake generates a tsunami that washes away the building housing the statue of the Great Buddha at Kōtoku-in in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan; since then the Buddha has sat in the open air.
• 1519 – Ferdinand Magellan sets sail from Sanlúcar de Barrameda with about 270 men on his expedition to circumnavigate the globe.
• 1596 – Diego de Montemayor founds the city of Monterrey in New Spain.
• 1697 – The Treaty of Ryswick is signed by France, England, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire and the Dutch Republic ending the Nine Years' War (1688–97).
• 1737 – The finish of the Walking Purchase which forces the cession of 1.2 million acres (4,860 km²) of Lenape-Delaware tribal land to the Pennsylvania Colony.
• 1792 – French troops stop allied invasion of France, during the War of the First Coalition at Valmy.
• 1835 – Ragamuffin rebels capture Porto Alegre, then capital of the Brazilian imperial province of Rio Grande do Sul, triggering the start of ten-year-long Ragamuffin War.
• 1848 – The American Association for the Advancement of Science is created.
• 1854 – Battle of Alma: British and French troops defeat Russians in Crimea.
• 1857 – The Indian Rebellion of 1857 ends with the recapture of Delhi by troops loyal to the East India Company.
• 1860 – The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII of the United Kingdom) visits the United States.
• 1863 – American Civil War: The conclusion of the Battle of Chickamauga in northwestern Georgia, the bloodiest two-day battle of the conflict, and the only significant Confederate victory in the war's Western Theater.
• 1870 – Bersaglieri corps enter Rome through the Porta Pia and complete the unification of Italy, ending de facto the temporal power of popes.
• 1871 – Bishop John Coleridge Patteson is martyred on the island of Nukapu, a Polynesian outlier island now in the Temotu Province of the Solomon Islands. He is the first bishop of Melanesia.
• 1881 – U.S. President Chester A. Arthur is sworn in, the morning after becoming President upon James A. Garfield's death.
• 1893 – Charles Duryea and his brother road-test the first American-made gasoline-powered automobile.
• 1906 – Cunard Line's RMS Mauretania is launched at the Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson shipyard in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
• 1909 – The Parliament of the United Kingdom passes the South Africa Act 1909, creating the Union of South Africa from the British Colonies of the Cape of Good Hope, Natal, Orange River Colony, and the Transvaal Colony.
• 1910 – The ocean liner SS France, later known as the "Versailles of the Atlantic", is launched.
• 1911 – White Star Line's RMS Olympic collides with British warship HMS Hawke.
• 1920 – Foundation of the Spanish Legion.
• 1930 – Syro-Malankara Catholic Church is formed by Archbishop Mar Ivanios.
• 1942 – Holocaust in Letychiv, Ukraine. In the course of two days the German SS murders at least 3,000 Jews.
• 1946 – The first Cannes Film Festival is held, having been delayed seven years due to World War II.
• 1961 – Greek general Konstantinos Dovas becomes Prime Minister of Greece.
• 1962 – James Meredith, an African American, is temporarily barred from entering the University of Mississippi.
• 1967 – RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 is launched at John Brown & Company, Clydebank, Scotland. It is operated by the Cunard Line.
• 1970 – Syrian tanks roll into Jordan in response to continued fighting between Jordan and the fedayeen.
• 1971 – Having weakened after making landfall in Nicaragua the previous day, Hurricane Irene regains enough strength to be renamed Hurricane Olivia, making it the first known hurricane to cross from the Atlantic Ocean into the Pacific.
• 1973 – Billie Jean King beats Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes tennis match at the Houston Astrodome.
• 1977 – The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is admitted to the United Nations.
• 1979 – A coup d'état in the Central African Empire overthrows Emperor Bokasa I.
• 1982 – The National Football League players begin a 57-day strike.
• 1984 – A suicide bomber in a car attacks the U.S. embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, killing twenty-two people.
• 1985 – Capital gains tax is introduced in Australia, one of a number of tax reforms by the Hawke/Keating government.
• 1990 – South Ossetia declares its independence from Georgia.
• 2000 – The United Kingdom's MI6 Secret Intelligence Service building is attacked by individuals using a Russian-built RPG-22 anti-tank missile. The perpetrators remain unidentified.
• 2001 – In an address to a joint session of Congress and the American people, U.S. President George W. Bush declares a "War on Terror".
• 2002 – The Kolka-Karmadon rock/ice slide.
• 2003 – Maldives civil unrest: the death of prisoner Hassan Evan Naseem sparks a day of rioting in Malé.
• 2007 – Between 15,000 and 20,000 protesters marched on Jena, Louisiana, in support of six black youths who had been convicted of assaulting a white classmate.
• 2008 – A dump truck full of explosives detonates in front of the Marriott hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan, killing 54 people and injuring 266 others.
• 2011 – The United States military ends its "don't ask, don't tell" policy, allowing gay men and women to serve openly for the first time.

Births

• 524 – Kan B'alam I, Mayan ruler (d. 583)
• 1161 – Emperor Takakura of Japan (d. 1181)
• 1486 – Arthur, Prince of Wales (d. 1502)
• 1593 – Gottfried Scheidt, German organist and composer (d. 1661)
• 1599 – Christian the Younger of Brunswick (d. 1623)
• 1608 – Jean-Jacques Olier, French priest and mystic, founded the Society of Saint-Sulpice (d. 1657)
• 1685 – Giuseppe Matteo Alberti, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1751)
• 1746 – Maurice, Count de Benyovszky, Slovak-Hungarian explorer (d. 1786)
• 1758 – Jean-Jacques Dessalines, Haitian emperor (d. 1806)
• 1778 – Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, Russian admiral, cartographer, and explorer (d. 1852)
• 1800 – Benjamin Franklin White, American singer and composer (d. 1879)
• 1820 – John F. Reynolds, American general (d. 1863)
• 1831 – Kate Harrington, American poet and educator (d. 1917)
• 1833 – Ernesto Teodoro Moneta, Italian soldier and journalist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1918)
• 1842 – James Dewar, Scottish-English chemist and physicist (d. 1923)
• 1844 – William H. Illingworth, English-American photographer (d. 1893)
• 1851 – Henry Arthur Jones, English playwright and critic (d. 1929)
• 1853 – Chulalongkorn, Thai king (d. 1910)
• 1861 – Herbert Putnam, American lawyer and publisher, 8th Librarian of Congress (d. 1955)
• 1872 – Maurice Gamelin, French general (d. 1958)
• 1873 – Sidney Olcott, Canadian-American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1949)
• 1873 – Ferenc Szisz, Hungarian race car driver (d. 1944)
• 1878 – Upton Sinclair, American journalist and author (d. 1968)
• 1880 – Louise Peete, American murderer (d. 1947)
• 1880 – Ildebrando Pizzetti, Italian composer, musicologist and critic (d. 1968)
• 1884 – Maxwell Perkins, American journalist (d. 1947)
• 1885 – Enrico Mizzi, Maltese lawyer and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Malta (d. 1950)
• 1886 – Charles Williams, English author, poet, and critic (d. 1945)
• 1889 – Oskar Kaplur, Estonian wrestler (d. 1962)
• 1889 – Charles Reidpath, American runner and general (d. 1975)
• 1890 – Linda Eenpalu, Estonian activist and politician (d. 1967)
• 1891 – Tomás Garrido Canabal, Mexican revolutionary, strongman of Tabasco (d. 1943)
• 1892 – Roy Turk, American songwriter (d. 1934)
• 1893 – Colin Fraser Barron, Scottish-Canadian sergeant, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1958)
• 1893 – Hermann Lux, German footballer and manager (d. 1962)
• 1899 – Leo Strauss, German-American political scientist, philosopher, and academic (d. 1973)
• 1902 – Stevie Smith, English author and poet (d. 1971)
• 1906 – Jean Dréville, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1997)
• 1911 – Shriram Sharma, Indian philosopher and activist (d. 1991)
• 1913 – John Collins, American guitarist (d. 2001)
• 1913 – Sidney Dillon Ripley, American ornithologist and academic (d. 2001)
• 1914 – Johannes Hint, Estonian engineer (d. 1985)
• 1914 – Kenneth More, English actor and singer (d. 1982)
• 1915 – K. H. Ting, Chinese bishop (d. 2012)
• 1916 – Malik Meraj Khalid, Pakistani politician, Prime Minister of Pakistan (d. 2003)
• 1917 – Red Auerbach, American basketball player and coach (d. 2006)
• 1917 – Fernando Rey, Spanish actor (d. 1994)
• 1917 – Don Starr, American actor (d. 1995)
• 1917 – Clarice Taylor, American actress (d. 2011)
• 1918 – Horace Gould, English racing driver (d. 1968)
• 1920 – Alberto de Lacerda, Mozambican-Portuguese poet and radio host (d. 2007)
• 1920 – Jay Ward, American animator, producer, and screenwriter, founded Jay Ward Productions (d. 1989)
• 1921 – Chico Hamilton, American drummer, composer, and bandleader (d. 2013)
• 1922 – William Kapell, American pianist (d. 1953)
• 1923 – Geraldine Clinton Little, Irish-American poet and author (d. 1997)
• 1923 – Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Indian actor and producer (d. 2014)
• 1923 – Maurice Sauvé, Canadian economist, academic, and politician (d. 1992)
• 1924 – Gogi Grant, American singer and actress (d. 2016)
• 1924 – Albert Marre, American actor, director, and producer (d. 2012)
• 1924 – Jackie Paris, American singer and guitarist (d. 2004)
• 1925 – James Bernard, English composer and screenwriter (d. 2001)
• 1925 – Ananda Mahidol, Thai king (d. 1946)
• 1925 – Bobby Nunn, American singer (The Coasters and The Robins) (d. 1986)
• 1926 – Libero Liberati, Italian motorcycle racer (d. 1962)
• 1927 – Colette Bonheur, Canadian singer (d. 1966)
• 1927 – John Dankworth, English saxophonist, clarinet player, and composer (d. 2010)
• 1927 – Red Mitchell, American bassist, composer, and poet (d. 1992)
• 1927 – Rachel Roberts, Welsh-American actress and singer (d. 1980)
• 1928 – Olga Ferri, Argentinian dancer and choreographer (d. 2012)
• 1928 – Donald Hall, American poet, author, and critic
• 1928 – Kirsten Rolffes, Danish actress (d. 2000)
• 1929 – Anne Meara, American actress, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2015)
• 1929 – Joe Temperley, Scottish saxophonist and clarinet player
• 1930 – Eddie Bo, American singer and pianist (d. 2009)
• 1931 – Cherd Songsri, Thai director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2006)
• 1933 – Steve McCall, American drummer (Air) (d. 1989)
• 1933 – Dennis Viollet, English footballer and manager (d. 1999)
• 1934 – Hamit Kaplan, Turkish World and Olympic champion sports wrestler (d. 1976)
• 1934 – Takayuki Kubota, Japanese-American martial artist and actor
• 1934 – Sophia Loren, Italian-Swiss actress and singer
• 1934 – David Marquand, English academic and politician
• 1934 – Jeff Morris, American actor (d. 2004)
• 1934 – Rajinder Puri, Indian cartoonist, journalist, and activist (d. 2015)
• 1935 – David Pegg, English footballer (d. 1958)
• 1935 – Keith Roberts, English author and illustrator (d. 2000)
• 1935 – Jim Taylor, American football player and sportscaster
• 1936 – Andrew Davies, Welsh author, screenwriter, and producer
• 1936 – Salvador Reyes Monteón, Mexican footballer and manager (d. 2012)
• 1937 – Birgitta Dahl, Swedish politician, Swedish Minister for the Environment
• 1937 – Geoffrey Dear, Baron Dear, English police officer
• 1937 – Garry Johnson, English general
• 1937 – Monica Zetterlund, Swedish actress and singer (d. 2005)
• 1938 – Eric Gale, American guitarist and producer (Stuff) (d. 1994)
• 1938 – Jane Manning, English soprano and educator
• 1939 – Robert L. Gerry III, American businessman
• 1940 – Tarō Asō, Japanese target shooter and politician, 92nd Prime Minister of Japan
• 1940 – William Finley, American actor (d. 2012)
• 1940 – Anna Pavord, Welsh-English journalist and author
• 1941 – Dale Chihuly, American sculptor and educator
• 1941 – Jim Cullum, Jr., American cornet player (Jim Cullum Jazz Band)
• 1941 – Sammy McMillan, Irish footballer
• 1942 – Rose Francine Rogombé, Gabonese lawyer and politician, President of Gabon (d. 2015)
• 1942 – Gérald Tremblay, Canadian businessman and politician, 41st Mayor of Montreal
• 1942 – R. J. Adams, film and television actor, acting coach, screenwriter, film producer, documentary producer and radio personality (d. 2015)
• 1944 – Jeremy Child, English actor
• 1946 – Pete Coors, American businessman and politician
• 1946 – Markandey Katju, Indian lawyer and judge
• 1947 – Billy Bang, American violinist and composer (d. 2011)
• 1947 – Jude Deveraux, American author
• 1947 – Steve Gerber, American author and screenwriter (d. 2008)
• 1947 – Wojciech Kurtyka, Polish mountaineer and rock climber
• 1947 – Mia Martini, Italian singer and actress (d. 1995)
• 1947 – Chris Ortloff, American journalist and politician
• 1947 – Bruce Pasternack, American businessman
• 1947 – Patrick Poivre d'Arvor, French journalist and author
• 1948 – Rey Langit, Filipino journalist and radio host
• 1948 – Victoria Mallory, American singer and actress (d. 2014)
• 1948 – George R. R. Martin, American author and screenwriter
• 1948 – Chuck Panozzo, American bass player (Styx)
• 1948 – John Panozzo, American drummer (Styx) (d. 1996)
• 1949 – Mahesh Bhatt, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1949 – Anthony Denison, American actor
• 1951 – Joanna Cameron, American model and actress
• 1951 – Mike Graham, American wrestler and promoter (d. 2012)
• 1951 – Guy Lafleur, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1951 – Javier Marías, Spanish journalist, author, and academic
• 1953 – Rocky Mattioli, Italian-Australian boxer
• 1954 – Anne McIntosh, Scottish lawyer and politician
• 1954 – Henry Samueli, American businessman, co-founded Broadcom
• 1954 – Brinke Stevens, American actress, producer, and screenwriter
• 1954 – Shivarudra Balayogi, Yogi, direct disciple of Shri Shivabalayogi Maharaj
• 1955 – Betsy Brantley, American actress
• 1955 – José Rivero, Spanish golfer
• 1956 – Jennifer Tour Chayes, American mathematician and computer scientist
• 1956 – Gary Cole, American actor
• 1956 – Steve Coleman, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader
• 1956 – John Harle, English saxophonist, composer, conductor, and producer
• 1956 – Debbi Morgan, American actress
• 1957 – Alannah Currie, New Zealand singer-songwriter (Thompson Twins)
• 1957 – Michael Hurst, New Zealand actor and director
• 1958 – Arn Anderson, American wrestler and trainer
• 1959 – Joseph Alessi, American trombonist and educator
• 1959 – Joanna Domańska, Polish pianist and educator
• 1959 – Meral Okay, Turkish actress, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
• 1960 – Lee Hall, English playwright and screenwriter
• 1960 – Dave Hemingway, English singer-songwriter and drummer (The Beautiful South and The Housemartins)
• 1960 – Deborah Roberts, American journalist
• 1961 – Lisa Bloom, American lawyer and journalist
• 1961 – Caroline Flint, English politician, Minister of State for Europe
• 1962 – Jim Al-Khalili, Iraqi-English physicist, author, and academic
• 1963 – Anil Dalpat, Pakistani cricketer
• 1963 – Robert LaSardo, American actor and producer
• 1963 – Joseph O'Connor, Irish novelist
• 1964 – Randy Bradbury, American bass player (Pennywise and One Hit Wonder)
• 1964 – Maggie Cheung, Hong Kong actress
• 1965 – Robert Rusler, American actor and producer
• 1966 – Nuno Bettencourt, Portuguese singer-songwriter and guitarist (Extreme, Satellite Party, DramaGods, and Mourning Widows)
• 1966 – Douglas Gordon, Scottish-German photographer
• 1967 – Martin Harrison, American football player
• 1967 – Kristen Johnston, American actress
• 1967 – Gunnar Nelson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Nelson)
• 1967 – Matthew Nelson, American singer-songwriter and bass player (Nelson)
• 1968 – Ijaz Ahmed, Pakistani cricketer and coach
• 1968 – Van Jones, American lawyer and activist
• 1968 – Leah Pinsent, Canadian actress
• 1968 – Darrell Russell, American race car driver (d. 2004)
• 1968 – Ben Shepherd, American singer-songwriter and bass player (Soundgarden, Hater, and Wellwater Conspiracy)
• 1968 – Michelle Visage, American singer and radio host (Seduction)
• 1969 – Megumi Kudo, Japanese wrestler and sportscaster
• 1969 – Patrick Pentland, Irish-Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Sloan)
• 1969 – Tim Rogers, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (You Am I)
• 1969 – Richard Witschge, Dutch footballer and coach
• 1971 – Todd Blackadder, New Zealand rugby player and coach
• 1971 – Masashi Hamauzu, Japanese pianist and composer
• 1971 – Henrik Larsson, Swedish footballer and manager
• 1971 – Dominika Peczynski, Swedish singer and television host (Army of Lovers and Nouveau Riche)
• 1972 – Sergio Di Zio, Canadian actor
• 1972 – Victor Ponta, Romanian jurist and politician, 63rd Prime Minister of Romania
• 1972 – Sawa Suzuki, Japanese actress
• 1973 – Cansel Elçin, Turkish actor, director, and producer
• 1973 – Ronald McKinnon, American football player
• 1973 – Jo Pavey, English runner
• 1975 – Asia Argento, Italian actress, director, and screenwriter
• 1975 – Moon Bloodgood, American model and actress
• 1975 – Juan Pablo Montoya, Colombian race car driver
• 1975 – Jason Robinson, American saxophonist and composer (Cosmologic, Cross Border Trio, Groundation, and Trummerflora Collective)
• 1975 – Joe Roff, Australian rugby player
• 1976 – Enuka Okuma, Canadian actress and screenwriter
• 1976 – Reuben Singh, English businessman
• 1977 – Namie Amuro, Japanese singer, dancer, and actress (Super Monkey's and Suite Chic)
• 1977 – The-Dream, American singer-songwriter and producer
• 1977 – Martin Horntveth, Norwegian drummer and composer (Jaga Jazzist and The National Bank)
• 1977 – Chris Mooney, American journalist and academic
• 1978 – Jason Bay, Canadian-American baseball player
• 1978 – Patrizio Buanne, Austrian-Italian singer-songwriter and producer
• 1978 – Héctor Camacho, Jr., Puerto Rican-American boxer
• 1978 – Dante Hall, American football player
• 1978 – Scott Minto, Australian rugby player
• 1978 – T. J. Tucker, American baseball player
• 1979 – Sean Davis, English footballer and journalist
• 1979 – Dan Gillespie Sells, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Feeling and Speedway)
• 1979 – Wilfried Tevoedjre, Beninese swimmer
• 1980 – Mariacarla Boscono, Italian model and actress
• 1980 – Ryan Donowho, American actor and producer
• 1980 – Vladimir Karpets, Russian cyclist
• 1980 – Jonathan Le Billon, English actor
• 1980 – Mehrzad Marashi, Iranian-German singer
• 1980 – Madison Young, American porn actress and director, founded Femina Potens Art Gallery
• 1981 – Joanie Dodds, American model and actress
• 1981 – Feliciano López, Spanish tennis player
• 1981 – David McMillan, American football player (d. 2013)
• 1981 – Ryan Tandy, Australian rugby player (d. 2014)
• 1981 – Jordan Tata, American baseball player
• 1982 – Jason Bacashihua, American ice hockey player
• 1982 – Aaron Burkart, German race car driver
• 1982 – Brian Fortuna, American dancer and choreographer
• 1982 – Costa Pantazis, Cypriot-English songwriter and producer
• 1982 – Athanasios Tsigas, Greek footballer
• 1983 – A-Lin, Taiwanese singer-songwriter
• 1983 – Jessica Alonso Bernardo, Spanish handball player
• 1983 – Yuna Ito, American-Japanese singer-songwriter and actress
• 1983 – Freya Ross, Scottish runner
• 1983 – Ángel Sánchez, Puerto Rican-American baseball player
• 1984 – Brian Joubert, French figure skater
• 1984 – Belén Rodríguez, Argentinian model, actress, and television host
• 1985 – Tessanne Chin, Jamaican-American singer and guitarist
• 1985 – Ian Desmond, American baseball player
• 1985 – Mami Yamasaki, Japanese model and actress
• 1986 – İbrahim Kaş, Turkish footballer
• 1986 – Jason Nightingale, New Zealand rugby player
• 1987 – Gain, South Korean singer and actress (Brown Eyed Girls)
• 1987 – Jack Lawless, American drummer (Ocean Grove)
• 1987 – Tito Tebaldi, Italian rugby player
• 1988 – Sergei Bobrovsky, Russian ice hockey player
• 1988 – Ayano Ōmoto, Japanese singer and dancer (Perfume)
• 1988 – Arisa Sato, Japanese model and actress
• 1990 – Phillip Phillips, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1990 – John Tavares, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1991 – Génesis Carmona, Venezuelan model (d. 2014)
• 1991 – Isaac Cofie, Ghanaian footballer
• 1991 – Spencer Locke, American actress
• 1992 – Peter Prevc, Slovenian ski jumper
• 1992 – Amidu Salifu, Ghanaian footballer
• 1992 – Michał Żyro, Polish footballer
• 1995 – Laura Dekker, Dutch sailor
• 1996 – Ioana Loredana Roșca, Romanian tennis player

Deaths

• 1246 – Michael of Chernigov (b. 1185)
• 1328 – Ibn Taymiyyah, Syrian theologian and scholar (b. 1263)
• 1384 – Louis I, Duke of Anjou (b. 1339)
• 1460 – Gilles Binchois, Flemish composer (b. 1400)
• 1586 – John Ballard, English priest
• 1586 – Chidiock Tichborne, English poet (b. 1558)
• 1590 – Lodovico Agostini, Italian priest, composer, and scholar (b. 1534)
• 1625 – Heinrich Meibom, German historian and poet (b. 1555)
• 1627 – Jan Gruter, Dutch scholar and critic (b. 1560)
• 1630 – Claudio Saracini, Italian lute player and composer (b. 1586)
• 1639 – Johannes Meursius, Dutch historian and scholar (b. 1579)
• 1643 – Lucius Cary, 2nd Viscount Falkland, English soldier and politician, Secretary of State for England (b. 1610)
• 1684 – Kim Seok-ju, Korean scholar and politician (b. 1634)
• 1793 – Fletcher Christian, English lieutenant (b. 1764)
• 1803 – Robert Emmet, Irish commander (b. 1780)
• 1815 – Nicolas Desmarest, French geologist and scholar (b. 1725)
• 1839 – Sir Thomas Hardy, 1st Baronet, English admiral (b. 1769)
• 1840 – José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia, Paraguayan lawyer and politician, Consul of Paraguay (b. 1766)
• 1845 – Matvei Gedenschtrom, Russian explorer and public servant (b. 1780)
• 1852 – Philander Chase, American bishop and educator, founded Kenyon College (b. 1775)
• 1855 – José Trinidad Reyes, Honduran priest and educator (b. 1797)
• 1855 – Harvey Putnam, American lawyer and politician (b. 1793)
• 1863 – Jacob Grimm, German philologist and mythologist (b. 1785)
• 1884 – Leopold Fitzinger, Austrian zoologist and author (b. 1802)
• 1898 – Theodor Fontane, German author and poet (b. 1819)
• 1906 – Robert R. Hitt, American politician, 13th United States Assistant Secretary of State (b. 1834)
• 1908 – Pablo de Sarasate, Spanish violinist and composer (b. 1844)
• 1927 – George Nichols, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1864)
• 1930 – Gombojab Tsybikov, Russian anthropologist and explorer (b. 1873)
• 1932 – John Ellis, English executioner (b. 1874)
• 1932 – Wovoka, American religious leader, founded the Ghost Dance Movement (b. 1856)
• 1933 – Annie Besant, English theosophist and activist (b. 1847)
• 1939 – Paul Bruchési, Canadian archbishop (b. 1855)
• 1945 – Augusto Tasso Fragoso, Brazilian politician, President of Brazil (b. 1869)
• 1945 – William Seabrook, American occultist, journalist, and explorer (b. 1884)
• 1945 – Jack Thayer, American survivor of the Sinking of the Titanic (b. 1894)
• 1945 – Eduard Wirths, German physician (b. 1909)
• 1947 – Fiorello H. La Guardia, American lawyer and politician, 99th Mayor of New York City (b. 1882)
• 1947 – Jantina Tammes, Dutch biologist, geneticist, and academic (b. 1871)
• 1948 – Husain Salaahuddin, Maldivian poet and scholar (b. 1881)
• 1957 – Heino Kaski, Finnish pianist and composer (b. 1885)
• 1957 – Jean Sibelius, Finnish violinist and composer (b. 1865)
• 1958 – Oscar O'Brien, Canadian priest, pianist, and composer (b. 1892)
• 1962 – Oskar Kaplur, Estonian wrestler (b. 1889)
• 1970 – Alexandros Othonaios, Greek general and politician, 126h Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1879)
• 1971 – Giorgos Seferis, Greek poet and diplomat, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1900)
• 1972 – Pierre-Henri Simon, French historian and author (b. 1903)
• 1973 – Jim Croce, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1943)
• 1973 – Ben Webster, American saxophonist (b. 1909)
• 1975 – Saint-John Perse, French poet and diplomat, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1887)
• 1979 – Ludvík Svoboda, Czech general and politician, 8th President of Czechoslovakia (b. 1895)
• 1984 – Steve Goodman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1948)
• 1985 – Helen MacInnes, Scottish-American librarian and author (b. 1907)
• 1985 – Ruhi Su, Turkish singer-songwriter and bağlama player (b. 1912)
• 1987 – Michael Stewart, American playwright and composer (b. 1924)
• 1989 – Richie Ginther, American race car driver (b. 1930)
• 1992 – Musa Anter, Kurdish-Turkish activist and author (b. 1920)
• 1992 – Reuben Kadish, American painter, sculptor, and educator (b. 1913)
• 1993 – Erich Hartmann, German soldier and pilot (b. 1922)
• 1994 – Abioseh Nicol, Sierra Leonean physician, academic, and diplomat (b. 1924)
• 1994 – Jule Styne, English-American composer (b. 1905)
• 1996 – Paul Erdős, Hungarian-Polish mathematician and academic (b. 1913)
• 1996 – Reuben Kamanga, Zambian politician, 1st Vice President of Zambia (b. 1929)
• 1996 – Max Manus, Norwegian lieutenant (b. 1914)
• 1996 – Paul Weston, American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1912)
• 1997 – Matt Christopher, American author (b. 1917)
• 1997 – Nick Traina, American singer-songwriter (Link 80) (b. 1978)
• 1998 – Muriel Humphrey Brown, American politician, 28th Second Lady of the United States (b. 1912)
• 1999 – Raisa Gorbachova, Russian wife of Mikhail Gorbachev (b. 1932)
• 1999 – Robert Lebel, Canadian businessman (b. 1905)
• 2000 – Gherman Titov, Russian general, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1935)
• 2002 – Sergei Bodrov, Jr., Russian actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1971)
• 2002 – Necdet Kent, Turkish diplomat (b. 1911)
• 2003 – Gordon Mitchell, American bodybuilder and actor (b. 1923)
• 2003 – Simon Muzenda, Zimbabwean politician, 1st Vice President of Zimbabwe (b. 1922)
• 2003 – Gareth Williams, Baron Williams of Mostyn, Welsh lawyer and politician, Lord President of the Council (b. 1941)
• 2004 – Brian Clough, English footballer and manager (b. 1935)
• 2004 – Townsend Hoopes, American soldier and historian (b. 1922)
• 2004 – Kalmer Tennosaar, Estonian singer and journalist (b. 1928)
• 2005 – Simon Wiesenthal, Ukrainian-Austrian holocaust survivor (b. 1908)
• 2006 – Armin Jordan, Swiss conductor (b. 1932)
• 2006 – Sven Nykvist, Swedish director, producer, and cinematographer (b. 1922)
• 2006 – John W. Peterson, American pilot and songwriter (b. 1921)
• 2007 – Johnny Gavin, Irish footballer (b. 1928)
• 2010 – Kenny McKinley, American football player (b. 1987)
• 2010 – Leonard Skinner, American soldier and educator (b. 1933)
• 2011 – Oscar Handlin, American historian and author (b. 1915)
• 2011 – Burhanuddin Rabbani, Afghan academic and politician, 10th President of Afghanistan (b. 1940)
• 2012 – Fortunato Baldelli, Italian cardinal (b. 1935)
• 2012 – Richard H. Cracroft, American author and academic (b. 1936)
• 2012 – Dinesh Thakur, Indian actor and director (b. 1947)
• 2012 – Tereska Torrès, French soldier and author (b. 1920)
• 2013 – Robert W. Ford, English diplomat (b. 1923)
• 2013 – Robert L. Reymond, American theologian and author (b. 1932)
• 2013 – Angelo Savoldi, Italian-American wrestler and promoter (b. 1914)
• 2013 – James B. Vaught, American general (b. 1926)
• 2013 – Gilles Verlant, Belgian journalist and critic (b. 1957)
• 2014 – Anatoly Berezovoy, Russian colonel, pilot, and cosmonaut (b. 1942)
• 2014 – Polly Bergen, American actress and singer (b. 1930)
• 2014 – Rob Bironas, American football player (b. 1978)
• 2014 – Takako Doi, Japanese scholar and politician (b. 1928)
• 2014 – Anton-Günther, Duke of Oldenburg (b. 1923)
• 2014 – Eric the Midget, American radio host and actor (b. 1975)
• 2014 – George Sluizer, French-Dutch director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1932)
• 2015 – Mario Caiano, Italian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1933)
• 2015 – Jagmohan Dalmiya, Indian businessman (b. 1940)
• 2015 – Jack Larson, American actor, producer, and playwright (b. 1928)
• 2015 – C. K. Williams, American poet, critic, and translator (b. 1936)

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day:
  • Agapitus (Western Christianity)
  • Eustace (Western Christianity)
  • Jean-Charles Cornay (one of Vietnamese Martyrs)
  • José Maria de Yermo y Parres
  • Korean Martyrs, including Andrew Kim Taegon and Laurent-Marie-Joseph Imbert
  • September 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • John Coleridge Patteson (commemoration, Anglicanism)
• Independence Day of South Ossetia (not fully recognized)
• National Youth Day (Thailand)
• Oil Workers' Day (Azerbaijan)
• Universal Children's Day (Germany)

External links

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