655 – Pope Martin I, Umbrian cleric, Pope of the Imperial Church (649-53) who was banished due to his opposition to Monothelitism, and Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox saint, dies at between 55 and 65 [birthdate unceratin]
1775 – Allen Bathurst, 1st Earl Bathurst, English privy councillor (b. 1684)
1865 – Christian Julius De Meza, Danish general (b. 1792)
1936 – Karl Buresch, Austrian lawyer and politician, dies at 57
1946 – Mamie Smith, American vaudeville singer, dancer and actress (Crazy Blues), dies at 63
1948 – Ferdinand I MKLM, prince of Saxony-Coburg/tsar of Bulgaria, dies
1977 – Marc Bolan, English rock vocalist and guitarist (T-Rex – “Bang a Gong (Get It On)”), dies in a car crash at 29
2020 – Stanley Crouch, American social critic and writer (Notes of a Hanging Judge; The All-American Skin Game, or, The Decoy of Race), dies at 74
2023 – Arild Hetleøen, Norwegian soccer central defender (4 caps; SK Brann), dies at 80
2025 – D. D. Lewis, American College Football HOF linebacker (Mississippi State University; Super Bowl VI, XII Dallas Cowboys), dies at 79
Author: gil7
Historical Events for 16th September 2026
1597 – Albert VII Archduke of Austria’s Spanish forces lose control of the city of Amiens to French King Henry VI
1955 – US Auto Club forms to oversee four major auto racing categories
1955 – Bauer and Berra hit home runs in the 9th, beating the Red Sox 5-4 and taking over first
1962 – Brian Kilby wins the marathon in 2:23:18.8 at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games
1988 – Javed Miandad completes 211, his fifth Test cricket double century, against Australia
1992 – FCC votes to allow competition for local phone service
2007 – Solheim Cup Women’s Golf, Halmstad GK, Sweden: US retains Cup 16-12; after trailing by a point, the US dominates the singles 8½-3½
2016 – Chris Sharma free solos Alasha in Mallorca, Spain, the world’s first 9a+ (5.15a) deep-water solo route
Today in History for 16th September 2026
Historical Events
1926 – Hurricane in Florida and Alabama kills 372
1940 – Leo Durocher is suspended from Ebbets Field for “inciting a riot”
1940 – US President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Selective Training and Service Act, the first US peacetime draft
1996 – Howard Stern Radio Show premieres in Panama City, Florida, on WTBB 97.7 FM
1999 – First-ever season of “Big Brother” reality show begins on the Veronica channel in the Netherlands
Famous Birthdays
1812 – Robert Fortune, Scottish botanist and plant hunter (established East India tea company in India), born in Kelloe, Scotland (d. 1880)
1832 – George Washington Custis Lee, American Major General (Confederate Army), born in Fort Monroe, Virginia (d. 1913)
1940 – Hamiet Bluiett, American jazz baritone saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer (World Saxophone Quartet – “Hattie Wall’), born in Brooklyn, Illinois (d. 2018)
1953 – Alan Barton, English musician (Black Lace, Smokie), born in Barnsley, Yorkshire, England (d. 1995)
1973 – Alexander Vinokourov, Russian-Kazakhtani road cyclist, born in Petropavl, Kazakh S.S.R.
Famous Deaths
1736 – Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, Dutch-German-Polish physicist, inventor and scientific instrument maker, who invented the thermometer and the Fahrenheit scale, dies at 50
1983 – Roy Andries de Groot, Dutch-British-American culinary writer and wine critic, takes his own life at 73
1984 – Richard Brautigan, American novelist and poet (Trout Fishing in America), takes his own life at 49 [exact date estimated based on forensic investigation]
1992 – Millicent Fenwick, American politician (Rep-R-NJ 1975-82), dies at 82
2016 – Dorothy Cann Hamilton, American businesswoman and founder of the French Culinary Institute, dies in a car accident at 67
Famous Deaths for 15th September 2026
668 – Constans II, Emperor of Byzantium (641-668), known as “the Bearded”, assassinated in his bath at 37 (some sources cite July 15)
1701 – Edmé Boursault, French writer (b. 1638)
1893 – Thomas Hawksley, English civil engineer (Nottingham Gas Light and Coke Company; Nottingham Waterworks Company), dies at 86
1924 – Frank Chance, American Baseball HOF first baseman (World Series 1907, 1908; 2 x NL stolen base leader; NL runs leader 1906 Chicago Orphans/Cubs) and manager (Chicago Cubs, NY Yankees, Boston RS), dies at 47
1927 – Herman Gorter, Dutch socialist and poet (May, Tiny Hero’s Poem), dies at 62
1947 – Richard Le Gallienne, English writer (had affair with Oscar Wilde, father of actress Eva Le Gallienne), dies at 81
1996 – Peter Michael Grayson, British showman, dies at 70
2003 – Garner Ted Armstrong, American television evangelist (The World of Tomorrow), dies of complications of pneumonia at 73
2003 – Josef Hirsal, Czech novelist (b. 1920)
2016 – Rose Mofford, American politician, 1st female Governor of Arizona (1988-1991), dies at 94
Historical Events for 15th September 2026
1590 – Giambattista Castagna is elected as Pope Urban VII
1916 – First use of tanks in warfare, Britain’s Mark I “Little Willies” at the Battle of Flers-Courcelette, part of the Battle of the Somme
1943 – Benito Mussolini forms a rival anti-monarchist fascist government in Italy and soon returns to power as a German puppet state
1970 – Officers of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) in Northern Ireland vote narrowly in favour of remaining unarmed
1991 – Canadian Open Women’s Golf (du Maurier Classic), Vancouver GC: Nancy Scranton wins by 3 shots from Debbie Massey
2005 – Marc Quinn’s controversial statue “Alison Lapper Pregnant” is unveiled in Trafalgar Square in England
2015 – EU Migrant Crisis: Hungary seals its border with Serbia with a razor-wire fence, stranding thousands of migrants
2021 – US gymnasts, including Simone Biles, testify against former team doctor Larry Nassar at a Senate Committee hearing, criticizing a system that allowed it to happen
Today in History for 15th September 2026
Historical Events
1882 – British General Garnet Wolseley occupies Cairo, Egypt
1902 – Chicago Cubs infielders Tinker, Evers, and Chance turn their first double play together in a 6-3 win over Cincinnati
1983 – The first Costco store opens in Seattle, Washington
1984 – Sharlene Wells (20) of Utah is crowned 58th Miss America 1985
1995 – St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Ozzie Smith sets record of 1,554 double plays
Famous Birthdays
1909 – Carlos Estrada, Uruguayan composer and conductor, born in Montevideo, Uruguay (d. 1970)
1912 – Gisela Hernández [Gonzalo], Cuban composer (Diálogo), and music educator, born in Cardenas, Cuba (d. 1971)
1923 – David Kraehenbuehl, American composer (March of the Trolls), pianist, teacher (Yale), and music theorist (Journal of Music Theory), born in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois (d. 1997)
1925 – Erika Köth, German operatic coloratura soprano (Salzburg Festival, 1955–64), born in Darmstadt, Germany (d. 1989)
1925 – Gösta Jonsson, Swedish saxophonist, accordion player and bandleader, born in Kungsholmen, Stockholm, Sweden (d. 1984)
Famous Deaths
1893 – Thomas Hawksley, English civil engineer (Nottingham Gas Light and Coke Company; Nottingham Waterworks Company), dies at 86
1984 – Jack Ikin, English cricketer (England opener 1946-55), dies at 66
2001 – Fred de Cordova, American film and TV producer (Tonight Show), dies at 90
2010 – Arrow [Alphonsus Cassell], Montserratian soca singer-songwriter (“Hot, Hot, Hot”), dies of cerebral cancer at 60
2025 – Marilyn Knowlden, American child actress (A Woman Rebels, David Copperfield), dies at 99
Famous Deaths for 14th September 2026
258 – Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, Christian writer and saint, is beheaded in Carthage during persecutions by the Emperor Valerian at 58
1819 – Erik Acharius, Swedish botanist (lichens), dies at 61
1952 – Alexander Xaver Gwerder, Swiss writer, commits suicide at 29
1964 – Mary Howe, American composer and pianist (Sand), dies at 82
1982 – Christian Ferras, French violinist and conductor, dies at 49
1994 – David van Cup, sculptor/painter, dies at 57
2006 – Esme Melville, Australian actress (b. 1918)
2007 – Jacques Martin, French TV host (Le Petit Rapporteur), dies at 74
2019 – John Ralston, American College Football Hall of Fame linebacker, coach and executive (Cal, Stanford, Denver Broncos), dies at 92
2022 – Don Tregonning, Australian tennis player and coach, dies at 93
Historical Events for 14th September 2026
1862 – Battle at Crampton’s Gap: Union troops win a tactical victory over Confederate forces
1913 – Route for the Lincoln Highway is announced, the first paved coast-to-coast highway across the United States, with terminal points in New York City and San Francisco
1923 – Jack Dempsey recovers after being knocked through the ropes in the first round to knock out Argentine challenger Luis Firpo in the second round in front of 83,000 at the Polo Grounds in NYC
1951 – St. Louis Browns’ Bob Nieman homers on his 1st two career at-bats
1973 – Israeli Air Force shoots down 13 Syrian MIG-21s
1992 – First subway car is completed for export from the US to Taiwan
1996 – Tara Dawn Holland (23) of Kansas is crowned 70th Miss America 1997
1999 – Polyvinyl Record Co. releases debut album by the Midwest emo trio American Football; the eponymous record, later known as LP1, becomes a cult favorite and influential within the music genre
Today in History for 14th September 2026
Historical Events
1515 – Battle at Marignano ends after two days in a French and Venetian victory over a Swiss army
1957 – Ira Levin’s stage comedy “No Time for Sergeants,” based on Mac Hyman’s novel, starring Andy Griffith and featuring Don Knott, closes at the Alvin Theatre in NYC after 796 performances
1960 – Joseph-Desiré Mobutu launches a bloodless coup d’état in the Congo, declaring President Joseph Kasa-Vubu and Patrice Lumumba to be “neutralised” and establishing a new government of university graduates
1964 – WCVE TV channel 23 in Richmond, Virginia (PBS) begins broadcasting
1989 – Calgary Flames become the first NHL team to play in USSR, win 4-2
Famous Birthdays
1804 – John Gould, British ornithologist and bird artist, born in Lyme Regis, Dorset (d. 1881)
1904 – Anton Zischka, Austrian writer (Lebendiges Europa), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1997)
1915 – Douglas Kennedy, American actor (Dark Passage, The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold), born in New York City (d. 1973)
1946 – Pete Agnew, Scottich rock bassist (Nazareth – “Love Hurts”), born in Dunfermline, Scotland
1961 – Antonia De Sancha, English actress and lover of British MP David Mellor, born in London
Famous Deaths
1712 – Giovanni Domenico Cassini, Italian French mathmetician and astronomer (discovered four moons of Saturn), dies at 87
1966 – Gertrude Berg, American actress (Molly Goldberg-Goldbergs), dies at 66
1982 – Grace Kelly, American actress (Rear Window) and Princess of Monaco, dies in a car crash at 52
2002 – Roberto Cavanagh, Argentine polo player (Olympic gold 1936), dies at 87
2025 – Pat Crowley, American actress (Money from Home, There’s Always Tomorrow, Please Don’t Eat the Daisies), dies at 91
Famous Deaths for 13th September 2026
1813 – Hezqeyas, Emperor of Ethiopia (1789-94), dies
1949 – August Krogh, Danish zoophysiologist (Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 1920 for study of arterioles and capillaries), dies at 74
1967 – Varian Fry, American journalist and recognized as “Righteous Among the Nations”, dies at 59
1967 – Russell L. Rogers, American electrical engineer and astronaut (X-20), dies in explosion at 39
1969 – Charles Foulkes, Canada general and honorary citizen of Wageningen who accepted WWII Germany’s surrender in the Netherlands, dies at 66
1991 – Ferry Barendse, Dutch trumpeter, composer, and singer (Ramblers), dies at 80
1992 – Lou Jacobs, US clown (1966 US postage stamp), dies at 89
2003 – Frank O’Bannon, American politician (Governor of Indiana, 1997-2003), dies of a stroke at 73(
2007 – Neville Jeffress, Australian founder of Media Monitors Australia, dies at 87
2009 – Paul Burke, American actor (Naked City, Thomas Crown Affair, Neal-Dynasty), dies at 83