1677 – Jan and Nicolaas van der Heyden patent the fire hose
1746 – French expeditionary army occupies Labourdonnais and Dupleix Madras
1913 – Turkey and Bulgaria sign peace treaty in Constantinople
1952 – MLB Boston Braves play what turns out to be their last home game at Braves Field in Boston, losing to the Brooklyn Dodgers 8–2 before crowd of 8,822; team relocates to Milwaukee before start of next season
1965 – Singapore admitted as part of the United Nations
1986 – NY Jets beat Miami Dolphins 51-45 in OT; record 884 passing yards
2008 – Last two remaining independent investment banks on Wall Street, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, become bank holding companies as a result of the subprime mortgage crisis
2016 – Genomic study finds Australian Aboriginals as the oldest known civilization on Earth published in “Nature”
Author: gil7
Today in History for 21st September 2025
Historical Events
1538 – Shrine of Saint Swithun in Winchester smashed up in the middle of the night as part of the English Reformation
1589 – Battle at Arques: French King Henry IV beats Catholic League
1911 – Canadian Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier loses the election to Robert Borden of the Conservative Party
2003 – 55th Emmy Awards: The West Wing, Everybody Loves Raymond, James Gandolfini and Edie Falco wins
2023 – Australian media mogul Rupert Murdoch at 92 announces he is retiring from the boards of Fox and News Corporation, leaving his son Lachlan in charge
Famous Birthdays
1907 – Lloyd Gough, American actor (Sunset Boulevard, The Front, The Green Hornet), born in New York City (d. 1984)
1967 – Faith Hill (McGraw) [neé Audrey Faith Perry], American country pop singer (“Breathe”; “Cry”), and actress (1883), born in Ridgeland, Mississippi
1973 – Virginia Ruano-Pascual, tennis star, born in Madrid, Spain
1974 – Taral Hicks, American actress (A Bronx Tale) and RandB singer (“Silly”), born in The Bronx, New York City
1989 – Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins, American skateboarder (Summer X Games gold Vert 2004, 07, 09), born in San Diego, California
Famous Deaths
1796 – François Séverin Marceau-Desgraviers, French general (b. 1769)
1937 – Henri Capitant, French lawyer (Loi Falcidie), dies at 72
1964 – Otto Grotewohl, German politician (Prime Minister of East Germany, 1949-64), dies of a cerebral hemorrhage at 70
1988 – Henry Koster, German-born Hollywood director, discovered Abbott and Costello, dies at 83
1994 – “Ossie” O. S. Nock, English railway writer, dies at 69
Famous Deaths for 20th September 2025
1839 – Jose Gaspar de Francia, dictator of Paraguay (1816-39), dies at 74
1863 – William Haines Lytle, American politician, poet and Brigadier General (Union Army), killed in action during the American Civil War at 36
1897 – Karel Bendl, Czech composer, dies at 59
1905 – Walter Cecil Macfarren, British pianist, teacher (Royal Academy, 1846-1903), conductor, and composer, dies at 79
1906 – Robert R. Hitt, American politician (b. 1834)
1990 – Jackie Moran, American actor (Janie, Barefoot Boy), dies of cancer at 65
2006 – Sven Nykvist, Swedish cinematographer (Cries and Whispers), dies at 83
2018 – John Cunliffe, British children’s book author and television presenter (Postman Pat; Rosie and Jim), dies of cardio-pulmonary
failure at 85
2019 – Howard Cassady, American College Football Hall of Fame halfback (Heisman Trophy 1955, Ohio State; NFL C’ship 1957, Detroit Lions), dies at 85
2020 – Garland F. Pinholster, American college basketball coach (USA: gold Pan American Games 1963; Oglethorpe University 1956-66), dies at 92
Historical Events for 20th September 2025
1793 – British troops under Major-General Williamson land on French Haiti
1830 – First Negro Convention of Free Men agrees to boycott goods produced by slaves
1930 – Syro-Malankara Catholic Church is formed by Archbishop Mar Ivanios
1951 – Swiss men vote against female suffrage
1969 – Ryder Cup Golf, Royal Birkdale GC: US, Great Britain tie, 16-16; great sporting gesture, America’s Jack Nicklaus concedes missable 3-foot putt to Tony Jacklin at the 18th hole for the draw
1988 – “Loving Proof,” the second studio album by Ricky Van Shelton, is released (Billboard Song of the Year 1989)
2001 – In an address to a joint session of Congress and the American people, US President George W. Bush declares a “war on terror”
2011 – “Call Me Maybe,” a single by Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen, is released
Today in History for 20th September 2025
Historical Events
1833 – Charles Darwin arrives in Buenos Aires after traveling through the Argentine interior with guachos
1964 – Günter Grass’s play “Die Plebejer proben den Aufstand (The Plebeians Rehearse the Uprising)” premieres in Berlin
1978 – Yamada Mumon Roshi visits the Benedictine Abbey of Maria Laach, Germany
1979 – Lee Iacocca is elected president of the Chrysler Corporation
2019 – Rare Egyptian political protests take place against corruption in President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s government in Tahrir Square, Cairo, and elsewhere
Famous Birthdays
1897 – Kermit Maynard, American cowboy actor (Valley of Terror, Saturday Roundup), born in Vevay, Indiana (d. 1971)
1922 – Franco Ventriglia, American opera singer, born in Fairfield, Connecticut (d. 2012)
1938 – Jane Manning, British concert and operatic soprano, eductor, and promoter of contemporary classical music, born in Norwich, England (d. 2021)
1951 – Javier Marías, Spanish translator and novelist (Corazón Tan Blanco – A Heart So White), born in Madrid, Spain (d. 2022)
1976 – Reuben Singh, British entrepreneur, CEO of alldayPA, born in Poynton, England
Famous Deaths
1625 – Heinrich Meibom, German historian and poet, dies at 69
1863 – Benjamin Hardin Helm, American attorney and Confederate brigadier general and Abraham Lincoln’s brother-in-law, dies at the Battle of Chickamauga at 33
2001 – Marcos Pérez Jiménez, President of Venezuela (1953-58), dies at 87
2006 – Armin Jordan, Swiss conductor, dies at 74
2007 – Johnny Gavin, Irish soccer winger (7 caps Rep. Ireland; Norwich City 312 games), dies at 79
Famous Deaths for 19th September 2025
1863 – Preston Smith, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies in battle at 39
1905 – Thomas John Barnardo, Irish-born British social worker, and philanthropist (established Barnardo homes for children), dies at 60
1944 – Guy Gibson, British aviator who led the Dambusters Raid (Victoria Cross), killed in action at 26
1969 – Bert Bakker, Dutch writer and publisher, dies at 57
1989 – Guido de Moor, Dutch actor (Flanagan, Because of the Cats), dies at 52
1997 – Kathy Keeton, South African-American magazine publisher (Viva, Longevity), dies of surgical complications at 58
2003 – Anatoly Bogatyrev, Belarusian composer, dies at 90
2003 – Slim Dusty [David Kirkpatrick], Australian country music singer-songwriter, dies of cancer at 76
2006 – Elizabeth Allen [Gillease], American stage and screen actress (Donovan’s Reef; Bracken’s World; The Paul Lynde Show), dies of kidney disease at 77
2015 – Jackie Collins, British-American romance novelist (The Stud; The Bitch; Lucky), dies of breast cancer at 77
Historical Events for 19th September 2025
1559 – Five Spanish ships sink in storm off Tampa, about 600 die
1914 – Brooklyn Tip-Tops’ Ed Lafitte no-hits Kansas City Packers (Federal League), 6-2
1947 – Jackie Robinson is named 1947 “Rookie of the Year”
1949 – “Late Spring”, Japanese film directed by Yasujirō Ozu, starring Chishū Ryū, Setsuko Hara and Haruko Sugimura, is released in Japan
1970 – 1st Glastonbury Festival in Pilton, England opens: Tyrannosaurus Rex headlines; other performs include: Wayne Fontana, Steamhammer, Duster Bennett, Al Stewart, Amazing Blondel, Keith Christmas, Quintessence, and Stackridge
1980 – “Ordinary People” film directed by Robert Redford and starring Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore and Judd Hirsch premieres (Academy Award – Best Picture, 1981)
1988 – Israel launches first satellite for secret military reconnaissance
2017 – President Hassan Rouhani of Iran in his UN speech criticizes US President Donald Trump for his comments about Iran in his own UN speech
Today in History for 19th September 2025
Historical Events
1941 – German army conquers Kiev
1953 – “Hazel Flagg” closes at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC after 190 performances
1957 – First underground nuclear explosion in Las Vegas, Nevada
1973 – Frank Robinson, Angels OF, homers in record 32nd major league ballpark – Arlington Stadium (Arlington, Texas), against the Rangers
1994 – Swedish government of Bildt resigns
Famous Birthdays
1377 – Albert IV, Duke of Austria, born in Vienna (d. 1404)
1769 – Joseph Kam, Dutch Christian missionary in the Maluku Islands of Indonesia, born in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands (d. 1833)
1824 – Carl Ignaz Franz Umlauf, Austrian zither player and composer, born in Baden, Austria (d. 1902)
1910 – Margaret Lindsay, American actress (Take a Guess), born in Dubuque, Iowa (d. 1981)
1931 – Brook Benton [Benjamin Franklin Peay], American soul vocalist (“It’s Just a Matter of Time”; “Rainy Night in Georgia”), born in Lugoff, South Carolina (d. 1988)
Famous Deaths
1836 – Carl Friedrich Ebers, German composer and conductor, dies at 66
1954 – Tibor Harsányi, Hungarian pianist, composer, and conductor who settled in Paris, France, dies at 56
1997 – Malcolm Hughes, English constructive artist, dies at 77
2017 – Brian Barder, British diplomat, British Ambassador to Ethiopia who assisted during 1984-85 famine, dies at 83
2021 – Max Wiltshire, Welsh rugby union lock (4 Tests; Aberavon RFC), dies at 83
Famous Deaths for 18th September 2025
1261 – Conrad van Hochstaden, archbishop of Cologne, dies
1426 – Hubert [Huybrecht] van Eyck, Flemish painter, brother of Jan van Eyck (The Ghent Altarpiece), dies
1524 – Charlotte of Valois, Princess of France as second daughter of King Francis I and his wife Claude, dies at 7
1860 – Joseph Locke, English railway and civil engineer, dies at 55
1929 – Hermann Gradener, German composer, dies at 85
1968 – Franchot Tone, American actor (Mutiny on the Bounty, Advise and Consent), dies from lung cancer at 63
1995 – Oleg Tverdokhleb, Ukrainian athlete (b. 1969)
2005 – Marv Grissom, American baseball pitcher, coach (MLB All Star 1954, NY, SF Giants), dies at 87
2013 – Ken Norton, American boxer (WBC heavyweight champion 1978; famous Muhammad Ali trilogy; International Boxing HOF), dies at 70
2021 – Neil McCarthy, American college basketball coach (Weber State Uni 1974-85, New Mexico State Uni 1985-97), dies at 82
Historical Events for 18th September 2025
1881 – Chicago Tribune reports on a televideo experiment
1922 – Second government of Ruys de Beerenbrouck installed in Netherlands
1931 – Mukden Incident: To create a pretext for the invasion of Manchuria, China, the Japanese detonate a small quantity of dynamite close to a railway line owned by Japan’s South Manchuria Railway
1962 – Bob Aspromonte sets a National League third baseman record of 57 consecutive errorless games
1976 – Rev Sun Myung Moon holds “God Bless America” convention at Yankee Stadium in New York City
1980 – Soyuz 38 carries two cosmonauts, including one Cuban, to the Salyut 6 space station
1990 – Atlanta is chosen to host the 1996 (centennial) Summer Olympics
1994 – Ken Burns’ documentary miniseries “Baseball” premieres on PBS (wins an Emmy for Outstanding Informational Series)