1665 – Height of the Great Plague of London as 7,165 people die throughout the previous week
1835 – Gaetano Donizetti’s opera “Lucia di Lammermoor” premieres at the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (now Italy)
1916 – Bishop speaks against Catholics in trade unions
1923 – The Commonwealth Conference is held in London, where Britain recognizes the right of the Dominions to make treaties with foreign powers
1968 – Theater censorship ends in Britain
1992 – Jimmy Connors beats Martina Navratilova 7-5, 6-3 in a battle of the sexes
2014 – 43 students from Ayotzinapa Teachers College go missing and are presumed murdered in Iguala on their way to a protest, one of Mexico’s worst human rights cases
2021 – Ryder Cup Golf, Whistling Straits, Haven, Wisconsin: United States regain title beating Team Europe by a record, 19-9; Dustin Johnson 5-0-0
Author: gil7
Today in History for 26th September 2025
Historical Events
1509 – Storm surge causes the second Cosmas and Damian flood in East Friesland and the Netherlands, destroying dykes and devastating coastal towns
1963 – First edition of the New York Review of Books
1974 – Apple Records releases John Lennon’s fifth studio album, “Walls and Bridges,” in the US, featuring the No. 1 single “Whatever Gets You Through the Night” (with Elton John) and “#9 Dream”
2019 – WHO announces 800,000 children in DR Congo will be vaccinated in nine days in the world’s largest measles epidemic that has taken over 3,500 lives
2024 – Poverty in Argentina rises to more than half (52.9%), up from 41.7% in six months, for its population of 46 million, with inflation at 230%, according to new figures
Famous Birthdays
1750 – Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron Collingwood, British admiral, born in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, England (d. 1810)
1823 – Ivan Aksakov, Russian journalist (Denj, Moskvitsh), born in Nadezhdino, Belebey Uyezd, Orenburg Governorate (d. 1889)
1925 – Shirley Wilson, American football coach (Elon University 1967-76; Duke University 1979-82; 88–61–3), born in Madison, North Carolina (d. 2021)
1967 – Craig Janney, American NHL center (Winnipeg Jets), born in Hartford, Connecticut
1968 – Anthony Shadid, New York Times foreign correspondent and two time Pulitzer winner, born in Oklahoma City (d. 2012)
Famous Deaths
1944 – Ernst Isler, Swiss organist and critic, dies at 64
1945 – Béla Bartók, Hungarian pianist, composer (Concerto for Orchestra), and ethnomusicologist, dies of leukemia at 64
1961 – Juanita Hansen, actress (Fast Company), dies of heart ailment at 67
1989 – Pavlos Bakoyannis, Greek parliament leader, murdered in Rome
2019 – William Joseph Levada, American Catholic prelate, theologian, and educator (Archbishop of San Francisco, 1995-2005; Archbishop of Portland, 1985-95), dies at 83
Famous Deaths for 25th September 2025
1602 – Caspar Peucer, German reformer (b. 1525)
1914 – Alfred Lichtenstein, German writer, dies at 25
1929 – Miller Huggins, American Baseball Hall of Fame manager (World Series 1923, 27, 28; 6 x AL pennants NY Yankees), dies of pyaemia at 51
1933 – Paul Ehrenfest, Austrian-Dutch theoretical physicist (phase transition, Ehrenfest theorem), dies at 53
1959 – Ennio Porrino, Italian composer, dies at 49
1971 – T. C. Jones, American female impersonator, dies of cancer at 50
1983 – Leopold III, King of the Belgians (from 1934, abdicated 1951), dies at 81
1987 – Mary Astor, American Academy Award-winning actress (The Great Lie; Meet Me In St Louis; The Maltese Falcon), dies of emphysema at 81
1996 – Betty Gathergood, British curator (Dr. Johnson’s House), dies at 80
2006 – Jeff Cooper, American firearms expert (b. 1920)
Historical Events for 25th September 2025
1780 – American army officer Benedict Arnold defects to the British
1955 – The Royal Jordanian Air Force is founded
1981 – Sandra Day O’Connor is sworn in as the first female US Supreme Court Justice
1988 – Pope John Paul II beatifies Friar Junípero Serra, founder of the first Californian missions
1997 – Britain’s Andy Green sets a jet-powered car record of 714 mph
2005 – Presidents Cup Golf, Robert Trent Jones GC: Chris DiMarco, Jim Furyk, and Phil Mickelson unbeaten as US beat International team 18½–15½
2022 – Cuba legalizes same-sex marriage as part of a new family code in a national referendum
2023 – Ukraine’s military claims a missile strike three days ago kills the commander of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol
Today in History for 25th September 2025
Historical Events
1780 – American army officer Benedict Arnold defects to the British
1911 – French battleship Liberté explodes at Toulon Harbor, killing 285
1955 – Detroit outfielder Al Kaline, 20, is the youngest batting champion
1988 – Romanian gymnast Daniela Silivaș wins three gold medals in one day at the Seoul Olympics in the balance beam, floor exercise, and uneven bars events, recording a record-equalling seven perfect scores of 10
2003 – Magnitude 8.0 earthquake strikes just offshore of Hokkaidō, Japan
Famous Birthdays
1906 – Phyllis Pearsall, British painter and writer (A to Z Map Company), born in London (d. 1996)
1939 – Feroz Khan, Indian actor, producer and director (known as Clint Eastwood of Bollywood), born in Bangalore, Kingdom of Mysore, British India (d. 2009)
1942 – Billy Mundi [also Tony Schnasse, born Antonio Salas], American session musician and drummer (The Mothers of Invention, Rhinoceros), born in San Francisco, California (d. 2014)
1943 – (Jules) Gary Alexander, American rock vocalist and guitarist (The Association – “Cherish”), born in Chattanooga, Tennessee
1975 – Mariusz Duda, Polish rock bassist and singer (Riverside), born in Wegorzewo, Poland
Famous Deaths
1630 – Ambrogio Spinola, Spanish marquis of Balbases, dies at about 61
1924 – (Charlotte) “Lotta” Crabtree, American stage actress, comedian (Little Nell and the Marchioness), and philanthropist, dies at 76
1976 – Red Faber, American Baseball HOF pitcher (World Series 1917; AL ERA leader 1921, 22; Chicago White Sox 1914-33), dies from heart disease at 88
1991 – Viviane Romance [Pauline Ronacher Ortmanns], French actress (Panic, Queen’s Necklace), dies at 79
2016 – Rod Temperton, British pop musician and songwriter (“Boogie Nights”; “Thriller”; “Give Me the Night”; “Yah Mo B There”), dies of cancer at 66
Famous Deaths for 24th September 2025
1541 – Paracelsus, Swiss physician and alchemist (Zinc, Laudanum), dies at 47
1848 – Branwell Brontë [Patrick Branwell Brontë], English painter and writer and brother of the writers Charlotte, Emily and Anne, dies at 31
1896 – Louis Gerhard De Geer, 1st Swedish Prime Minister (1876-80), dies at 78
1938 – Lev Schnirelmann, Soviet-Russian mathematician (number theory, topology and differential geometry), commits suicide at 33
2003 – Rosalie Allen, American country singer, yodeler, and disc jockey, dies of congestive heart failure at 79
2004 – Joep Straesser, Dutch composer (Blossom songs, Ramasasiri), dies at 70
2005 – Thomas “Tommy” Bond, American actor (Butch-Our Gang, Superman), dies at 79
2008 – Vinko “Vice” Vukov, Croatian singer (Eurovision Song Contest 1963 and 1965), dies from head injury at 72
2009 – Susan Atkins, American murderer (b. 1948)
2025 – Claudia Cardinale, Italian-Tunisian actress (The Pink Panther; 8½; Once Upon a Time in the West), dies at 87
Historical Events for 24th September 2025
1776 – First St Leger horse race held at Doncaster
1862 – Confederate Congress adopts Confederacy seal
1948 – MLB’s New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and Cleveland Indians are tied for first place in the AL (91-56)
1968 – “That’s Life,” a Broadway musical-type TV show, premieres
1988 – Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson breaks his own 100m world record with a time of 9.79 at the Seoul Olympics but is disqualified 3 days later for the use of the drug stanozolol; Carl Lewis is awarded gold and the world record with a time of 9.92
1995 – Volcano Mount Ruapehu (North Island, New Zealand) erupts
2007 – ICC Men’s Cricket T20 World Cup, Johannesburg: India wins the inaugural tournament with a 5-run victory over Pakistan; Player of the Series: Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi (91 runs, 12 wickets)
2022 – Post-tropical storm remnant of Hurricane Fiona makes landfall near Whitehead, Nova Scotia, with sustained wind speeds of 165 km/h (103 mph); the strongest low-pressure system in Canadian history affects the four provinces of Atlantic Canada, as well as Quebec, causing major flooding and knocking out power to 80% of Nova Scotia and 95% of Prince Edward Island
Today in History for 24th September 2025
Historical Events
1929 – James Doolittle completes the first completely “blind” flight, taking off, flying a set course, and landing solely by instruments aboard a Consolidated NY-2 biplane at Mitchel Field in New York
1954 – Yankees tie a record as three of their pinch hitters strike out in one inning
1994 – Parliamentary elections in Ukraine
2015 – Stampede of people during the Hajj kills 717 during the symbolic stoning of the devil at Mina, near Mecca, Saudi Arabia
2021 – Notorious Indian gangster Jitender Maan Gogi is shot dead in a court in Delhi by men posing as lawyers
Famous Birthdays
1705 – Leopold Joseph Graf Daun, Austrian field marshal, born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1766)
1884 – İsmet İnönü, Turkish politician (2nd President of Turkey 1938-50), born in Smyrna, Ottoman Empire (d. 1973)
1899 – Eduardo Hernández Moncada, Mexican composer and pianist, born in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico (d. 1995)
1929 – Edward M. Lawson, Canadian trade unionist and politician, born in Gerald, Saskatchewan, Canada (d. 2016)
1929 – Erik Lotichius, Dutch composer (Anaitalrax), born in Helden, Netherlands (d. 2015)
Famous Deaths
1120 – Welf II, Duke of Bavaria (b. 1072)
1997 – Larry Hall, American rocker (Sandy), dies at 57
2002 – Mike Webster, American NFL football center, 1974-90, 9X Pro Bowl, 4X Super Bowl champ (Pittsburgh Steelers), dies of a heart attack at 50; 1st former NFL-er diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)player noted to suffer from
2017 – Joseph M. McDade, American politician (Rep-R-Pennsylvania, 1963-1999), dies at 85
2020 – Keith Hufnagel, American skateboarder (founded skate/clothing company HUF), dies of brain cancer at 46
Famous Deaths for 23rd September 2025
1830 – Elizabeth Kortright Monroe, First Lady of the United States (1817-25) as the wife of the fifth President James Monroe, dies at 62
1836 – María Malibran (née García) Spanish operatic contralto and soprano, dies from head injuries several months after falling from a horse at 28
1896 – Ivar A Aasen, Norwegian linguistic/poet, dies at 83
1968 – Padre Pio [Francesco Forgione], Italian priest, Capuchin friar, and dies at 81
1975 – Constant Stotijn, Dutch cellist (Residence Orchestra), oboe player, and timpanist, dies at 62
1987 – Louis Kentner, Hungarian-British pianist and composer, dies at 87
1994 – Georgi, Tsar Nicholas II’s brother, buried
2001 – Ron Hewitt, Welsh footballer (b. 1928)
2008 – Peter Leonard, Australian journalist and newsreader, dies of cancer at 66
2010 – Bob Shaw, American baseball player (Chicago White Sox), dies at 77
Historical Events for 23rd September 2025
1492 – John I Albert (32) becomes King of Poland, succeeding his father, Casimir IV
1868 – British Open Men’s Golf, Prestwick GC: Tom Morris Jr. beats his father Tom Morris Sr. by 3 strokes; at 17, young Morris remains the youngest Open champion
1913 – French aviator Roland Garros (24) is the first to fly over the Mediterranean Sea from Fréjus, France, to Bizerte, Tunisia, completing the non-stop flight in 7 hours and 53 minutes
1930 – German inventor Johann Ostermeyer receives a US patent for the flashbulb, initially marketed under the brand name Vacublitz
1952 – Undefeated Rocky Marciano knocks out defending champion Jersey Joe Walcott in the 13th round at Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia, for the world heavyweight boxing title
1977 – Third test of Space Shuttle Enterprise
1978 – 100,000 cheering Egyptians welcome Anwar Sadat home from Camp David peace summit
2018 – Tour Championship Men’s Golf, East Lake GC: Tiger Woods wins by 2 strokes over Billy Horschel; Woods’ 80th PGA Tour win and first in 5 years; Justin Rose wins FedEx Cup crown and $10 million bonus