1869 – Golf’s first recorded hole-in-one is scored by Tom Morris at Prestwick’s 8th hole in Scotland
1893 – Cherokee Strip, Oklahoma, opens white settlement homesteaders
1908 – Carriage maker William C. Durant founds General Motors in Flint, Michigan
1926 – Italian-Romanian peace treaty is signed
1945 – Barometric pressure at 856 mb (25.55″) off Okinawa (record low)
1979 – Ryder Cup Golf, The Greenbrier: US wins, 17-11; new Team Europe replaces Great Britain and Ireland as official opposition to the United States
1992 – FCC votes to allow competition for local phone service
1999 – First-ever season of “Big Brother” reality show begins on the Veronica channel in the Netherlands
Author: gil7
Today in History for 16th September 2025
Historical Events
1858 – First overland mail to California
1915 – Tsar Nicholas II of Russia adjourns 4th Duma
1947 – Typhoon Kathleen hits Saitama, Tokyo, and the Tone River area, killing at least 1,930
1951 – US National League umpire Frank Dascoli clears the Dodgers bench, ejecting 15 players
1993 – Minnesota Twins’ Dave Winfield becomes the 19th player to achieve 3,000 hits
Famous Birthdays
1921 – Ursula Franklin, German-born Canadian physicist, educator and activist (developed archaeometry), born in Munich, Germany (d. 2016)
1946 – Mike Reynolds, Australian politician (Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland 2006-09), born in Manly, New South Wales
1966 – Kevin Curtis Young, American 400m hurdler, born in Los Angeles, California
1969 – Andrew Borodow, Canadian freestyle wrestler (Olympic 5-92, 96), born in Montreal, Quebec
1995 – Aaron Gordon, American NBA player (Denver Nuggets), born in San Jose, California
Famous Deaths
1542 – Diego de Almagro II, Spanish conquistador known as “El Mozo,” the son of Diego de Almagro, is executed for his role in fatal a coup d’état attempt at about 21 (birthday uncertain, b. 1520)
1672 – Anne Bradstreet, New England’s first published poet, dies (birth date unknown)
1701 – James II of England and James VII of Scotland [Stuart], King of England, Scotland and Ireland (1685-88), dies at 68
2006 – Rob Levin, creator of Freenode (b. 1955)
2019 – Peter Stormonth Darling, Scottish investment banker (Mercury Asset Management Group, largest fund-management in the UK), dies at 86
Famous Deaths for 15th September 2025
1231 – Louis I, Duke of Bavaria (1183-1231), founded city of Landshut, murdered at 57
1643 – Richard Boyle, Irish politician, 1st Earl of Cork, dies at 76
1701 – Edmé Boursault, French writer (b. 1638)
1747 – Johann Gotthilf Ziegler, German baroque composer and organist, dies at 59
1964 – Robert Dower, South African cricketer (1 Test South Africa v England 1898, scored 0 and 9), dies at 88
1972 – Ásgeir Ásgeirsson, Icelandic politician and the second President of Iceland (1952-68), dies at 78
1987 – Steven Tuomi, murder victim of Jeffery Dahmer (b. 1963)
1991 – Andre Baruch, Radio/TV announcer dies at 83
2007 – Brett Somers [Audrey Johnston], Canadian-American actress (The Odd Couple – “Blanche Madison”), and TV personality (Match Game), dies of cancer at 83
2023 – Fernando Botero, Colombian figurative artist and sculptor known for depicting people in exaggerated large sizes, dies of pneumonia at 91
Historical Events for 15th September 2025
1830 – First National Negro Convention begins in Philadelphia
1931 – Philadelphia A’s clinch pennant, beating Cleveland
1947 – Typhoon Kathleen hit Tone River, Saitama and Tokyo area, killing at least 1,930 and injuring 1,750
1957 – SF Seals (Pacific Coast League) play their last game
1966 – Dutch political party (D’66) forms
1966 – First British nuclear ballistic missile submarine HMS Resolution launched
1966 – Gemini XI (Conrad/Gordon) returns to Earth
2001 – 26th Toronto International Film Festival: “Amelie” directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet wins the People’s Choice Award
Today in History for 15th September 2025
Historical Events
1962 – “Bravo, Giovanni” closes at Broadhurst Theater NYC after 76 performances
1973 – Carl XVI Gustaf ascends the throne, becoming King of Sweden (1973-present)
1975 – 1st College Football Holy War: Notre Dame beats Boston College 17-3 in Foxborough
1996 – Bangladesh beat UAE by 104 runs to win the ACC Trophy Final
2013 – 27 people are killed after a coal mine collapses in Afghanistan
Famous Birthdays
1685 – Gottfried Kirchhoff, German organist and composer, chiefly of sacred music, born in Mühlbeck, Electorate of Saxony, Holy Roman Empire (d. 1746)
1816 – Edward Wolff, Polish pianist and composer, born in Warsaw, Poland (d. 1880)
1889 – Robert Benchley, American humorist (My 10 Years in a Quandary), born in Worcester, Massachusetts (d. 1945)
1907 – Jack Bailey, American TV host (Queen for a Day), born in Hampton, Iowa (d. 1980)
1914 – Creighton Abrams, American general (commander of American forces in the Vietnam War, 1968-72), born in Springfield, Massachusetts (d. 1974)
Famous Deaths
1932 – Charles H. Gabriel, American gospel composer, dies at 76
1972 – Ulvi Cemal Erkin, Turkish pianist, composer – one of “The Turkish Five” (Köçekçe – Dance Rhapsody for Orchestra), and pedagogue, dies from a stroke at 66
2006 – Raymond Baxter, British television presenter (b. 1922)
2023 – Burhan Sargun, Turkish soccer forward (8 caps, 7 goals; Fenerbahçe SK), dies at 94
2024 – Gheorghe Mulțescu, Romanian soccer midfielder (16 caps; Jiul Petroșani 239 games) and manager (Dinamo București, Samsunspor), dies at 72
Famous Deaths for 14th September 2025
1404 – Albert IV, Duke of Austria, dies at 26
1743 – Nicolas Lancret, French Rococo painter, dies at 53
1909 – Charles Follen McKim, American Beaux-Arts architect (Boston Public Library, Morgan Library), dies at 62
1927 – Hugo Ball, German playwright and social critic (co-founder Flametti, Dada), dies of cancer at 41
1974 – Warren Hull, American actor (Strike it Rich, Who in the World), dies from heart failure at 71
1982 – Grace Kelly, American actress (Rear Window) and Princess of Monaco, dies in a car crash at 52
1995 – Eiji Okada, Japanese actor (Hiroshima mon amour, The Ugly American), dies of heart failure at 75
2003 – John Serry, Sr., American classical, jazz, and bolero accordionist, arranger, composer, organist, and educator, dies at 88
2005 – William Berenberg, American physician (b. 1915)
2009 – Darren Sutherland, Irish boxer (b. 1982)
Historical Events for 14th September 2025
1852 – Samuel D Hubbard of Conn takes office as 18th US Postmaster General
1862 – Battle at Crampton’s Gap: Union troops win a tactical victory over Confederate forces
1876 – Belgian King Leopold II closes the Brussels Geographic Conference, establishes the International African Association, forerunner of Leopold’s privately controlled Congo Free State
1894 – Hottentotten uprising in Southwest Africa fails
1930 – Nazis gain 107 seats in German election
1943 – Yanks clinch pennant #14
1958 – Two rockets designed by the German engineer Ernst Mohr, the first German post-war rockets, reach the upper atmosphere
1985 – 10th Toronto International Film Festival: “The Official Story” directed by Luis Puenzo wins the People’s Choice Award
Today in History for 14th September 2025
Historical Events
1867 – Karl Marx publishes “Das Kapital” Volume 1, his theory of the Capitalist system and how it is doomed to destroy itself
1939 – British fleet attacks German U-39 boat
1940 – WWII: German Blitz in England continues, bomb drops in London, Clacton, Great Yarmouth, Ipswich, Southampton, Bournemouth, Hastings, Brighton, Warrington, Chelsea, Fulham, and Lewisham, among other places, result in 94 civilian deaths and 426 injured
1986 – Bo Jackson hits his first home run, a 475-foot blast, the longest at Royals Stadium
1989 – Jeff Reardon is 1st to record 30 saves in 5 consecutive seasons
Famous Birthdays
1869 – Kid Nichols, American Baseball HOF pitcher (3 × NL wins leader; All-Time Saves Leader 1899–1906; Boston Beaneaters, St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies) and manager (St. Louis Cardinals 1904–05), born in Madison, Wisconsin (d. 1953)
1898 – Ernest Nash, German-American photographer and archaeologist, born in Nowawes, Germany (d. 1974)
1939 – Guy Webster, American celebrity portrait photographer, album cover artist (The Byrds; The Mamas and the Papas; Taj Mahal; Rolling Stones), and educator, born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2019)
1971 – Andre Matos, Brazilian singer and musician (Symfonia), born in São Paulo, Brazil
1981 – Miyavi [Takamasa Ishihara], Japanese guitarist, singer (“Snakes”) and actor (Unbroken), born in Osaka, Japan
Famous Deaths
1435 – John Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Bedford, English prince, general (Hundred Years’ War) and statesman, dies at 46
1782 – Nicholas Cooke, American mariner, slave trader, and politician (1st Governor of Rhode Island, 1776-78), dies at 65
1979 – Raymond Loucheur, French composer, dies at 80
1999 – André Kostolany, Hungarian stock market expert and speculator, dies at 93
2005 – Vladimir Volkoff, French writer (b. 1932)
Famous Deaths for 13th September 2025
1596 – Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser, Dutch astronomer and navigator (Java)
1847 – Nicolas Oudinot, French marshal, dies at 81
1872 – Ludwig Feuerbach, German philosopher who influenced Karl Marx (The Essence of Christianity), dies at 68
1902 – John Horace Forney, American engineer and Major General in Confederate Army, dies at 73
1967 – Varian Fry, American journalist and recognized as “Righteous Among the Nations”, dies at 59
1995 – Walter Goetz, German-British illustrator, cartoonist and painter (Colonel Up and Mr. Down), dies at 83
1999 – Benjamin Bloom, American educational theorist (b. 1913)
2005 – Toni Fritsch, Austrian soccer forward (9 caps; Rapid Vienna) and American football kicker (Super Bowl 1971 Dallas Cowboys; Pro Bowl 1979), dies of heart failure at 60
2015 – Gary Richrath, American guitarist and songwriter (REO Speedwagon), dies at 65
2017 – Grant Hart, American punk rock drummer and songwriter (Hüsker Dü), dies of liver cancer at 56
Historical Events for 13th September 2025
1922 – Straw Hat Riot begins in New York City as youths aggressively taunt men wearing straw hats, getting an early jump on the unofficial season’s end date of September 15; confrontations continue longer than usual, lasting eight days
1958 – Queen Juliana in a gala ceremony christens passenger ship SS Rotterdam, the last ‘ship of state’
1963 – Jim Bouton’s 20th win clinches New York Yankees’ 28th pennant
1969 – Plastic Ono Band’s 1st live performance, featuring John Lennon, Yoko Ono and Eric Clapton, at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival festival
1974 – OPEC instructs its Secretary General to “carry out a study of supply and demand in relation to possible production controls”
1999 – Bomb explodes in Moscow, Russia, killing at least 119 people
2015 – US Open Men’s Tennis: Novak Đoković beats Roger Federer 6–4, 5–7, 6–4, 6–4; third man to reach all 4 Grand Slam finals in the same year in Open Era after Rod Laver and Federer
2017 – International Olympic Committee announces Paris (2024) and Los Angeles (2028) will host the Olympic games