Historical Events
1596 – Dutch fleet bombards Banten, Java
1902 – In Australia, the whole nation observes a ‘day of humiliation’ and prays for rain, as a terrible drought kills livestock and threatens crops; rain begins to appear on 10 September
1940 – Beginning of the Blitz as the German Luftwaffe bomb London for the 1st of 57 consecutive nights losing 41 bombers as the Nazis prepare to invade Britain
1942 – First flight of the Consolidated B-32 Dominator
1956 – Bell X-2 sets Unofficial manned aircraft altitude record 126,000’+
1980 – Cape Verde adopts its constitution
Famous Birthdays
1889 – Bruce Frederick Cummings, English author (Journal of a Disappointed Man), born in barnstaple, England (d. 1919)
1936 – Joe Simon, American RandB singer (“Power of Love”), born in Simmesport, Louisiana (d. 2021)
1946 – Alfa Anderson, American RandB vocalist (Chic – “Le Freak”), born in The Bronx, New York
1975 – Norifumi Abe, Japanese motorcycle road racer (3 x 500cc wins), born in Setagaya, Japan (d. 2007)
1982 – Andre Dirrell, American boxer (IBF interim super middleweight 2017-18), born in Flint, Michigan
1986 – Jodie Turner-Smith, English actress (Nightflyers), born in Peterborough, England
Famous Deaths
1657 – Arvid Wittenberg, Swedish count, field marshal and privy councilor (b. 1606)
1731 – Yevdokiya Lopukhina, Tsarina of Russia as the first wife of Peter I of Russia, dies at 62
1972 – Jacques Pirenne, Belgian historian and honorary secretary of King Leopold III of Belgium, dies at 81
1995 – Gordon DeMarco, American writer and activist, dies at 51
2005 – Hope Garber, Canadian actress, dies at 81
2005 – Sergio Endrigo, Italian singer Marianne), dies at 72