September 20 is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 102 days remaining until the end of the year. [edit] Events - 451 – The Battle of Chalons takes place in North Eastern France. Flavius Aetius's victory over Attila the Hun in a day of combat, is considered to be the largest battle in the ancient world.
- 1187 – Saladin begins the Siege of Jerusalem.
- 1378 – Cardinal Robert of Geneva, called by some the Butcher of Cesena, is elected as Avignon Pope Clement VII, beginning the Papal schism.
- 1519 – Ferdinand Magellan sets sail from Sanlúcar de Barrameda with about 270 men on his expedition to circumnavigate the globe.
- 1596 – Diego de Montemayor founded the city of Monterrey in New Spain.
- 1633 – Galileo Galilei is tried before the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for teaching that the Earth orbits the Sun.
- 1697 – The Treaty of Rijswijk is signed by France, England, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire and the Dutch Republic ending the Nine Years' War (1688–97).
- 1737 – The finish of the Walking Purchase which forces the cession of 1.2 million acres (4,860 km²) of Lenape-Delaware tribal land to the Pennsylvania Colony.
- 1792 – French troops stop allied invasion of France, during the War of the First Coalition at Valmy.
- 1835 – Farroupilha's Revolution begins in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
- 1848 – The American Association for the Advancement of Science is created.
- 1854 – Battle of Alma: British and French troops defeat Russians in the Crimea.
- 1857 – The Indian Rebellion of 1857 ends with the recapture of Delhi by troops loyal to the East India Company.
- 1860 – The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII of the United Kingdom) visits the United States.
- 1863 – American Civil War: The Battle of Chickamauga ends.
- 1870 – Bersaglieri corps enter Rome through the Porta Pia and completes the unification of Italy; see capture of Rome.
- 1871 – Bishop John Coleridge Patteson martyred on the island of Nukapu, a Polynesian outlier island now in the Temotu province of the Solomon Islands. He is the first bishop of Melanesia.
- 1881 – Chester A. Arthur is inaugurated as the 21st President of the United States following the assassination of James Garfield.
- 1891 – The first gasoline-powered car debuts in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States.
- 1906 – Cunard Line's RMS Mauretania is launched at the Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson shipyard in Newcastle, England.
- 1920 – Foundation of the Spanish Legion.
- 1930 – Syro-Malankara Catholic Church is formed by Archbishop Mar Ivanios.
- 1942 – Holocaust in Letychiv, Ukraine. In the course of two days German SS murders at least 3,000 Jews.
- 1946 – The first Cannes Film Festival is held.
- 1954 – New Zealand's Special Committee on Moral Delinquency in Children and Adolescents reports just ten days after concluding hearings.
- 1962 – James Meredith, an African-American, is temporarily barred from entering the University of Mississippi.
- 1967 – The RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 is launched at John Brown & Company, Clydebank, Scotland. It is operated by the Cunard Line.
- 1970 – Syrian tanks roll into Jordan in response to continued fighting between Jordan and the fedayeen.
- 1973 – Billie Jean King beats Bobby Riggs in The Battle of the Sexes tennis match at the Houston Astrodome in Houston, Texas.
- 1977 – The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is admitted to the United Nations.
- 1979 – Lee Iacocca is elected president of the Chrysler Corporation.
- 1979 – A coup d'état in the Central African Empire overthrows Emperor Bokasa I.
- 1979 – Assassination of French left-wing militant Pierre Goldman.
- 1982 – The National Football League players begin a 57-day strike.
- 1984 – A suicide bomber in a car attacks the U.S. embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, killing twenty-two people.
- 1990 – South Ossetia declares its independence from Georgia.
- 2000 – The British MI6 Secret Intelligence Service building is attacked by a Russian-built Mark 22 anti-tank missile.
- 2001 – In an address to a joint session of Congress and the American people, U.S. President George W. Bush declares a "war on terror".
- 2002 – The Kolka-Karmadon rock/ice slide started.
- 2003 – Maldives civil unrest: the death of prisoner Hassan Evan Naseem sparks a day of rioting in Malé.
[edit] Births - 524 – Kan B'alam I, ruler of Maya state of Palenque (d. 583)
- 1486 – Arthur, Prince of Wales, son of King Henry VII of England (d. 1502)
- 1599 – Christian the Younger, German Protestant military leader (d. 1623)
- 1744 – Thomas Grosvenor, American Revolutionary War hero (d. 1825)
- 1746 – Móric Benyovszky Hungarian count (d. 1786)
- 1778 – Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, Russian naval officer and explorer (d. 1852)
- 1831 – Kate Harrington, American teacher, writer and poet (d. 1917)
- 1833 – Ernesto Teodoro Moneta, Italian pacifist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1918)
- 1842 – James Dewar, Scottish chemist (d. 1923)
- 1844 – William H. Illingworth, American photographer (d. 1893)
- 1851 – Henry Arthur Jones, English writer (d. 1929)
- 1853 – Rama V, King of Thailand (d. 1910)
- 1861 – Herbert Putnam, Librarian of Congress (d. 1955)
- 1872 – Maurice Gamelin, French army general (d. 1958)
- 1873 – Sidney Olcott, Canadian film director (d. 1949)
- 1873 – Ferenc Szisz, Hungarian race car driver (d. 1944)
- 1878 – Upton Sinclair, American writer (d. 1968)
- 1880 – Louise Peete, American murderess (d. 1947)
- 1884 – Maxwell Perkins, American editor and publisher (d. 1947)
- 1885 – Jelly Roll Morton, American jazz pianist, bandleader and composer (d. 1941)
- 1886 – Charles Williams, British author (d. 1945)
- 1889 – Charles Reidpath, American athlete (d. 1975)
- 1899 – Leo Strauss, German-born philosopher (d. 1973)
- 1902 – Stevie Smith, British poet (d. 1971)
- 1911 – Shriram Sharma Acharya, Indian spiritual leader (d. 1991)
- 1914 – Kenneth More, English actor (d. 1982)
- 1916 – Malik Meraj Khalid, Former Caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan (d. 2003)
- 1917 – Red Auerbach, American basketball coach (d. 2006)
- 1917 – Fernando Rey, Spanish-born actor (d. 1994)
- 1917 – Don Starr, American-born actor (d. 2005)
- 1920 – Jay Ward, American animated cartoonist (d. 1989)
- 1920 – Alberto de Lacerda, Portuguese poet (d. 2007)
- 1922 – William Kapell, American pianist (d. 1953)
- 1923 – Geraldine Clinton Little, Irish-born poet (d. 1997)
- 1924 – Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Telugu Actor
- 1924 – Gogi Grant, American singer
- 1925 – Ananda Mahidol, King of Thailand (d. 1946)
- 1925 – Bobby Nunn, American singer (The Coasters) (d. 1986)
- 1927 – Johnny Dankworth, English musician and composer
- 1927 – Rachel Roberts, English actress (d. 1980)
- 1928 – Kirsten Rolffes, Danish actress (d. 2000)
- 1928 – Donald Hall, American poet and US Poet Laureate
- 1929 – Anne Meara, American comic and actress
- 1931 – Cherd Songsri, Thai filmmaker (d. 2006)
- 1933 – Dennis Viollet, English former footballer (d. 1999)
- 1934 – Sophia Loren, Italian actress
- 1934 – Soke Kubota Takayuki(宗家 窪田 孝行),Grand Master 10 Dan, founder of the Gosoku-ryu style of karate, founder and president of the International Karate Association Inc.
- 1935 – Jim Taylor, American football player
- 1935 – Keith Roberts, British science fiction author (d. 2000)
- 1935 – David Pegg, English footballer (d. 1958)
- 1937 – Birgitta Dahl, Swedish politician
- 1937 – Monica Zetterlund, Swedish actress and singer (d. 2005)
- 1939 – Robert L. Gerry III, American businessman
- 1940 – Taro Aso, Prime Minister of Japan
- 1941 – Dale Chihuly, American glass artist
- 1942 – Gérald Tremblay, Québec politician
- 1947 – Mia Martini, Italian singer (d. 1995)
- 1947 – Bruce Pasternack, American CEO
- 1947 – Steve Gerber, American comics writer (d. 2008)
- 1948 – George R. R. Martin, American writer
- 1948 – Chuck Panozzo and John Panozzo (d. 1996), American musicians (Styx)
- 1949 – Mahesh Bhatt. Indian film director
- 1949 – Anthony Denison, American actor
- 1949 – John W. Henry, American MLB team owner
- 1951 – Guy Lafleur, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1951 – Javier Marías, Spanish author, translator and academic
- 1954 – Henry Samueli, American NHL team owner
- 1956 – Gary Cole, American actor
- 1957 – Alannah Currie, New Zealander musician (Thompson Twins)
- 1957 – Rich DiSilvio, American new media developer & artist
- 1958 – Arn Anderson, American wrestler
- 1959 – Danny Devos, Belgian artist
- 1960 – Deborah Roberts, American journalist and TV reporter
- 1961 – Lisa Bloom, American lawyer and television personality
- 1964 – Maggie Cheung, Hong Kong actress
- 1965 – Robert Rusler, American actor
- 1966 – Nuno Bettencourt, Portuguese rock musician
- 1967 – Martin Harrison, American football player
- 1967 – Kristen Johnston, American actress
- 1967 – Gunnar and Matthew Nelson, American musicians (Nelson)
- 1968 – Leah Pinsent, Canadian actress
- 1968 – Darrell Russell, American race car driver (d. 2004)
- 1968 – Tim Rogers, Australian singer / songwriter
- 1968 – Vik Foxx, American rock musician
- 1969 – Victoria Dillard, American actress
- 1969 – Megumi Kudo, Japanese pro-wrestler
- 1969 – Richard Witschge, former Dutch footballer
- 1971 – Henrik Larsson, Swedish footballer
- 1971 – Masashi Hamauzu, Japanese composer
- 1971 – Todd Blackadder, New Zealand rugby player
- 1971 – Dominika Peczynski, Swedish singer (Army of Lovers)
- 1973 – Ronald McKinnon, American football player
- 1974 – Michael Waddington, American defense lawyer
- 1975 – Asia Argento, Italian actress
- 1975 – Moon Bloodgood, American actress
- 1975 – Juan Pablo Montoya, Colombian race car driver
- 1976 – Yo Hitoto, Japanese pop singer
- 1976 – Yui Horie, Japanese seiyuu
- 1976 – Enuka Okuma, Canadian actress
- 1976 – Reuben Singh, British entrepreneur
- 1977 – Namie Amuro, Japanese pop singer
- 1978 – Jason Bay, Canadian baseball player
- 1978 – Patrizio Buanne, Italian singer
- 1978 – Sarit Hadad, Israeli singer
- 1978 – T.J. Tucker, American baseball player
- 1978 – Dante Hall, American football player
- 1979 – Sean Davis, English footballer
- 1980 – Mariacarla Boscono, Italian fashion model
- 1980 – Jonathan Le Billon, British actor
- 1980 – Vladimir Karpets, Russian cyclist
- 1981 – Joanie Dodds, America's Next Top Model contestant
- 1981 – Feliciano López, Spanish tennis player
- 1981 – Jordan Tata, American baseball player
- 1982– Brian Fortuna, Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer
- 1983 – Yuna Ito, Japanese singer and actress
- 1983 – Ángel Sánchez, Puerto Rican baseball player
- 1987 – Jack Lawless, American drummer for the Jonas Brothers
- 1990 – John Tavares, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1990 – Marilou, Quebec pop singer
- 1991 – Spencer Locke, American actress
- 1993 – Alfonso de la Morena, Youngest Spanish boy to sail solo across the atlantic.
- 1995 – Sammi Hanratty, American actress
[edit] Deaths - 1246 – Mikhail of Chernigov, ruler of Kiev (b. 1185)
- 1384 – King Louis I of Naples (b. 1339)
- 1460 – Gilles Binchois, Flemish composer (b. 1400)
- 1586 – Chidiock Tichborne, English conspirator and poet (executed) (b. 1558)
- 1586 – John Ballard, English Jesuit priest and conspirator (executed)
- 1590 – Lodovico Agostini, Italian composer (b. 1534)
- 1625 – Heinrich Meibom, German historian and critic (b. 1555)
- 1627 – Jan Gruter, Dutch critic (b. 1560)
- 1630 – Claudio Saracini, Italian composer (b. 1586)
- 1639 – Johannes Meursius, Dutch classical scholar (b. 1579)
- 1643 – Lucius Cary, 2nd Viscount Falkland, English politician and writer (b. 1610)
- 1721 – Thomas Doggett, Irish actor (b. 1640)
- 1803 – Robert Emmet, Irish patriot (b. 1780)
- 1810 – Mir Taqi Mir Urdu poet (b. 1723)
- 1815 – Nicolas Desmarest, French geologist (b. 1725)
- 1839 – Sir Thomas Hardy, Nelson's flag-captain on Victory (b.1769)
- 1852 – Philander Chase, American university founder (b. 1775)
- 1863 – Jacob Grimm, German writer and folklorist (b. 1785)
- 1884 – Leopold Fitzinger, Austrian zoologist (b. 1802)
- 1898 – Theodor Fontane, German writer (b. 1819)
- 1906 – Robert R. Hitt, American politician (b. 1834)
- 1908 – Pablo de Sarasate, Spanish violinist and composer (b. 1844)
- 1932 – Wovoka, Paiute visionary and founder of the Ghost Dance movement (b. 1856)
- 1933 – Annie Besant, women's rights activist (b. 1847)
- 1939 – Paul Bruchési, French Canadian Catholic archbishop of Montreal (b. 1855)
- 1945 – William Buehler Seabrook, Writer, journalist, occultist and explorer (b. 1884)
- 1945 – Augusto Tasso Fragoso, Brazilian president (b. 1869)
- 1945 – Eduard Wirths, Nazi physician at Auschwitz concentration camp (b. 1909)
- 1946 – Raimu, French actor (b. 1883)
- 1947 – Fiorello La Guardia, Mayor of New York City (b. 1882)
- 1957 – Jean Sibelius, Finnish composer (b. 1865)
- 1971 – Giorgos Seferis, Greek poet, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1900)
- 1973 – Jim Croce, American singer and songwriter (b. 1943)
- 1975 – Saint-John Perse, French diplomat and writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1887)
- 1979 – Ludvík Svoboda, President of Czechoslovakia (b. 1895)
- 1980 – Sanpei Hayashiya, Japanese comedian (b. 1925)
- 1984 – Steve Goodman, American folk music singer-songwriter (b. 1948)
- 1987 – Michael Stewart, American playwright (b. 1924)
- 1989 – Richie Ginther, American racing driver (b. 1930)
- 1993 – Erich Hartmann, German, world's most successful fighter pilot (352 'kills') (b. 1922)
- 1994 – Jule Styne, American songwriter (b. 1905)
- 1994 – Abioseh Nicol, Sierra Leonean diplomat and noted author (b. 1924)
- 1996 – Paul Erdős, Hungarian mathematician (b. 1913)
- 1997 – Nick Traina, American singer, Link 80 (b. 1978)
- 1999 – Raisa Gorbachyova, wife of Mikhail Gorbachev (b. 1932)
- 1999 – Robert Lebel, Quebec ice hockey administrator (b. 1905)
- 2000 – Gherman Titov, cosmonaut (b. 1935)
- 2002 – Sergei Bodrov, Jr., Russian actor (b. 1971)
- 2003 – Lord Williams of Mostyn, British politician (b. 1941)
- 2003 – Gordon Mitchell, American actor (b. 1923)
- 2003 – Simon Muzenda, Zimbabwe politician (b. 1922)
- 2004 – Brian Clough, English footballer and football manager (b. 1935)
- 2004 – Townsend Hoopes, American politician (b. 1922)
- 2005 – Simon Wiesenthal, Austrian-Jewish Nazi hunter (b. 1908)
- 2006 – Armin Jordan, Swiss conductor (b. 1932)
- 2006 – John W. Peterson, American songwriter (b. 1921)
- 2007 – Johnny Gavin, Irish footballer (b. 1928)
[edit] Holidays and observances [edit] External links
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