On This Day in History — October 9

Highlights of October 9

• 2019 — Syrian civil war: Turkish forces began an offensive into north-eastern Syria following the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the region. Read more
• 2012 — Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai (pictured) was severely injured by a Taliban gunman in a failed assassination attempt. Read more
• 1986 — The Phantom of the Opera, a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and currently the longest-running Broadway show in history, opened in London's West End. Read more
• 1962 — Nick Holonyak, an engineer for General Electric, gave the first public demonstration of a light-emitting diode. Read more
• 1952 — A footman shot and killed two colleagues and wounded the lady of the house at Knowsley Hall, England. Read more
• 1942 — World War II: American forces defeated the Japanese at the Third Battle of the Matanikau in Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, reversing the Japanese victory a couple of weeks earlier. Read more
• 1921 — The Mortimer War Memorial (pictured), designed by Herbert Maryon in memory of local servicemen who died in the First World War, was dedicated. Read more
• 1914 — World War I: The civilian authorities of Antwerp surrendered and allowed the German army to capture the city. Read more
• 1913 — Carrying a cargo hold full of highly flammable chemicals, the ocean liner SS Volturno caught fire in the north Atlantic and sank, resulting in 136 deaths. Read more
• 1912 — Following a reduction in pay, textile workers in Little Falls, New York, walked out of their mill, starting a three-month strike. Read more
• 1888 — The Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., at the time the world's tallest building, officially opened to the general public. Read more
• 1874 — The Universal Postal Union, then known as the General Postal Union, was established with the signing of the Treaty of Bern to unify disparate postal services and regulations so that international mail could be exchanged easily. Read more
• 1813 — Late in the Napoleonic Wars, Empress Marie Louise (pictured) issued decrees conscripting tens of thousands of French teenagers, who became known as Marie-Louises. Read more
• 1793 — French Revolution: After a month-long siege, the leaders of Lyon surrendered, ending their revolt against the National Convention. Read more
• 1780 — The deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record began to impact the Caribbean, killing at least 20,000 people across the Antilles over the subsequent days. Read more
• 1740 — European soldiers and Javanese collaborators started massacring Chinese Indonesians in the port city of Batavia, modern-day Jakarta: at least 10,000 people were killed. Read more
• 1708 — Great Northern War: Russia defeated Sweden at the Battle of Lesnaya on the Russian–Polish border, in present-day Belarus. Read more
• 1676 — Antonie van Leeuwenhoek wrote a letter to the Royal Society describing "animalcules" – the first known description of protozoa (pictured). Read more

Events

• 2024 — Hurricane Milton makes landfall in Siesta Key, Florida, as a Category 3 hurricane, causing US$34.3 billion in damage only two weeks after Hurricane Helene impacted the state. Read more
• 2019 — Turkey begins its military offensive in north-eastern Syria. Read more
• 2016 — The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army launches its first attack on Myanmar security forces along the Bangladesh–Myanmar border. Read more
• 2012 — Pakistani Taliban attempt to assassinate outspoken schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai. Read more
• 2009 — First lunar impact of NASA's Lunar Precursor Robotic Program. Read more
• 2007 — The Dow Jones Industrial Average reaches its all-time high of 14,164 points before rapidly declining due to the 2008 financial crisis. Read more
• 2006 — North Korea conducts its first nuclear test. Read more
• 1995 — An Amtrak Sunset Limited train is derailed by saboteurs near Palo Verde, Arizona. Read more
• 1992 — The Peekskill meteorite, a 27.7 pounds (12.6 kg) meteorite crashed into a parked car in Peekskill, New York. Read more
• 1986 — The Phantom of the Opera, eventually the second longest running musical in London, opens at Her Majesty's Theatre. Read more
• 1986 — Fox Broadcasting Company (FBC) launches as the fourth US television network. Read more
• 1984 — The popular children's television show Thomas The Tank Engine & Friends, based on The Railway Series by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry, premieres on ITV. Read more
• 1983 — South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan survives an assassination attempt in Rangoon, Burma, but the blast kills 21 and injures 17 others. Read more
• 1981 — President François Mitterrand abolishes capital punishment in France. Read more
• 1980 — Pope John Paul II greets the Dalai Lama during a private audience in Vatican City. Read more
• 1970 — The Khmer Republic is proclaimed in Cambodia. Read more
• 1969 — In Chicago, the National Guard is called in as demonstrations continue over the trial of the "Chicago Eight". Read more
• 1967 — A day after his capture, Ernesto "Che" Guevara is executed for attempting to incite a revolution in Bolivia. Read more
• 1966 — Vietnam War: the Republic of Korea Army commits the Binh Tai Massacre. Read more
• 1963 — In Italy, a large landslide causes a giant wave to overtop the Vajont Dam, killing over 2,000. Read more
• 1962 — Uganda becomes an independent Commonwealth realm. Read more
• 1950 — The Goyang Geumjeong Cave massacre in Korea begins. Read more
• 1942 — Australia's Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942 receives royal assent. Read more
• 1941 — A coup in Panama declares Ricardo Adolfo de la Guardia Arango the new president. Read more
• 1937 — Murder of 9 Catholic priests in Zhengding, China, who protected the local population from the advancing Japanese army. Read more
• 1936 — Boulder Dam (later Hoover Dam) begins to generate electricity and transmit it to Los Angeles. Read more
• 1934 — A member of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization, Vlado Chernozemski, kills King Alexander I of Yugoslavia in an assassination organized by the Ustaše, while the French police accidentally kills Louis Barthou, Foreign Minister of France, in Marseille. Read more
• 1919 — The Cincinnati Reds win the World Series, resulting in the Black Sox Scandal. Read more
• 1918 — The Finnish Parliament elects Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse as King of Finland, but he never accedes to the throne due to Germany's defeat in World War I. Read more
• 1914 — World War I: The Siege of Antwerp comes to an end. Read more
• 1913 — The steamship SS Volturno catches fire in the mid-Atlantic. Read more
• 1911 — An accidental bomb explosion triggers the Wuchang Uprising against the Qing dynasty, beginning the Xinhai Revolution. Read more
• 1900 — The Cook Islands become a territory of the United Kingdom. Read more
• 1874 — The Universal Postal Union is created by the Treaty of Bern. Read more
• 1873 — A meeting at the U.S. Naval Academy establishes the U.S. Naval Institute. Read more
• 1864 — American Civil War: Union cavalrymen defeat Confederate forces at Toms Brook, Virginia during Sheridan's Shenandoah Valley campaign. Read more
• 1861 — American Civil War: Union troops repel a Confederate attempt to capture Fort Pickens in the Battle of Santa Rosa Island. Read more
• 1847 — Slavery is abolished in the Swedish colony of Saint Barthélemy. Read more
• 1834 — Opening of the Dublin and Kingstown Railway, the first public railway on the island of Ireland. Read more
• 1831 — Ioannis Kapodistrias, the first head of state of independent Greece, is assassinated. Read more
• 1825 — Restauration arrives in New York Harbor from Norway, the first organized immigration from Norway to the United States. Read more
• 1820 — Guayaquil declares independence from Spain. Read more
• 1812 — War of 1812: In a naval engagement on Lake Erie, American forces capture two British ships: HMS Detroit and HMS Caledonia. Read more
• 1806 — Prussia begins the War of the Fourth Coalition against France. Read more
• 1804 — Hobart, capital of Tasmania, is founded. Read more
• 1799 — HMS Lutine sinks with the loss of 240 men and a cargo worth £1,200,000. Read more
• 1790 — A severe earthquake in northern Algeria causes severe damage and a tsunami in the Mediterranean Sea and kills three thousand. Read more
• 1779 — American Revolutionary War: A combined Franco-American assault on British defenses during the Siege of Savannah is repulsed with heavy casualties. Read more
• 1760 — Seven Years' War: Russian and Austrian troops briefly occupy Berlin. Read more
• 1740 — Dutch colonists and Javanese natives begin a massacre of the ethnic Chinese population in Batavia, eventually killing at least 10,000. Read more
• 1708 — Peter the Great defeats the Swedes at the Battle of Lesnaya. Read more
• 1701 — The Collegiate School of Connecticut (later renamed Yale University) is chartered in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. Read more
• 1683 — Allied Imperial and Polish-Lithuanian forces defeat the retreating Ottoman forces in the battle of Parkany. Read more
• 1635 — Roger Williams is banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony after religious and policy disagreements. Read more
• 1604 — Kepler's Supernova is the most recent supernova to be observed within the Milky Way. Read more
• 1594 — Troops of the Portuguese Empire are defeated on Sri Lanka, bringing an end to the Campaign of Danture. Read more
• 1531 — Pressed by a food embargo, the five Catholic cantons of Central Switzerland declare war on the Protestant canton of Zurich, starting the Second War of Kappel. Read more
• 1410 — The first known mention of the Prague astronomical clock. Read more
• 1238 — James I of Aragon founds the Kingdom of Valencia. Read more
• 768 — Carloman I and Charlemagne are crowned kings of the Franks. Read more

Born on October 9

• 2002 — Ben Shelton, American tennis player Read more
• 2001 — Kyla Leibel, Canadian swimmer Read more
• 2000 — Penei Sewell, American football player Read more
• 1997 — Jharrel Jerome, American actor Read more
• 1997 — Megan Moroney, American singer-songwriter. Read more
• 1996 — Jacob Batalon, Filipino-American actor Read more
• 1996 — Bella Hadid, American model Read more
• 1994 — Jodelle Ferland, Canadian actress Read more
• 1993 — Ani Amiraghyan, Armenian tennis player Read more
• 1993 — Lauren Davis, American tennis player Read more
• 1993 — Jayden Hodges, Australian rugby league player Read more
• 1993 — George Kittle, American football player Read more
• 1993 — Scotty McCreery, American singer and songwriter Read more
• 1993 — Wesley So, Filipino-American chess grandmaster Read more
• 1992 — Jerian Grant, American basketball player Read more
• 1992 — Sam Mewis, American soccer player Read more
• 1992 — Tyler James Williams, American actor Read more
• 1990 — Kevin Kampl, German-Slovene footballer Read more
• 1990 — Jake Lamb, American baseball player Read more
• 1989 — Russell Packer, New Zealand rugby league player Read more
• 1988 — Starling Marte, Dominican baseball player Read more
• 1988 — David Tyrrell, Australian rugby league player Read more
• 1987 — Craig Brackins, American basketball player Read more
• 1987 — Samantha Murray Sharan, British tennis player Read more
• 1987 — Henry Walker, American basketball player Read more
• 1986 — Derek Holland, American baseball player Read more
• 1986 — Laure Manaudou, French swimmer Read more
• 1986 — David Phelps, American baseball player Read more
• 1986 — Jan Christian Vestre, Norwegian businessman and politician Read more
• 1986 — Stephane Zubar, French footballer Read more
• 1985 — David Plummer, American swimmer Read more
• 1984 — Marie Kondo, Japanese author and television presenter Read more
• 1983 — Farhaan Behardien, South African cricketer Read more
• 1983 — Trevor Daley, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
• 1983 — Stephen Gionta, American ice hockey player Read more
• 1983 — Spencer Grammer, American actress Read more
• 1983 — Jang Mi-ran, South Korean weightlifter Read more
• 1983 — Andreas Zuber, Austrian racing driver Read more
• 1981 — Zachery Ty Bryan, American actor Read more
• 1981 — Darius Miles, American basketball player Read more

Died on October 9

• 2026 — Mike Ditka, American football coach and tight end for the Chicago Bears (born 1939) Read more
• 2024 — George Baldock, British-born Greek international footballer (born 1993) Read more
• 2024 — Dieter Burdenski, German footballer (born 1950) Read more
• 2024 — Lily Ebert, Hungarian-born Holocaust survivor (born 1923) Read more
• 2024 — Lee Wei Ling, Singaporean neurologist (born 1955) Read more
• 2024 — Clark R. Rasmussen, American politician (born 1934) Read more
• 2024 — Leif Segerstam, Finnish conductor and composer (born 1944) Read more
• 2024 — Ratan Tata, Indian businessman and philanthropist (born 1937) Read more
• 2017 — Jean Rochefort, French actor (born 1930) Read more
• 2016 — Andrzej Wajda, Polish film and theatre director (born 1926) Read more
• 2015 — Ray Duncan, American businessman (born 1930) Read more
• 2015 — Richard F. Heck, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1931) Read more
• 2015 — Geoffrey Howe, Welsh lawyer and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (born 1926) Read more
• 2015 — Ravindra Jain, Indian composer and director (born 1944) Read more
• 2014 — Boris Buzančić, Croatian actor and politician, 47th Mayor of Zagreb (born 1929) Read more
• 2014 — Jan Hooks, American actress and comedienne (born 1957) Read more
• 2014 — Carolyn Kizer, American poet and academic (born 1925) Read more
• 2014 — Peter A. Peyser, American soldier and politician (born 1921) Read more
• 2014 — Rita Shane, American soprano and educator (born 1936) Read more
• 2013 — Solomon Lar, Nigerian educator and politician, 4th Governor of Plateau State (born 1933) Read more
• 2013 — Srihari, Indian actor (born 1964) Read more
• 2013 — Wilfried Martens, Belgian lawyer and politician, 60th Prime Minister of Belgium (born 1936) Read more
• 2013 — Edmund Niziurski, Polish sociologist, lawyer, and author (born 1925) Read more
• 2012 — Sammi Kane Kraft, American actress (born 1992) Read more
• 2012 — Kenny Rollins, American basketball player (born 1923) Read more
• 2012 — Harris Savides, American cinematographer (born 1957) Read more
• 2011 — Pavel Karelin, Russian ski jumper (born 1989) Read more
• 2010 — Maurice Allais, French economist and physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1911) Read more
• 2009 — Stuart M. Kaminsky, American author and educator (born 1934) Read more
• 2009 — John Daido Loori, American Zen Buddhist monastic and teacher (born 1931) Read more
• 2009 — Horst Szymaniak, German footballer (born 1934) Read more
• 2007 — Enrico Banducci, American businessman, founded hungry i (born 1922) Read more
• 2007 — Carol Bruce, American actress and singer (born 1919) Read more
• 2006 — Danièle Huillet, French filmmaker (born 1933) Read more
• 2006 — Paul Hunter, English snooker player (born 1978) Read more
• 2006 — Kanshi Ram, Indian lawyer and politician (born 1934) Read more
• 2005 — Louis Nye, American actor (born 1913) Read more
• 2004 — Jacques Derrida, Algerian-French philosopher and academic (born 1930) Read more
• 2003 — Carolyn Gold Heilbrun, American author and academic (born 1926) Read more
• 2003 — Carl Fontana, American jazz trombonist (born 1928) Read more

Holidays & observances

Christian feast day: Abraham; Christian feast day: Denis of Paris; Christian feast day: Dionysius the Areopagite; Christian feast day: Ghislain; Christian feast day: Gunther of Bohemia; Christian feast day: Innocencio of Mary Immaculate and Martyrs of Turon; Christian feast day: John Henry Newman; Christian feast day: John Leonardi; Christian feast day: Luis Beltran; Christian feast day: Robert Grosseteste (Church of England); Christian feast day: Wilfred Grenfell (Episcopal Church in the United States); Christian feast day: October 9 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Fire Prevention Day (Canada, United States); Hangul Day (South Korea); Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Uganda from United Kingdom in 1962. (Uganda); Independence of Guayaquil from Spain in 1820 (Ecuador); Leif Erikson Day (United States, Iceland and Norway); National Day of Commemorating the Holocaust (Romania); National Nanotechnology Day (United States); Takayama Autumn Festival (Takayama, Japan); World Post Day; Indian Foreign Service Day

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