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On This Day in History — September 23

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Highlights of September 23

2019 — The British travel company Thomas Cook Group ceased operations with immediate effect, leaving around 600,000 tourists stranded around the world. Read more
2016 — Following a number of high-profile sexual assaults, major reforms were enacted to strengthen laws related to rape in Germany. Read more
2010 — Teresa Lewis became the first woman to be executed by the U.S. state of Virginia since 1912, and the first woman in the state to be executed via lethal injection. Read more
2008 — A gunman shot and killed ten students at the Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences in Kauhajoki, Finland, before committing suicide. Read more
2002 — The first version of the web browser Firefox was released by the Mozilla Organization. Read more
1997 — Irish rock band U2 performed in Sarajevo (pictured), the first major artist to hold a concert in the city since the end of the Bosnian War. Read more
1983 — Flying from Pakistan, Gulf Air Flight 771 was bombed up by the Abu Nidal Organization while on approach over the United Arab Emirates (UAE), killing all 112 people on board. Read more
1983 — Flying from Pakistan, Gulf Air Flight 771 was blown up by the Abu Nidal Organization while on approach over the United Arab Emirates, killing all 112 people on board. Read more
1952 — U.S. vice-presidential candidate Richard Nixon delivered the Checkers speech, one of the first political uses of television to appeal directly to the populace. Read more
1920 — The Louisiana hurricane dissipated over Kansas after forcing around 4,500 people to evacuate and causing $1.45 million in damages. Read more
1913 — The United Mine Workers of America began a strike against the Rockefeller-owned Colorado Fuel & Iron Company, sparking the Colorado Coalfield War. Read more
1884 — The French steamship Arctique ran aground on the northern coast of Cape Virgenes in Argentina; gold was discovered during the rescue effort, triggering the Tierra del Fuego Gold Rush. Read more
1803 — Maratha troops were defeated by forces of the British East India Company at the Battle of Assaye, one of the decisive battles of the Second Anglo-Maratha War. Read more
1780 — American Revolutionary War: British officer John André was captured by Patriot forces, thereby revealing a plot by Continental Army general Benedict Arnold to hand over West Point, New York. Read more
1642 — First English Civil War: The Battle of Powick Bridge, the first engagement between the primary field armies of the Royalists and the Parliamentarians, ended in a Royalist victory. Read more
1122 — Pope Callixtus II and Holy Roman emperor Henry V agreed the Concordat of Worms (pictured), ending the Investiture Controversy. Read more

Events

2024 — Israel launches airstrikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, killing more than 490 people. Read more
2022 — Voting begins in the five-day sham annexation referendums in Russian-occupied Ukraine, leading to Russian annexation of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts. Read more
2020 — A grand jury in Kentucky declines to indict three police officers for the shooting death of Breonna Taylor in a drug raid gone wrong, leading to nationwide protests in the U.S. Read more
2019 — Twenty people die on the first of two days of rioting in Papua and West Papua over an alleged racist incident. Read more
2013 — Twenty-five people are killed after Typhoon Usagi passes Hong Kong and China. Read more
2010 — Teresa Lewis becomes the first woman to be executed by the U.S. state of Virginia since 1912, and the first woman in the state to be executed by lethal injection. Read more
2008 — Matti Saari kills ten people at a school in Finland before committing suicide. Read more
2004 — Over 3,000 people die in Haiti after Hurricane Jeanne produces massive flooding and mudslides. Read more
1999 — Qantas Flight 1 overruns a runway in Bangkok during a storm, causing minor injuries to some passengers. Read more
1983 — Gulf Air Flight 771 is destroyed by a bomb, killing all 112 people on board. Read more
1973 — Argentine general election: Juan Perón returns to power in Argentina. Read more
1967 — Seven people die, 46 people are injured, and more than 150 boats capsize when a squall hits Lake Michigan during Michigan's first coho salmon sport fishing season. Read more
1964 — Typhoon Wilda, one of the strongest typhoons to ever strike Japan, makes landfall, causing at least 30 fatalities and sinking at least 64 ships. Read more
1962 — Flying Tiger Line Flight 923, a Lockheed L-1049H Super Constellation registered as N6923C, ditches into the Atlantic Ocean killing 28 out the 76 occupants onboard. The remaining 48 were rescued six hours later. Read more
1961 — U.S. President John F. Kennedy nominates African American civil rights lawyer Thurgood Marshall to the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, although pro-segregation Southern senators manage to delay his confirmation until September 11, 1962. Read more
1957 — Little Rock schools integration crisis: President Dwight D. Eisenhower sends the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock, Arkansas, and federalizes the Arkansas National Guard, ordering both to support the integration of Little Rock Central High School. Read more
1956 — A tropical storm originating in the eastern Pacific Ocean passes into the Gulf of Mexico and is upgraded and named Hurricane Flossy just hours before striking the Gulf Coast and causing 15 deaths and an estimated US$24.8 million in damages. Read more
1955 — An all-white jury in Mississippi finds Roy Bryant and J. W. Milam not guilty in the torture-murder of 14-year-old African American boy Emmett Till. Read more
1952 — After being accused of financial improprieties, Senator Richard Nixon delivers his "Checkers speech" nationwide on television and radio, defending his actions and successfully salvaging his nomination as the Republican candidate for Vice President. Read more
1951 — George VI, king of the United Kingdom, has his left lung removed in an operation after a malignant tumour was found. Read more
1950 — Korean War: The Battle of Hill 282 is the first US friendly-fire incident on British military personnel since World War II. Read more
1947 — A magnitude 6.9 earthquake strikes South Khorasan in Iran, killing over 500 people. Read more
1942 — World War II: The Matanikau action on Guadalcanal begins: U.S. Marines attack Japanese units along the Matanikau River. Read more
1932 — Saudi National Day: Crown Prince (later king) Faisal of Saudi Arabia, on behalf of Ibn Saud, proclaims the unification of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the current iteration of the Third Saudi State. Read more
1920 — The Louisiana hurricane dissipates over Kansas after forcing around 4,500 people to evacuate and causing $1.45 million in damages. Read more
1918 — World War I: British forces capture Haifa, Acre, and Es Salt from the Ottoman Empire. Read more
1913 — The United Mine Workers of America launch a strike which eventually escalated into the Colorado Coalfield War. Read more
1905 — Norway and Sweden sign the Karlstad Treaty, peacefully dissolving the Union between the two countries. Read more
1899 — Philippine-American War: the American Asiatic Squadron destroys a Filipino battery at the Battle of Olongapo. Read more
1885 — Ethiopian forces under Ras Alula defeat Mahdist Sudanese forces in the battle of Kufit. Read more
1884 — On the night of 23–24 September, the steamship Arctique runs aground near Cape Virgenes leading to the discovery of nearby placer gold, beginning the Tierra del Fuego gold rush. Read more
1879 — The Macedo-Romanian Cultural Society is founded. Read more
1868 — The Grito de Lares occurs in Puerto Rico against Spanish rule. Read more
1846 — Astronomers Urbain Le Verrier, John Couch Adams and Johann Gottfried Galle collaborate on the discovery of Neptune. Read more
1821 — Tripolitsa, Greece, is captured by Greek rebels during the Greek War of Independence. Read more
1803 — Second Anglo-Maratha War: The Battle of Assaye is fought between the British East India Company and the Maratha Empire in India. Read more
1779 — American Revolutionary War: John Paul Jones, naval commander of the United States, on board the USS Bonhomme Richard, wins the Battle of Flamborough Head. Read more
1723 — The treaty of Saint Petersburg is signed, in which Imperial Russia gains Derbent, Baku, and the coastal areas in between as well as the provinces of Gilan, Mazandaran, and Astrabad from Safavid Persia while the Shah receives Russian soldiers for domestic peacekeeping. Read more
1642 — First English Civil War: The Battle of Powick Bridge, the first engagement between the primary field armies of the Royalists and the Parliamentarians, ends in a Royalist victory. Read more
1561 — King Philip II of Spain issues cedula, ordering a halt to colonizing efforts in Florida. Read more
1459 — The Battle of Blore Heath, the first major battle of the English Wars of the Roses, is won by the Yorkists. Read more
1409 — The Battle of Kherlen is the second significant victory over Ming dynasty China by the Mongols since 1368. Read more
1338 — The Battle of Arnemuiden, in which a French force defeats the English, is the first naval battle of the Hundred Years' War and the first European naval battle in which gunpowder artillery is used. Read more
1122 — Pope Callixtus II and Holy Roman Emperor Henry V agree to the Concordat of Worms to put an end to the Investiture Controversy. Read more
38 — Drusilla, Caligula's sister who died in June, with whom the emperor is said to have an incestuous relationship, is deified. Read more

Born on September 23

2001 — Lai Kuan-lin, Taiwanese film director Read more
1999 — Song Yu-qi, Chinese singer Read more
1997 — John Collins, American basketball player Read more
1996 — Napheesa Collier, American basketball player Read more
1994 — Lee Mi-joo, South Korean singer and entertainer Read more
1994 — Bai Lu, Chinese Actress Read more
1993 — Petteri Lindbohm, Finnish ice hockey player Read more
1992 — Angel Garza, Mexican wrestler Read more
1991 — Lee Alexander, Scottish footballer Read more
1991 — Key, South Korean singer and entertainer Read more
1991 — Melanie Oudin, American tennis player Read more
1989 — Brandon Jennings, American basketball player Read more
1989 — Taniela Lasalo, Australian rugby league player Read more
1988 — Juan Martín del Potro, Argentinian tennis player Read more
1988 — Kairi Sane, Japanese wrestler Read more
1988 — Yannick Weber, Swiss ice hockey player Read more
1987 — Skylar Astin, American actor and singer Read more
1986 — Martin Cranie, English footballer Read more
1986 — Chris Volstad, American baseball player Read more
1985 — Joba Chamberlain, American baseball player Read more
1985 — Chris Johnson, American football player Read more
1985 — Cush Jumbo, British actress Read more
1985 — Lukáš Kašpar, Czech ice hockey player Read more
1985 — Hasan Minhaj, American comedian, actor, and television host Read more
1984 — Patrick Ehelechner, German ice hockey player Read more
1984 — Matt Kemp, American baseball player Read more
1984 — Anneliese van der Pol, Dutch-American entertainer Read more
1983 — Shane del Rosario, American mixed martial artist and kick-boxer (died 2013) Read more
1983 — Joffrey Lupul, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
1982 — Mait Künnap, Estonian tennis player Read more
1982 — Shyla Stylez, Canadian pornographic actress (died 2017) Read more
1981 — Robert Doornbos, Dutch racing driver Read more
1981 — Helen Richardson-Walsh, English field hockey player Read more
1979 — Ricky Davis, American basketball player Read more
1979 — Bryant McKinnie, American football player Read more
1979 — Fábio Simplício, Brazilian footballer Read more
1979 — Lote Tuqiri, Fijian-Australian rugby player Read more
1978 — Benjamin Curtis, American guitarist, drummer, and songwriter (died 2013) Read more
1978 — Anthony Mackie, American actor Read more
1977 — Matthieu Descoteaux, Canadian ice hockey player Read more

Died on September 23

2026 — Bob Pettit, American basketball player and coach (born 1932) Read more
2021 — John Elliott, Australian businessman (born 1941) Read more
2021 — Nino Vaccarella, Italian race car driver (born 1933) Read more
2020 — Juliette Gréco, French singer and actress (born 1927) Read more
2018 — Charles Kuen Kao, Hong Kong-American-British electrical engineer and physicist (born 1933) Read more
2018 — Gary Kurtz, American film producer (born 1940) Read more
2018 — Jane Fortune, American author, journalist, and philanthropist (born 1942) Read more
2015 — Dayananda Saraswati, Indian monk and philosopher (born 1930) Read more
2014 — A. W. Davis, American basketball player and coach (born 1943) Read more
2014 — Irven DeVore, American anthropologist and biologist (born 1934) Read more
2014 — Don Manoukian, American football player and wrestler (born 1934) Read more
2014 — Al Suomi, American ice hockey player and referee (born 1913) Read more
2013 — Abdel Hamid al-Sarraj, Syrian colonel and politician (born 1925) Read more
2013 — Gil Dozier, American captain, lawyer, and politician (born 1934) Read more
2013 — Ruth Patrick, American botanist and immunologist (born 1907) Read more
2012 — Henry Champ, Canadian journalist and academic (born 1937) Read more
2012 — Pavel Grachev, Russian general and politician, 1st Minister of Defence for Russia (born 1948) Read more
2012 — Roberto Rodríguez, Venezuelan baseball player and coach (born 1941) Read more
2012 — Corrie Sanders, South African boxer (born 1966) Read more
2012 — Sam Sniderman, Canadian businessman, founded Sam the Record Man (born 1920) Read more
2010 — Malcolm Douglas, Australian hunter and television host (born 1941) Read more
2009 — Paul B. Fay, American sailor and politician, United States Secretary of the Navy (born 1918) Read more
2008 — Peter Leonard, Australian journalist (born 1942) Read more
2008 — Loren Pope, American journalist and author (born 1910) Read more
2006 — Malcolm Arnold, English trumpet player and composer (born 1921) Read more
2006 — Etta Baker, American singer and guitarist (born 1913) Read more
2005 — Filiberto Ojeda Ríos, Puerto Rican activist (born 1933) Read more
2004 — Billy Reay, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (born 1918) Read more
2003 — Yuri Senkevich, Russian physician and journalist (born 1937) Read more
2001 — Ron Hewitt, Welsh footballer (born 1928) Read more
2000 — Aurelio Rodríguez, Mexican baseball player and manager (born 1947) Read more
2000 — Carl Rowan, American journalist and author (born 1925) Read more
2000 — Raoul Berger, American attorney and law professor (born 1901) Read more
1999 — Ivan Goff, Australian-American screenwriter and producer (born 1910) Read more
1998 — Ray Bowden, English footballer (born 1909) Read more
1998 — Mary Frann, American actress (born 1943) Read more
1997 — Natalie Savage Carlson, American author (born 1906) Read more
1994 — Jerry Barber, American golfer (born 1916) Read more
1994 — Robert Bloch, American author and screenwriter (born 1917) Read more
1994 — Madeleine Renaud, French actress (born 1900) Read more

Holidays & observances

Christian feast day: Adomnán; Christian feast day: Blessed Bernardyna Maria Jabłońska; Christian feast day: Cissa of Crowland (or of Northumbria); Christian feast day: Blessed Elena Duglioli; Christian feast day: Elisabeth and Zechariah; Christian feast day: Blessed Émilie Gamelin; Christian feast day: Blessed Francisco de Paula Victor; Christian feast day: Padre Pio; Christian feast day: Pope Linus; Christian feast day: Sossius; Christian feast day: Thecla (Roman Catholic Church); Christian feast day: September 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Grito de Lares (Puerto Rico); Haifa Day (Israel); Holocaust Memorial Day (Lithuania); Kyrgyz Language Day (Kyrgyzstan); National Day (Saudi Arabia); Teachers' Day (Brunei); Celebrate Bisexuality Day (bisexual community); International Day of Sign Languages

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Events, births and deaths from Wikipedia contributors, “September 23”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Lists are selections; the full record lives at the source.