September 21

Events

455 – Emperor Avitus enters Rome with a Gallic army and consolidates his power.

1170 – Combined English and Irish forces, under the command of Richard de Clare, Earl of Pembroke and Diarmait Mac Murchada, King of Leinster seize Norse-Gaelic Dublin, forcing Ascall mac Ragnaill, King of Dublin into exile.

1217 – Livonian Crusade: The Estonian leader Lembitu and Livonian leader Kaupo the Accursed are killed in Battle of Matthew's Day.

1435 – The Congress of Arras causes Burgundy to switch sides in the Hundred Years' War.

1745 – Battle of Prestonpans: A Hanoverian army under the command of Sir John Cope is defeated, in ten minutes, by the Jacobite forces of Prince Charles Edward Stuart

1776 – Part of New York City is burned shortly after being occupied by British forces.

1780 – American Revolutionary War: Benedict Arnold gives the British the plans to West Point.

1792 – French Revolution: The National Convention declares France a republic and abolishes the absolute monarchy.

1843 – John Williams Wilson takes possession of the Strait of Magellan on behalf of the newly independent Chilean government.

1860 – Second Opium War: An Anglo-French force defeats Chinese troops at the Battle of Palikao.

1896 – Mahdist War: British forces under the command of Horatio Kitchener takes Dongola in the Sudan.

1897 – The "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" editorial is published in the New York Sun.

1898 – Empress Dowager Cixi seizes power and ends the Hundred Days' Reform in China.

1921 – A storage silo in Oppau, Germany, explodes, killing 500-600 people.

1933 – Salvador Lutteroth ran the first ever EMLL (now CMLL) show in Mexico, marking the birth of Lucha libre

1934 – A large typhoon hits western Honshū, Japan, killing 3,036 people.

1937 – J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit is published.

1938 – The Great Hurricane of 1938 makes landfall on Long Island in New York. The death toll is estimated at 500-700 people.

1939 – Romanian Prime Minister Armand Călinescu is assassinated by far-right legionnaires of the fascist paramilitary organization Iron Guard.

1942 – The Holocaust: On the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, Nazis send over 1,000 Jews of Pidhaitsi (west Ukraine) to Bełżec extermination camp.

1942 – In Poland, at the end of Yom Kippur, Germans order Jews to permanently evacuate Konstantynów and move to the ghetto in Biała Podlaska, established to assemble Jews from seven nearby towns, including Janów Podlaski, Rossosz and Terespol.

1942 – In Dunaivtsi, Ukraine, Nazis murder 2,588 Jews.

1942 – The Boeing B-29 Superfortress makes its maiden flight.

1953 – Lieutenant No Kum-sok, a North Korean pilot, defects to South Korea and is associated with Operation Moolah.

1961 – Maiden flight of the Boeing CH-47 Chinook transportation helicopter.

1964 – Malta gains independence from the United Kingdom.

1964 – The North American XB-70 Valkyrie, the world's first Mach 3 bomber, makes its maiden flight from Palmdale, California.

1965 – The Gambia, Maldives and Singapore are admitted as members of the United Nations.

1971 – Bahrain, Bhutan and Qatar join the United Nations.

1972 – Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos signs Proclamation № 1081, placing the entire country under martial law and marking the beginning of his authoritarian rule.

1976 – Orlando Letelier is assassinated in Washington, D.C. He is a member of the Chilean socialist government of Salvador Allende, overthrown in 1973 by Augusto Pinochet.

1976 – Seychelles joins the United Nations.

1981 – Belize is granted full independence from the United Kingdom.

1981 – Sandra Day O'Connor is unanimously approved by the U.S. Senate as the first female Supreme Court justice.

1984 – Brunei joins the United Nations.

1991 – Armenia is granted independence from Soviet Union.

1993 – Russian President Boris Yeltsin suspends parliament and scraps the then-functioning constitution, thus triggering the Russian constitutional crisis of 1993.

1996 – The Defense of Marriage Act passes the United States Congress (a vote of 342-67 in the House of Representatives and a vote of 85-14 in the Senate). The law prohibited federal recognition of same-sex marriage, while allowing states to adopt any marital definition of their choosing.

1999 – Chi-Chi earthquake occurs in central Taiwan, leaving about 2,400 people dead.

2001 – Deep Space 1 flies within 2,200 km of Comet Borrelly.

2001 – America: A Tribute to Heroes is broadcast by over 35 network and cable channels, raising over $200 million for the victims of the September 11 attacks.

2003 – Galileo mission is terminated by sending the probe into Jupiter's atmosphere, where it is crushed by the pressure at the lower altitudes.

2005 – Hurricane Rita becomes the third most intense hurricane (dropped to fourth on October 19, 2005).

2012 – New Zealand batsman Brendon McCullum becomes the first batsman to score two centuries in Twenty20 International cricket.

2013 – Al-Shabaab Islamic militants attack the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya, killing at least 67 people.

Births

580 – Pope Vitalian (d. 672)

1051 – Bertha of Savoy (d. 1087)

1371 – Frederick I, Elector of Brandenburg (d. 1440)

1407 – Leonello d'Este, Marquis of Ferrara, Italian noble (d. 1450)

1411 – Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York, English politician, Lord Protector of England (d. 1460)

1415 – Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1493)

1428 – Jingtai Emperor of China (d. 1457)

1433 – Guillaume Fichet, French scholar and academic (d. 1480)

1452 – Girolamo Savonarola, Italian priest and philosopher (d. 1498)

1457 – Hedwig Jagiellon, Duchess of Bavaria, Polish princess (d. 1502)

1559 – Cigoli, Italian painter and architect (d. 1613)

1629 – Philip Howard, English cardinal (d. 1694)

1645 – Louis Jolliet, Canadian explorer (d. 1700)

1706 – Polyxena of Hesse-Rotenburg (d. 1735)

1756 – John Loudon McAdam, Scottish engineer (d. 1836)

1758 – Christopher Gore, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 8th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1827)

1760 – Ivan Dmitriev, Russian poet and politician, Minister of Justice for Imperial Russia (d. 1837)

1819 – Princess Louise Marie Thérèse of Artois (d. 1864)

1840 – Murad V, Ottoman sultan (d. 1904)

1842 – Abdul Hamid II, 34th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (d. 1918)

1846 – Mihály Kolossa, Hungarian-Slovene author and poet (d. 1906)

1849 – Maurice Barrymore, Indian-American actor (d. 1905)

1853 – Heike Kamerlingh Onnes, Dutch physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1926)

1859 – Francesc Macià, Catalan colonel and politician, 122nd President of Catalonia (d. 1933)

1860 – Wilson Kettle, Canadian centenarian (d. 1963)

1862 – James E. Talmage, English-American religious leader and author (d. 1933)

1863 – John Bunny, American actor (d. 1915)

1866 – Charles Nicolle, French-Tunisian microbiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1936)

1866 – H. G. Wells, English novelist, historian, and critic (d. 1946)

1867 – Charles Bathurst, 1st Viscount Bledisloe, English politician, 4th Governor-General of New Zealand (d. 1958)

1867 – Henry L. Stimson, American colonel, lawyer, and politician, 46th United States Secretary of State (d. 1950)

1872 – Henry Tingle Wilde, English chief officer on the RMS Titanic (d. 1912)

1873 – Papa Jack Laine, American drummer and bandleader (d. 1966)

1874 – Gustav Holst, English composer and educator (d. 1934)

1878 – Peter McWilliam, Scottish-English footballer and manager (d. 1951)

1882 – Geevarghese Ivanios, Indian metropolitan (d. 1953)

1884 – Dénes Kőnig, Hungarian mathematician and theorist (d. 1944)

1890 – Max Immelmann, German lieutenant and pilot (d. 1916)

1890 – Charles William Train, English sergeant, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1965)

1894 – Anton Piëch, Austrian lawyer and businessman (d. 1952)

1899 – Frederick Coutts, Scottish 8th General of The Salvation Army (d. 1986)

1902 – Luis Cernuda, Spanish poet and critic (d. 1963)

1902 – Allen Lane, English publisher, founded Penguin Books (d. 1970)

1902 – Howie Morenz, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1937)

1903 – Preston Tucker, American engineer and businessman, designed the Tucker Sedan (d. 1956)

1905 – Robert Lebel, Canadian businessman and politician (d. 1999)

1906 – Henry Beachell, American biologist and botanist (d. 2006)

1909 – Kwame Nkrumah, Ghanaian educator and politician, 1st President of Ghana (d. 1972)

1910 – Meinrad Schütter, Swiss composer (d. 2006)

1912 – Chuck Jones, American animator, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2002)

1912 – György Sándor, Hungarian pianist and composer (d. 2005)

1914 – Slam Stewart, American bassist and composer (d. 1987)

1916 – Françoise Giroud, Swiss-French journalist and politician, French Minister of Culture (d. 2003)

1917 – Phyllis Nicolson, English mathematician and academic (d. 1968)

1918 – John Gofman, American physicist, chemist, and biologist (d. 2007)

1918 – Karl Slover, Slovak-American actor (d. 2011)

1919 – Mario Bunge, Argentinian-Canadian physicist and philosopher

1919 – Herman Fowlkes, Jr., American trumpet player and educator (d. 1993)

1919 – Fazlur Rahman Malik, Pakistani philosopher and scholar (d. 1988)

1921 – John McHale, American baseball player and manager (d. 2008)

1921 – Jimmy Young, English singer and radio host (d. 2016)

1924 – Hermann Buhl, Austrian mountaineer (d. 1957)

1926 – Don Dunstan, Fijian-Australian lawyer and politician, 35th Premier of South Australia (d. 1999)

1926 – Donald A. Glaser, American physicist and neurobiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2013)

1926 – Noor Jehan, Pakistani actress and singer (d. 2000)

1926 – Reies Tijerina, American pastor and activist (d. 2015)

1927 – Fereydoon Moshiri, Iranian poet and critic (d. 2000)

1927 – Ward Swingle, American-French singer-songwriter and conductor (d. 2015)

1929 – Shafi Hadi, American saxophonist

1929 – Sándor Kocsis, Hungarian footballer and manager (d. 1979)

1929 – Edgar Valter, Estonian author and illustrator (d. 2006)

1929 – Bernard Williams, English-Italian philosopher and academic (d. 2003)

1929 – Jitendra Abhisheki, Indian vocalist, composer and scholar (d. 1998)

1930 – John Morgan, Welsh-Canadian actor and screenwriter (d. 2004)

1930 – Bob Stokoe, English footballer and manager (d. 2004)

1931 – Larry Hagman, American actor, director, and producer (d. 2012)

1932 – Shirley Conran, English journalist and author

1932 – Don Preston, American keyboard player and composer

1933 – Allan Jeans, Australian footballer and coach (d. 2011)

1933 – Dick Simon, American race car driver

1934 – Leonard Cohen, Canadian singer-songwriter and poet (d. 2016)

1935 – Jimmy Armfield, English footballer and manager

1935 – Henry Gibson, American actor (d. 2009)

1936 – Ian Albery, English manager and producer

1936 – Dickey Lee, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

1936 – Yury Luzhkov, Russian soldier and politician, 2nd Mayor of Moscow

1936 – Diane Rehm, American journalist and radio host

1937 – John D'Amico, Canadian ice hockey player and referee (d. 2005)

1938 – Doug Moe, American basketball player and coach

1939 – Agnivesh, Indian philosopher, academic, and politician

1940 – Ron Fenton, English footballer, coach, and manager (d. 2013)

1940 – Hermann Knoflacher, Austrian engineer and academic

1940 – Bill Kurtis, American journalist and producer

1941 – Jack Brisco, American wrestler and manager (d. 2010)

1941 – R. James Woolsey, Jr., American scholar and diplomat, 16th Director of Central Intelligence

1942 – Sam McDowell, American baseball player

1944 – Steve Beshear, American lawyer and politician, 61st Governor of Kentucky

1944 – Marcus Binney, English historian and author

1944 – Fannie Flagg, American actress, comedian, and author

1944 – Hamilton Jordan, American politician, 8th White House Chief of Staff (d. 2008)

1944 – Bobby Tench, English singer-songwriter and guitarist

1945 – Jerry Bruckheimer, American film and television producer

1945 – Richard Childress, American race car driver and businessman

1945 – Shaw Clifton, Northern Irish 18th General of The Salvation Army

1945 – Kay Ryan, American poet and educator

1946 – Rose Garrard, English sculptor and author

1946 – Moritz Leuenberger, Swiss lawyer and politician, 87th President of the Swiss Confederation

1946 – Mart Siimann, Estonian psychologist and politician, 12th Prime Minister of Estonia

1947 – Don Felder, American guitarist and songwriter

1947 – Keith Harris, English ventriloquist and singer (d. 2015)

1947 – Stephen King, American author and screenwriter

1947 – Ed Nimmervoll, Austrian-Australian journalist, historian, and author (d. 2014)

1947 – Marsha Norman, American playwright and author

1948 – Jack Dromey, English union leader and politician

1949 – Henry Butler, American pianist and photographer

1949 – Artis Gilmore, American basketball player and radio host

1949 – Odilo Scherer, Brazilian cardinal

1950 – Charles Clarke, English economist and politician, Secretary of State for Education

1950 – Bill Murray, American actor, comedian, producer, and screenwriter

1951 – Bruce Arena, American soccer player and manager

1951 – Eddie Delahoussaye, American jockey

1951 – Aslan Maskhadov, Chechen general and politician, 3rd President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (d. 2005)

1952 – Dave Gregory, English guitarist and keyboard player

1952 – John Taylor, Baron Taylor of Warwick, English lawyer and politician

1953 – Arie Luyendyk, Dutch race car driver and sportscaster

1954 – Shinzō Abe, Japanese lawyer and politician, 90th Prime Minister of Japan

1954 – Thomas S. Ray, American ecologist and academic

1954 – Phil Taylor, English drummer (d. 2015)

1955 – Richard Hieb, American engineer and astronaut

1955 – Mika Kaurismäki, Finnish director, producer, and screenwriter

1956 – Jack Givens, American basketball player and sportscaster

1956 – Marta Kauffman, American screenwriter and producer

1957 – Ethan Coen, American director, producer, and screenwriter

1957 – Mark Levin, American lawyer, radio host, and author

1957 – Sidney Moncrief, American basketball player and coach

1957 – Kevin Rudd, Australian politician and diplomat, 26th Prime Minister of Australia

1958 – Bruno Fitoussi, French poker player and architect

1958 – Rick Mahorn, American basketball player and coach

1958 – Simon Mayo, English radio host

1958 – Penny Smith, English journalist and actress

1959 – Crin Antonescu, Romanian educator and politician, President of Romania

1959 – Andrzej Buncol, Polish footballer

1959 – Dave Coulier, American actor, comedian, producer, and screenwriter

1959 – Danny Cox, English-American baseball player and coach

1959 – Corinne Drewery, English singer-songwriter

1960 – David James Elliott, Canadian-American actor and director

1960 – Kelley Eskridge, American author and screenwriter

1960 – Musalia Mudavadi, Kenyan politician and Former Deputy Prime Minister

1960 – Graham Southern, English art dealer and gallery owner

1960 – Lisa Fauci, American mathematician and academic

1961 – Billy Collins, Jr., American boxer (d. 1984)

1961 – Dan Borislow, American businessman, invented the magicJack (d. 2014)

1961 – Nancy Travis, American actress and producer

1962 – Rob Morrow, American actor

1963 – Curtly Ambrose, Antiguan cricketer and bass player

1963 – Cecil Fielder, American baseball player and manager

1963 – Angus Macfadyen, Scottish actor and screenwriter

1963 – Mamoru Samuragochi, Japanese composer

1963 – Trevor Steven, English footballer

1963 – David J. Wales, British academic and educator

1964 – Jorge Drexler, Uruguayan singer-songwriter

1964 – Lester Quitzau, Canadian guitarist

1965 – Frédéric Beigbeder, French author and critic

1965 – Cheryl Hines, American actress

1965 – Juanjo Mena, Spanish conductor

1965 – Johanna Vuoksenmaa, Finnish director and screenwriter

1965 – David Wenham, Australian actor and producer

1966 – Kerrin Lee-Gartner, Canadian skier and journalist

1966 – James Richardson, English television presenter and journalist

1967 – Glen Benton, American singer-songwriter and bass player

1967 – Faith Hill, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress

1967 – Suman Pokhrel, Nepali poet and songwriter

1967 – Tyler Stewart, Canadian drummer

1968 – David Jude Jolicoeur, American rapper and producer

1968 – Ricki Lake, American actress, producer, and talk show host

1969 – Anne Burrell, American chef and television host

1969 – Jason Christiansen, American baseball player

1969 – Curtis Leschyshyn, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster

1970 – Melissa Ferrick, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

1970 – Samantha Power, Irish-born American journalist, academic, and diplomat, 28th United States Ambassador to the United Nations

1970 – Unique Priscilla, Indonesian actress and model

1971 – John Crawley, English cricketer and academic

1971 – Alfonso Ribeiro, American actor and golf player

1971 – Luke Wilson, American actor, director, and screenwriter

1972 – Olivia Bonamy, French actress

1972 – Liam Gallagher, English singer-songwriter

1972 – Jon Kitna, American football player and coach

1972 – David Silveria, American drummer and songwriter

1973 – Vanessa Grigoriadis, American journalist and author

1973 – Virginia Ruano Pascual, Spanish tennis player

1973 – Oswaldo Sánchez, Mexican footballer

1974 – Bryce Drew, American basketball player and coach

1974 – Jana Kandarr, German tennis player

1974 – Andy Todd, English footballer and manager

1975 – Doug Davis, American baseball player

1976 – Jonas Bjerre, Danish singer-songwriter and guitarist

1976 – Poul Hübertz, Danish footballer and manager

1977 – Kārlis Lācis, Latvian pianist and composer

1977 – Andre Pärn, Estonian basketball player

1977 – Brian Tallet, American baseball player

1978 – Paulo Costanzo, Canadian actor, director, and producer

1978 – Luke Godden, Australian footballer

1978 – Doug Howlett, New Zealand rugby player

1978 – Mario Miranda, Brazilian mixed martial artist

1979 – James Allan, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist

1979 – Richard Dunne, Irish footballer

1979 – Chris Gayle, Jamaican cricketer

1979 – Julian Gray, English footballer

1979 – Monika Merl, German runner

1980 – Stacy Clark, American singer-songwriter

1980 – Robert Hoffman, American actor, dancer and choreographer

1980 – Nyree Kindred, Welsh swimmer

1980 – Kareena Kapoor, Indian actress

1980 – Tomas Scheckter, South African race car driver

1981 – Nicole Richie, American actress, fashion designer, and author

1982 – Eduardo Azevedo, Brazilian race car driver

1982 – Marat Izmailov, Russian footballer

1982 – Danny Kass, American snowboarder

1982 – Christos Tapoutos, Greek basketball player

1982 – Rowan Vine, English footballer

1983 – Fernando Cavenaghi, Argentinian footballer

1983 – Kristian Gidlund, Swedish drummer and journalist (d. 2013)

1983 – Maggie Grace, American actress

1983 – Greg Jennings, American football player

1983 – Joseph Mazzello, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter

1983 – Anna Meares, Australian cyclist

1984 – Wale, American rapper

1984 – Ben Wildman-Tobriner, American swimmer

1985 – Justin Durant, American football player

1986 – Faris Badwan, English singer-songwriter

1986 – Lindsey Stirling, American violinist and composer

1987 – Jimmy Clausen, American football player

1987 – Anthony Don, Australian rugby league player

1987 – Marcelo Estigarribia, Paraguayan footballer

1987 – Murilo Maccari, Brazilian footballer

1987 – Ashley Paris, American basketball player

1987 – Courtney Paris, American basketball player

1987 – Michał Pazdan, Polish footballer

1988 – Doug Baldwin, American football player

1988 – Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Pakistani politician

1989 – Jason Derulo, American singer-songwriter

1989 – Sandor Earl, Australian rugby league player

1989 – Emma Watkins, Australian singer and actress

1990 – Al-Farouq Aminu, American basketball player

1990 – Danny Batth, English footballer

1990 – Ivan Dorschner, American-Filipino model and actor

1990 – Sam Kasiano, New Zealand rugby league player

1991 – Anastassia Kovalenko, Estonian motorcycle racer

1992 – Chen, South Korean singer

1992 – Rodrigo Godínez, Mexican footballer

1993 – Kwon Mina, South Korean singer and actress

1993 – Derik Osede, Spanish footballer

1994 – Ben Proud, English swimmer

1998 – Miguel Tanfelix, Filipino television actor

Deaths

19 BC – Virgil, Roman poet (b. 70 BC)

454 – Flavius Aetius, Roman general and politician (b. 396)

687 – Pope Conon (b. 630)

1217 – Lembitu, Estonian soldier

1217 – Caupo of Turaida

1235 – Andrew II of Hungary (b. 1175)

1256 – William of Kilkenny, Lord Chancellor of England

1327 – Edward II of England (b. 1284)

1397 – Richard FitzAlan, 11th Earl of Arundel, English admiral (b. 1346)

1558 – Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1500)

1576 – Gerolamo Cardano, Italian mathematician, physician, and astrologer (b. 1501)

1586 – Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle, French cardinal and diplomat (b. 1517)

1626 – François de Bonne, Duke of Lesdiguières (b. 1543)

1719 – Johann Heinrich Acker, German historian and academic (b. 1647)

1743 – Jai Singh II, Indian king (b. 1688)

1748 – John Balguy, English philosopher and author (b. 1686)

1796 – François Séverin Marceau-Desgraviers, French general (b. 1769)

1798 – George Read, American lawyer and politician, 3rd Governor of Delaware (b. 1733)

1812 – Emanuel Schikaneder, German actor and playwright (b. 1751)

1832 – Walter Scott, Scottish novelist, playwright, and poet (b. 1771)

1860 – Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher and author (b. 1788)

1874 – Jean-Baptiste Élie de Beaumont, French geologist and engineer (b. 1794)

1875 – Princess Alexandra of Bavaria (b. 1826)

1880 – Manuel Montt, Chilean scholar and politician, 6th President of Chile (b. 1809)

1904 – Chief Joseph, American tribal leader (b. 1840)

1906 – Samuel Arnold, American conspirator (b. 1838)

1926 – Léon Charles Thévenin, French engineer (b. 1857)

1933 – Kenji Miyazawa, Japanese author and poet (b. 1896)

1938 – Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić, Croatian author and poet (b. 1874)

1939 – Armand Călinescu, Romanian economist and politician, 39th Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1893)

1942 – John Symes, English cricketer (b. 1879)

1944 – Artur Phleps, Romanian general (b. 1881)

1947 – Harry Carey, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1878)

1953 – Necmettin Sadak, Turkish publisher and politician, 10th Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1890)

1954 – Mikimoto Kōkichi, Japanese businessman (b. 1858)

1956 – Bill Struth, Scottish footballer and manager (b. 1875)

1957 – Haakon VII of Norway (b. 1872)

1958 – Peter Whitehead, English race car driver (b. 1914)

1962 – Bo Carter, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1892)

1963 – Paulino Masip, Spanish author, playwright, and screenwriter (b. 1899)

1964 – Josef Müller, Croatian entomologist (b. 1880)

1966 – Paul Reynaud, French lawyer and politician, 118th Prime Minister of France (b. 1878)

1971 – Bernardo Houssay, Argentinian physiologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1887)

1972 – Henry de Montherlant, French essayist, novelist, and dramatist (b. 1896)

1974 – Walter Brennan, American actor (b. 1894)

1974 – Jacqueline Susann, American author and actress (b. 1918)

1975 – Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu, Turkish painter and poet (b. 1911)

1976 – Orlando Letelier, Chilean economist and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs for Chile (b. 1932)

1982 – Ivan Bagramyan, Russian general (b. 1897)

1985 – Gu Long, Chinese author and screenwriter (b. 1937)

1987 – Jaco Pastorius, American bass player, composer, and producer (b. 1951)

1988 – Glenn Robert Davis, American lieutenant and politician (b. 1914)

1989 – Ertem Eğilmez, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1929)

1989 – Rajini Thiranagama, Sri Lankan physician and academic (b. 1954)

1990 – Takis Kanellopoulos, Greek director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1933)

1991 – Gordon Bashford, English engineer (b. 1916)

1992 – Tarachand Barjatya, Indian film producer, founded Rajshri Productions (b. 1914)

1995 – Rudy Perpich, American dentist and politician, 34th Governor of Minnesota (b. 1928)

1998 – Florence Griffith Joyner, American sprinter (b. 1959)

2000 – Jacques Flynn, Canadian lawyer and politician, 35th Canadian Minister of Justice (b. 1915)

2000 – Leonid Rogozov, Russian physician and surgeon (b. 1934)

2002 – Robert L. Forward, American physicist and engineer (b. 1932)

2004 – Bob Mason, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1952)

2006 – Tasos Athanasiadis, Greek author (b. 1913)

2006 – Boz Burrell, English singer-songwriter and bass player (b. 1946)

2007 – Hallgeir Brenden, Norwegian skier (b. 1929)

2007 – Alice Ghostley, American actress (b. 1923)

2007 – Rex Humbard, American evangelist and television host (b. 1919)

2009 – Robert Ginty, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1948)

2011 – John Du Cann, English guitarist (b. 1946)

2011 – Jun Henmi, Japanese author and poet (b. 1939)

2011 – Pamela Ann Rymer, American lawyer and judge (b. 1941)

2012 – José Curbelo, Cuban-American pianist and manager (b. 1917)

2012 – Yehuda Elkana, Israeli historian and philosopher (b. 1934)

2012 – Sven Hassel, Danish-German soldier and author (b. 1917)

2012 – Bill King, English commander, sailor, and author (b. 1910)

2012 – Tom Umphlett, American baseball player and manager (b. 1930)

2013 – Ruhila Adatia-Sood, Kenyan journalist and radio host (b. 1982)

2013 – Kofi Awoonor, Ghanaian author, poet, and diplomat (b. 1935)

2013 – Michel Brault, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1928)

2013 – Harl H. Haas, Jr., American lawyer, jurist, and politician (b. 1932)

2013 – Walter Wallmann, German lawyer and politician, Minister-President of Hesse (b. 1932)

2013 – Ko Wierenga, Dutch lawyer and politician (b. 1933)

2014 – Michael Harari, Israeli intelligence officer (b. 1927)

2014 – Caldwell Jones, American basketball player and coach (b. 1950)

2014 – Sheldon Patinkin, American director and playwright (b. 1935)

2015 – Ben Cauley, American trumpet player and songwriter (b. 1947)

2015 – Yoram Gross, Polish-Australian director and producer (b. 1926)

2015 – Ray Warleigh, Australian-English saxophonist and flute player (b. 1938)

2015 – Richard Williamson, American footballer and coach (b. 1941)

Holidays and observances

Arbor Day (Netherlands), some municipalities)

Autumnal equinox observances in the Northern Hemisphere (generally, although it can fall on any day from Sept 21 to 24 {September equinox}), vernal equinox observances in the Southern Hemisphere (see September 22):

Arbor Day (Brazil)

Spring Day (Argentina)

Student's Day (Bolivia)

Christian feast day:

Laurent-Joseph-Marius Imbert (one of the Korean Martyrs)

Matthew the Evangelist (Western Church)

Nativity of the Theotokos (Orthodox Church, Julian calendar)

September 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Customs Service Day (Poland)

Founder's Day and National Volunteer Day (Ghana)

Independence Day (Armenia), celebrates the independence of Armenia from the Soviet Union in 1991.

Independence Day (Belize), celebrates the independence of Belize from the United Kingdom in 1981.

Independence Day (Malta), celebrates the independence of Malta from the United Kingdom in 1964.

International Day of Peace (International)

Victory over the Golden Horde in the Battle of Kulikovo (Russia)