September 16th

Events

• 1795 - United Kingdom conquers Cape Town, South Africa
• 1810 - Independence of Mexico from Spain, one of the Mexican Fiestas Patrias.
• 1893 - Oklahoma Land Race, settlers race for prime land in the Cherokee Strip
• 1908 - General Motors founded
• 1919 - American Legion incorporated
• 1940 - United States government begins Selective Service Act, instituting the draft
• 1940 - Sam Rayburn elected Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
• 1955 - Play-Doh is introduced to the world
• 1963 - Malaysia formed from Malaya, Singapore, British North Borneo and Sarawak
• 1975 - Papua New Guinea gains independence from Australia
• 1981 - Sugar Ray Leonard defeats Thomas Hearns by a knockout in round 14 in Las Vegas to unify boxing's world Welterweight championship.
• 1982 - Sabra and Shatila massacre
• 1991 - Manuel Noriega trial begins in the United States
• 1992 - Black Wednesday - the Pound Sterling is forced out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism and to devalue against the Deutschmark

Births

• 1638 - King Louis XIV of France
• 1823 - Francis Parkman, author († 1893)
• 1875 - James C. Penney, department store founder († 1971)
• 1886 - Jean Arp, sculptor, painter, and poet († 1966)
• 1893 - Alexander Korda, film director († 1956)
• 1914 - Allen Funt, radio & television personality († 1999)
• 1924 - Lauren Bacall, actress
• 1925 - BB King, musician
• 1925 - Charlie Byrd, jazz musician († 1999)
• 1927 - Peter Falk, actor, best known for Columbo
• 1934 - Elgin Baylor, National Basketball Association star
• 1934 - George Chakiris, actor
• 1935 - Carl Andre, artist
• 1939 - Breyten Breytenbach, South African poet, writer and painter
• 1943 - James Alan McPherson, Pulitzer Prize winner for fiction
• 1947 - Russ Abbott, comedian
• 1949 - Ed Begley Jr, actor
• 1950 - Loyd Grossman, TV presenter
• 1950 - Mickey Rourke, actor
• 1955 - Janet Ellis, former Blue Peter presenter
• 1955 - Yolandita Monge, Puerto Rican singer of international fame
• 1956 - David Copperfield, magician
• 1958 - Orel Hershiser, baseball pitcher
• 1958 - Jennifer Tilly, actress
• 1963 - Richard Marx, singer
• 1964 - Mingo Vega, dentist
• 1964 - Molly Shannon, Saturday Night Live star
• 1969 - Mark Anthony, singer

Deaths

• 1736 - Gabriel Fahrenheit, physicist
• 1977 - Marc Bolan, rock singer
• 1977 - Maria Callas, opera singer
• 1824 - Louis XVIII of France
• 1996 - McGeorge Bundy, National Security Advisor
• 2001 - Samuel A. Arkoff, film producer

Holidays

• Mexico - Independence Day
• In ancient Greece, the third day of the Eleusinian mysteries, when the initiates walked to the sea at Phaleron and purified themselves in the water.

September 15 · September 17 · August 16 · October 16 · more historical anniversaries

See Also: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December - more historical anniversaries

Referenced By