On This Day — September 21

Famous events, births, and deaths from September 21 in history, plus the public holidays, religious observances, sports, and national days happening on this date today.

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42 events · 240 births · 91 deaths recorded for September 21.

🕰️ Notable Events on September 21

2013 — Al-Shabaab Islamic militants attack the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya, killing at least 67 people. Wikipedia ↗
2003 — The Galileo Probe is terminated by sending it into Jupiter. Wikipedia ↗
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. Wikipedia ↗
2001 — Increased racial tensions in Peterborough, England following the September 11 attacks result in the murder of Ross Parker by a gang of ten Muslims in a racially motivated attack. Wikipedia ↗
1999 — Chi-Chi earthquake occurs in central Taiwan, leaving about 2,400 people dead. Wikipedia ↗
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. Wikipedia ↗
1993 — Russian President Boris Yeltsin suspends parliament and scraps the then-functioning constitution, thus triggering the Russian constitutional crisis of 1993. Wikipedia ↗
1991 — Armenia gains independence from the Soviet Union. Wikipedia ↗
1984 — Brunei joins the United Nations. Wikipedia ↗
1981 — Belize is granted full independence from the United Kingdom. Wikipedia ↗
1981 — Sandra Day O'Connor is unanimously approved by the U.S. Senate as the first female Supreme Court justice. Wikipedia ↗
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. Wikipedia ↗
1976 — Seychelles joins the United Nations. Wikipedia ↗
1972 — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos signs Proclamation № 1081, placing the entire country under martial law and marking the beginning of his authoritarian rule. Wikipedia ↗
1971 — Bahrain, Bhutan and Qatar join the United Nations. Wikipedia ↗
1965 — The Gambia, Maldives and Singapore are admitted as members of the United Nations. Wikipedia ↗
1964 — Malta gains independence from the United Kingdom but remains in the Commonwealth. Wikipedia ↗
1964 — The North American XB-70 Valkyrie, the world's first Mach 3 bomber, makes its maiden flight from Palmdale, California. Wikipedia ↗
1953 — Lieutenant No Kum-sok, a North Korean pilot, defects to South Korea and is associated with Operation Moolah. Wikipedia ↗
1949 — The People's Republic of China is established in Beijing. Wikipedia ↗
1942 — The Holocaust in Ukraine: On the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, Nazis send over 1,000 Jews of Pidhaitsi to Bełżec extermination camp. Wikipedia ↗
1942 — The Holocaust 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. Wikipedia ↗
1942 — In Dunaivtsi, Ukraine, Nazis murder 2,588 Jews. Wikipedia ↗
1942 — The Boeing B-29 Superfortress makes its maiden flight. Wikipedia ↗
1939 — Romanian Prime Minister Armand Călinescu is assassinated by far-right legionnaires of the fascist paramilitary organization Iron Guard. Wikipedia ↗
1938 — The Great Hurricane of 1938 makes landfall on Long Island in New York. The death toll is estimated at 500-700 people. Wikipedia ↗
1937 — J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit is published. Wikipedia ↗
1934 — A large typhoon hits western Honshū, Japan, killing more than three thousand people. Wikipedia ↗
1933 — Salvador Lutteroth ran the first ever EMLL (now CMLL) show in Mexico, marking the birth of Lucha libre. Wikipedia ↗
1921 — A storage silo in Oppau, Germany, explodes, killing 500-600 people. Wikipedia ↗
1898 — Empress Dowager Cixi seizes power and ends the Hundred Days' Reform in China. Wikipedia ↗
1896 — Mahdist War: British forces under the command of Horatio Kitchener takes Dongola in the Sudan. Wikipedia ↗
1860 — Second Opium War: An Anglo-French force defeats Chinese troops at the Battle of Palikao. Wikipedia ↗
1843 — John Williams Wilson takes possession of the Strait of Magellan on behalf of the newly independent Chilean government. Wikipedia ↗
1792 — French Revolution: The National Convention declares France a republic and abolishes the absolute monarchy. Wikipedia ↗
1780 — American Revolutionary War: Benedict Arnold gives the British the plans to West Point. Wikipedia ↗
1776 — Part of New York City is burned shortly after being occupied by British forces. Wikipedia ↗
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 Wikipedia ↗
1435 — The Congress of Arras causes Burgundy to switch sides in the Hundred Years' War. Wikipedia ↗
1217 — Livonian Crusade: The Estonian leader Lembitu and Livonian leader Kaupo the Accursed are killed in Battle of Matthew's Day. Wikipedia ↗
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. Wikipedia ↗
455 — Emperor Avitus enters Rome with a Gallic army and consolidates his power. Wikipedia ↗

🎂 Notable Births on September 21

1998 — Máscara de Bronce, Mexican wrestler Wikipedia ↗
1993 — Kwon Mina, South Korean singer and actress Wikipedia ↗
1993 — Derik Osede, Spanish footballer Wikipedia ↗
1992 — Kim Jong-dae, Korean singer, Band Exo Wikipedia ↗
1992 — Rodrigo Godínez, Mexican footballer Wikipedia ↗
1991 — Anastassia Kovalenko, Estonian motorcycle racer Wikipedia ↗
1990 — Al-Farouq Aminu, American basketball player Wikipedia ↗
1990 — Danny Batth, English footballer Wikipedia ↗
1990 — Ivan Dorschner, American-Filipino model and actor Wikipedia ↗
1990 — Sam Kasiano, New Zealand rugby league player Wikipedia ↗
1989 — Jason Derulo, American singer-songwriter Wikipedia ↗
1989 — Sandor Earl, Australian rugby league player Wikipedia ↗
1989 — Emma Watkins, Australian singer and actress Wikipedia ↗
1988 — Doug Baldwin, American football player Wikipedia ↗
1988 — Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Pakistani politician Wikipedia ↗
1987 — Jimmy Clausen, American football player Wikipedia ↗
1987 — Anthony Don, Australian rugby league player Wikipedia ↗
1987 — Marcelo Estigarribia, Paraguayan footballer Wikipedia ↗
1987 — Murilo Maccari, Brazilian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1987 — Ashley Paris, American basketball player Wikipedia ↗
1987 — Courtney Paris, American basketball player Wikipedia ↗
1987 — Michał Pazdan, Polish footballer Wikipedia ↗
1987 — Ivelisse Vélez, Puerto Rican wrestler Wikipedia ↗
1986 — Faris Badwan, English singer-songwriter Wikipedia ↗
1986 — Lindsey Stirling, American violinist and composer Wikipedia ↗
1985 — Justin Durant, American football player Wikipedia ↗
1984 — Ben Wildman-Tobriner, American swimmer Wikipedia ↗
1983 — Fernando Cavenaghi, Argentinian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1983 — Kristian Gidlund, Swedish drummer and journalist (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
1983 — Maggie Grace, American actress Wikipedia ↗
1983 — Greg Jennings, American football player Wikipedia ↗
1983 — Joseph Mazzello, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
1982 — Eduardo Azevedo, Brazilian race car driver Wikipedia ↗
1982 — Christos Tapoutos, Greek basketball player Wikipedia ↗
1982 — Rowan Vine, English footballer Wikipedia ↗
1981 — Nicole Richie, American actress, fashion designer, and author Wikipedia ↗
1980 — Nyree Kindred, Welsh swimmer Wikipedia ↗
1980 — Tomas Scheckter, South African race car driver Wikipedia ↗
1980 — Autumn Reeser, American actress Wikipedia ↗
1979 — James Allan, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist Wikipedia ↗
1979 — Richard Dunne, Irish footballer Wikipedia ↗
1979 — Chris Gayle, Jamaican cricketer Wikipedia ↗
1979 — Julian Gray, English footballer Wikipedia ↗
1979 — Monika Merl, German runner Wikipedia ↗
1978 — Paulo Costanzo, Canadian actor, director, and producer Wikipedia ↗
1978 — Luke Godden, Australian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1978 — Doug Howlett, New Zealand rugby player Wikipedia ↗
1977 — Kārlis Lācis, Latvian pianist and composer Wikipedia ↗
1977 — Andre Pärn, Estonian basketball player Wikipedia ↗
1977 — Kohei Sato, Japanese wrestler Wikipedia ↗
1977 — Brian Tallet, American baseball player Wikipedia ↗
1976 — Jonas Bjerre, Danish singer-songwriter and guitarist Wikipedia ↗
1976 — Poul Hübertz, Danish footballer and manager Wikipedia ↗
1975 — Doug Davis, American baseball player Wikipedia ↗
1974 — Bryce Drew, American basketball player and coach Wikipedia ↗
1974 — Jana Kandarr, German tennis player Wikipedia ↗
1974 — Andy Todd, English footballer and manager Wikipedia ↗
1973 — Vanessa Grigoriadis, American journalist and author Wikipedia ↗
1973 — Virginia Ruano Pascual, Spanish tennis player Wikipedia ↗
1973 — Oswaldo Sánchez, Mexican footballer Wikipedia ↗
1972 — Olivia Bonamy, French actress Wikipedia ↗
1972 — Liam Gallagher, English singer-songwriter Wikipedia ↗
1972 — Jon Kitna, American football player and coach Wikipedia ↗
1971 — John Crawley, English cricketer and academic Wikipedia ↗
1971 — Alfonso Ribeiro, American actor and golf player Wikipedia ↗
1971 — Luke Wilson, American actor, director, and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
1970 — Melissa Ferrick, American singer-songwriter and guitarist Wikipedia ↗
1970 — Samantha Power, Irish-American journalist, academic, and diplomat, 28th United States Ambassador to the United Nations Wikipedia ↗
1969 — Anne Burrell, American chef and television host Wikipedia ↗
1969 — Jason Christiansen, American baseball player Wikipedia ↗
1969 — Curtis Leschyshyn, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
1968 — David Jude Jolicoeur, American rapper, songwriter, and producer (De La Soul) Wikipedia ↗
1968 — Ricki Lake, American actress, producer, and talk show host Wikipedia ↗
1967 — Faith Hill, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress Wikipedia ↗
1967 — Tyler Stewart, Canadian drummer Wikipedia ↗
1966 — Kerrin Lee-Gartner, Canadian skier and journalist Wikipedia ↗
1965 — Frédéric Beigbeder, French author and critic Wikipedia ↗
1965 — Cheryl Hines, American actress Wikipedia ↗
1965 — Johanna Vuoksenmaa, Finnish director and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
1964 — Jorge Drexler, Uruguayan singer-songwriter Wikipedia ↗
1964 — Lester Quitzau, Canadian guitarist Wikipedia ↗
1963 — Curtly Ambrose, Antiguan cricketer and bass player Wikipedia ↗
1963 — Cecil Fielder, American baseball player and manager Wikipedia ↗
1963 — Angus Macfadyen, Scottish actor and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
1963 — Mamoru Samuragochi, Japanese composer Wikipedia ↗
1963 — Trevor Steven, English footballer Wikipedia ↗
1963 — David J. Wales, British academic and educator Wikipedia ↗
1962 — Rob Morrow, American actor Wikipedia ↗
1961 — Billy Collins, Jr., American boxer (d. 1984) Wikipedia ↗
1961 — Dan Borislow, American businessman, invented the magicJack (d. 2014) Wikipedia ↗
1961 — Nancy Travis, American actress and producer Wikipedia ↗
1960 — David James Elliott, Canadian-American actor and director Wikipedia ↗
1960 — Masoumeh Ebtekar, Iranian journalist, politician and scientist, first woman Vice President of Iran Wikipedia ↗
1960 — Kelley Eskridge, American author and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
1960 — Musalia Mudavadi, Kenyan politician and Former Deputy Prime Minister Wikipedia ↗
1960 — Graham Southern, English art dealer and gallery owner Wikipedia ↗
1960 — Maurizio Cattelan, Italian sculptor Wikipedia ↗
1959 — Crin Antonescu, Romanian educator and politician, former Interim President of Romania Wikipedia ↗
1959 — Andrzej Buncol, Polish footballer Wikipedia ↗
1959 — Dave Coulier, American actor, comedian, producer, and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
1959 — Danny Cox, English-American baseball player and coach Wikipedia ↗
1959 — Corinne Drewery, English singer-songwriter (Swing Out Sister) and fashion designer Wikipedia ↗
1958 — Rick Mahorn, American basketball player and coach Wikipedia ↗
1958 — Simon Mayo, English radio host Wikipedia ↗
1957 — Ethan Coen, American director, producer, and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
1957 — Mark Levin, American lawyer, radio host, and author Wikipedia ↗
1957 — Sidney Moncrief, American basketball player and coach Wikipedia ↗
1957 — Kevin Rudd, Australian politician and diplomat, 26th Prime Minister of Australia Wikipedia ↗
1956 — Jack Givens, American basketball player and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
1956 — Marta Kauffman, American screenwriter and producer Wikipedia ↗
1956 — Ricky Morton, American wrestler Wikipedia ↗
1955 — Mika Kaurismäki, Finnish director, producer, and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
1955 — Richard Hieb, American engineer and astronaut Wikipedia ↗
1954 — Shinzō Abe, Japanese lawyer and politician, 90th Prime Minister of Japan Wikipedia ↗
1954 — Thomas S. Ray, American ecologist and academic Wikipedia ↗
1954 — Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor, English rock drummer (Motörhead) (d. 2015) Wikipedia ↗
1953 — Arie Luyendyk, Dutch race car driver and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
1953 — Reinhard Marx, German cardinal Wikipedia ↗
1952 — Dave Gregory, English guitarist and keyboard player Wikipedia ↗
1952 — John Taylor, Baron Taylor of Warwick, English lawyer and politician Wikipedia ↗
1951 — Bruce Arena, American soccer player and manager Wikipedia ↗
1951 — Aslan Maskhadov, Chechen general and politician, 3rd President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (d. 2005) Wikipedia ↗
1950 — Charles Clarke, English economist and politician, Secretary of State for Education Wikipedia ↗
1950 — Bill Murray, American actor, comedian, producer, and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
1949 — Henry Butler, American pianist and photographer Wikipedia ↗
1949 — Artis Gilmore, American basketball player and radio host Wikipedia ↗
1949 — Odilo Scherer, Brazilian cardinal Wikipedia ↗
1948 — Jack Dromey, English union leader and politician Wikipedia ↗
1948 — Mitsuo Momota, Japanese wrestler Wikipedia ↗
1947 — Don Felder, American musician and songwriter (Eagles) Wikipedia ↗
1947 — Keith Harris, English ventriloquist and singer (d. 2015) Wikipedia ↗
1947 — Stephen King, American author and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
1947 — Ed Nimmervoll, Austrian-Australian journalist, historian, and author (d. 2014) Wikipedia ↗
1947 — Marsha Norman, American playwright and author Wikipedia ↗
1946 — Rose Garrard, English sculptor and author Wikipedia ↗
1946 — Moritz Leuenberger, Swiss lawyer and politician, 87th President of the Swiss Confederation Wikipedia ↗
1946 — Mart Siimann, Estonian psychologist and politician, 12th Prime Minister of Estonia Wikipedia ↗
1945 — Richard Childress, American race car driver and businessman Wikipedia ↗
1945 — Shaw Clifton, Northern Irish 18th General of The Salvation Army Wikipedia ↗
1945 — Kay Ryan, American poet and educator Wikipedia ↗
1944 — Steve Beshear, American lawyer and politician, 61st Governor of Kentucky Wikipedia ↗
1944 — Marcus Binney, English historian and author Wikipedia ↗
1944 — Fannie Flagg, American actress, comedian, and author Wikipedia ↗
1944 — Hamilton Jordan, American politician, 8th White House Chief of Staff (d. 2008) Wikipedia ↗
1944 — Bobby Tench, English singer-songwriter and guitarist Wikipedia ↗
1943 — David Hood, American session bassist and trombone player (Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section) Wikipedia ↗
1943 — Jerry Bruckheimer, American film and television producer Wikipedia ↗
1942 — Sam McDowell, American baseball player Wikipedia ↗
1941 — Jack Brisco, American wrestler and manager (d. 2010) Wikipedia ↗
1941 — R. James Woolsey, Jr., American scholar and diplomat, 16th Director of Central Intelligence Wikipedia ↗
1940 — Ron Fenton, English footballer, coach, and manager (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
1940 — Hermann Knoflacher, Austrian engineer and academic Wikipedia ↗
1940 — Bill Kurtis, American journalist and producer Wikipedia ↗
1939 — Agnivesh, Indian philosopher, academic, and politician Wikipedia ↗
1938 — Doug Moe, American basketball player and coach Wikipedia ↗
1938 — Olu Falae, Nigerian politician and government official Wikipedia ↗
1937 — John D'Amico, Canadian ice hockey player and referee (d. 2005) Wikipedia ↗
1936 — Ian Albery, English manager and producer Wikipedia ↗