What Happened Today in History on September 1

It is believed that the University of Oxford was founded in 1096, although its exact founding date is not officially recorded; records show teaching had already begun by 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world. The university's growth accelerated around 1167, after Henry II banned English students from attending the University of Paris. More

The French conquest of Cochinchina (Vietnam) begins.

The Carrington Event was the most intense geomagnetic storm in recorded history. It was associated with a very bright solar flare and it created strong auroral displays that were reported globally and caused sparking and even fires in multiple telegraph stations. The geomagnetic storm was most likely the result of a coronal mass ejection (CME) from the Sun colliding with Earth's magnetosphere. Expand +

Confederate forces evacuated Atlanta under the command of General John Bell Hood, following a prolonged siege by Union General William Tecumseh Sherman, leading to the city's surrender to Union forces the following day.  Expand +

The powerful magnitude 8.2 Kanto earthquake and the ensuing 39.5 feet tsunami kills more than 140,000 people in Yokohama and Tokyo. Over the next ten days, the region experienced 1,197 aftershocks. More

World War II effectively begins with Hitlers Germany's invasion of Poland. The German army blitzkrieg tactics quickly overpower the Polish forces. Britain and France declared war on Germany two days later on September 3.  Expand +

Libya's King Idris is removed from power in a coup d'état led by Muammar Qaddafi and the Free Patriotic Officers Movement Qaddafi remained in control of Libya until October 20, 2011 when he was also deposed in a violent coup inspired by the Arab Spring protests.

The deadliest hurricane of the 20th century, Hurricane Celia, makes landfall in Texas, causing widespread destruction and resulting in 11 deaths.

Bobby Fischer becomes the first American to win the World Chess Championship by defeating Boris Spassky, becoming the 11th World Chess Champion and ending 24 years of Soviet dominance. Fischer was the World Chess Champion for three years, from 1972 to 1975 but forfeited his title in 1975 without defending it, leading to Anatoly Karpov becoming the next champion.

Korean Air Flight 007 is shot down by Soviet Union forces after it strays significantly into restricted Soviet airspace due to navigation errors where it was mistakenly identified as a hostile reconnaissance aircraft during a period of high Cold War tension. The South Korean airliner eventually crashed in in the Sea of Japan killing all 269 passengers and crew on board. More

Uzbekistan, officially the Republic of Uzbekistan Independence Day from the Soviet Union. It is located in Central Asia and has a population of more than 37.6 million, making it the most populous country in Central Asia.  Expand +

The Beslan school Islamic terrorist attack begins in North Ossetia, Russia. A group of armed militants takes over resulting in a three days hostage crisis of more than 1,100 people and the tragic deaths of 334 of them including 186 children. as well as 31 of the attackers. It is considered the deadliest school shooting in history.

The Eurozone officially enters a recession, as confirmed by the European Union's statistical agency Eurostat, following the global financial crisis that began in 2008.