What Happened in September?

The world's first recorded automobile accident occurs in New York City, involving a motor vehicle and a cyclist.

Gold is discovered in Nome, Alaska, on September 20, 1898 by the "Three Lucky Swedes" (Jafet Lindeberg, Erik Lindblom, and John Brynteson) on Anvil Creek, leading to a massive gold rush. More

The United States captures the city of Manila during the Spanish-American War, establishing American control over the Philippines.

A major hurricane, the nation's deadliest natural disaster, destroys the island city of Galveston, with winds of 130 to 140 miles per hour and a storm surge in excess of 15 feet. It is believed that more than 8,000 lives on Galveston Island and several thousand more on the mainland were lost.  Expand +

William McKinley, the 25th president of the United States, is shot and mortally wounded by anarchist Leon Czolgosz at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. President McKinley died days later on September 14. Theodore Roosevelt was immediately sworn in as president.  Expand +

The Boxer Rebellion officially ends with the signing of the Boxer Protocol treaty between China's Qing Dynasty and the Eight-Nation Alliance. The Boxer Rebellion had started circa November 1899. The protocol also imposed a massive war indemnity on China and weakened the already struggling Qing government. The Qing dynasty was overthrown in 1911 and the Republic of China was established the following year, bringing an end to more than 2,000 years of imperial dynastic rule. Expand +

Theodore Roosevelt is inaugurated as the 26th President of the United States following the assassination of William McKinley.

Chief Joseph, of the Nez Perce Native American tribe, of the interior Pacific Northwest region of the US died in Nespelem, Washington, of an undiagnosed illness and what his doctor called "a broken heart." His tomb remains in Nespelem today. More

William Durant creates General Motors which included Buick and Oldsmobile on September 16, 1908. Less than 16 months later, Durant purchased other companies including Cadillac, Oakland (Pontiac), McLaughlin (GM Canada) and GMC. More

Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria Independence day from the Ottoman Empire. Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey to the south, Serbia and North Macedonia to the west, and Romania to the north. Bulgaria's estimated 2025 population is 6.5 Million and its capital city is Sofia. 

The very first Ford Model T, finishes assembly at the Piquette plant in Detroit. The production card lists it as Model 2090, car #1. It had 4 cylinders, 2 levers (the second for reverse), and 2 foot pedals. About 1,000 of these early Ts were produced. More

Inventor Rudolf Diesel disappeared from a steamer in route to London. His body was recovered on the shore days later. The circumstances surrounding his death are still a mystery. Some believe he may have committed suicide, while others speculate that he was murdered by coal industrialists. More

The First Battle of the Marne begins during World War I, resulting in a French and British victory pushing the Germans back from the Marne River and halting the German advance towards Paris, leading to the establishment of static trench warfare across the Western Front for the remainder of the war.

The German U-boat U-9 sinks three Royal Navy cruisers of the 7th Cruiser Squadron. The cruisers Aboukir, the Hogue and the Cressy were on patrol on the North Sea. The sinking eroded confidence in the British government and damaged the reputation of the Royal Navy, when many countries were still undecided about taking sides in the war.

A motor-driven German Zeppelin commanded by Heinrich Mathy, hits Central London at Aldersgate , during WWI killing 22 people and causing over 1.5 million pounds worth of property damage. More

The first true self service grocery store in the United States opens in Memphis, Tennessee. The store official name was Clarence Saunders' Piggly Wiggly Corporation and Clarence Saunders was the founder. He introduced a totally new approach to shopping as well as price-marked items, and franchising. Expand +

About 4500 U.S. troops land at Arkhangelsk, Russia (Archangel) as part of an Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War. Starting at 4500 military personnel the U.S. troops, peaked to about 13000. By the time they left in late 1919, 150 U.S. soldiers had been killed in action and about 100 more died from illness or accidents. More

Philadelphia Liberty Loan Parade, goes on as scheduled, bringing 200,000 Philadelphians together; taking place right after the pandemic commonly called the Spanish flu – the H1N1 virus – arrived in the city of 1.7 million people.  Expand +

The Hindenburg Line is finally broken by the allied force with Australian and US troops spearheading this battle, given the task of breaking defenses in the center. Advances were made, but it was a struggle between the two forces. The fighting lasted four days and resulted in heavy losses. More

A bomb carried in a horse carriage - approximately 100 pounds (45kg) of dynamite - exploded outside the J.P. Morgan building at 23 Wall Street, killing 40 people and seriously injuring 143. The bombing was never solved, although investigators and historians believe it was carried out by Galleanists, an anarchist group responsible for a series of bombings the previous year. More