The first-ever televised U.S. presidential candidate debate takes place between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. More
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What Happened in September?
Battles, deaths, and monumental religious moments. Explore significant events from September that helped shape the world. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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The 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, is bombed by white supremacists, resulting in the deaths of four young African-American girls.
Malaysia is formed by Malaya, Singapore, British North Borneo (Sabah) and Sarawak. Almost two years later, following a period of political and racial tensions, Singapore was separated from Malaysia and became an independent nation on August 9 1965. More
Malta Independence Day from the U.K. Officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa with a population of about 542,000.
The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy, known unofficially as the Warren Commission, delivers its report to President Lyndon B. Johnson. The report was made public three days later. More
A ceasefire between India and Pakistan goes into effect, ending the second Indo-Pakistani War. More
Fidel Castro announces that any Cuban who wished to leave the country was free to do so. . The announcement took place six years after the Cuban revolution and four years after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion supported by the CIA. The proclamation resulted in hundreds of thousands of Cuban immigrants emigrating to Florida.
Botswana Independence day from the UK (Effective date of the Botswana Independence Act 1966).
Eswatini Independence day from the UK. formally the Kingdom of Eswatini, also known by its former official names Swaziland. In April 2018, the official name was changed from Kingdom of Swaziland to Kingdom of Eswatini.
It is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered by South Africa on all sides except the northeast, where it shares a border with Mozambique. The executive capital and largest city is Mbabane, and the legislative and second capital is Lobamba. Its 2023 population estimate is 1.3 Million. The government is an absolute monarchy, the last of its kind in Africa,
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 first ATM in the U.S goes live at one of Chemical Bank’s New York branches.. The bank was concerned that people would reject the idea of a cash machine that handled their money and saw such an expense as a big risk. However, the public quickly accepted the new machines and people were even willing to pay a small fee to use them. More
Lt. William Calley. is charged with the premeditated murder in the death of 109 Vietnamese civilians including women and children at My Lai. when he was commanding an army platoon. Calley, was convicted of murder in the My Lai Massacre and he was sentenced to be dismissed from the Army and to be confined at hard labor for life.
On August 1971, Lieutenant General Albert O. Connor, commanding general of Third U.S. Army, reduced Calley’s sentence to twenty years confinement. In April 1974, the Secretary of the Army, Howard H. Callaway, further reduced Calley’s sentence to ten years confinement, making Calley eligible for parole in 6 months. He was pardoned by President Richard Nixon in 1974 after serving about a third of his 10-year sentence and was released in November 1974 having served three years of house arrest for the murders. More
The deadliest hurricane of the 20th century, Hurricane Celia, makes landfall in Texas, causing widespread destruction and resulting in 11 deaths.
Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, declares independence from Britain after negotiations with neighboring sheikhdoms (present day United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) and Bahrain). The earlier Protectory agreement with Britain was replaced with a treaty of friendship. Qatar's 2024 population was estimated to be 3.2 Million.
The Attica State Prison riot in Attica, New York ends. The riot ended with the highest number of fatalities in the history of United States prison uprisings, after New York Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller ordered the State Police to regain control of the prison by force.
The riot started four days earlier on September 9, with a violent takeover of the prison control center in which one prison officer, William Quinn, was killed. Of the 43 men who died (33 inmates and 10 correctional officers and employees), all but one guard and three inmates were killed by law enforcement gunfire, when the state retook control of the prison on the final day of the uprising. the facility housed 2,250 inmates at the time but had a maximum capacity of 1,600. More
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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.
The Palestinian terrorist group Black September attacks the Israeli Olympic team at the Munich Summer Olympics, resulting in the deaths of 11 Israeli athletes and coaches.
A military coup takes place in Chile, led by General Augusto Pinochet, overthrowing democratically elected socialist President Salvador Allende. This event marks the beginning of a brutal military dictatorship that would last for nearly 17 years during which over 2,300 people were killed, more than 30,000 tortured, and sent tens of thousands into exile.
Reportedly, President Allende shot himself to death as troops stormed the burning palace. Many declassified documents have been released over the years which point to U.S involvement in Chile's Coup, while many other documents potentially central to understanding the exact role of the U.S. in Chile, during the 1960s and 1970s remain classified. More
Guinea-Bissau Independence Day - Declaration of independence during the Guinea-Bissau War of Independence from Portugal. Their independence was formally recognized in September 10, 1974. Guinea-Bissau is a tropical country on West Africa’s Atlantic coast that’s known for national parks and wildlife.
President Gerald Ford grants a full pardon to former President Richard Nixon “a full, free, and absolute pardon ... for all offenses against the United States which he, Richard Nixon, has committed or may have committed or taken part in” while in office.“ More