Browse Historical Events by Month:
Battles, deaths, and monumental religious moments. Explore significant events from September that helped shape the world. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
Note: Sources for the historical content shown, include research and reviews of relevant Online History Resources or printed material. When possible, we show a link to a source which provides additional or unique perspective about the event.
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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
Guinea-Bissau Independence from Portugal is formally recognized. Their Independence Day is celebrated on September 24, the day in 1973, when they declared their independence, during the Guinea-Bissau War of Independence from Portugal. Guinea-Bissau is a tropical country on West Africa’s Atlantic coast that’s known for national parks and wildlife.
Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, a member of the Manson Family, attempts to assassinate President Gerald Ford in Sacramento, California. Fromme pointed a .45-caliber pistol at Ford but was immediately restrained by Secret Service agent Larry Buendorf before she could fire.
Her gun failed to fire because she had deliberately not chambered a round, though she had loaded the magazine. After Fromme’s assassination attempt, Ford went on to speak before the California legislature. The main topic of his speech was crime. Fromme was sentenced to life in prison for the crime and was eventually paroled in 2009 after serving 34 years.
Elizabeth Ann Seton is canonized by Pope Paul VI in St. Peter's Square in Rome, becoming the first native-born saint of the United States. More
Papua New Guinea Independence Day from Australia. Officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia. Its 2021 official estimated population was 12 million, estimates using satellite data put the number closer to 17 million.
Sara Jane Moore attempts to assassinate US President Gerald Ford after he had made an address to the World Affairs Council in San Francisco. Moore fired two shots at the President with a .38 Special revolver, both of which missed.
Ford had survived a previous assassination attempt 17 days earlier;On January 15, 1976, Moore was sentenced to life in prison for the attempt, . On January 15, 1976, Sara Jane Moore was sentenced to life in prison for attempting to assassinate President Gerald Ford. She was released on parole on December 31, 2007.
The Indonesian province of East Timor declares its independence from Portugal, leading to an Indonesian invasion and subsequent occupation that lasted until 1999.
Viking 2 lands on Mars at Utopia Planitia Mars after a nearly year long journey and begins relaying information about the planet's atmosphere and soil as well as color photographs of the rocky surface.
Like its predecessor, the Viking 2 mission consisted of a lander and an orbiter designed to take high-resolution images and study the Martian surface and atmosphere. The Viking Orbiter 2 functioned until July 25, 1978. The last data from Viking Lander 2 arrived at Earth on April 11, 1980. More
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Mao Zedong dies in Beijing at age 82 (1893 - 1976). Mao's CCP-flag-draped body lay in state at the Great Hall of the People for one week where an estimated one million people, including diplomatic envoys, leaders of foreign communist parties, and foreign nationals in China paid their final respects.
A three-minute moment of silence was observed in honor of the leader at the start of the 30-minute public funeral in Tiananmen Square, with reports that nearly all of China’s 800 million residents stood in silent tribute.
NASA Space Shuttle Enterprise makes its Public Debut as it rolls out from its manufacturing plant in Palmdale, California. Enterprise was a test vehicle, built without engines or heat shields, specifically for atmospheric and landing tests. The program collected valuable data to prepare for future space flights for other operational shuttle vehicles. More
