Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) experiences widespread protests led by Buddhist monks and activists, known as the Saffron Revolution, demanding democratic reforms and an end to military rule.
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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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Lehman Brothers, one of the largest investment banks in the world, files for bankruptcy, marking the beginning of the global financial crisis that would have far-reaching effects on the global economy.
The stock market experiences a significant drop as the Dow Jones Industrial Average falls 777.68 points, the largest single-day point decline at that time, reflecting the deepening financial crisis and concerns over the global economy.
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.
The 9/11 Memorial Museum opens to the public in New York City, commemorating the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and preserving the history and memory of the tragic event.
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) successfully impact the Moon's surface as part of a mission to search for water ice in the permanently shadowed regions of the lunar poles.
The Canterbury earthquake strikes the South Island of New Zealand with a magnitude of 7.1 Some damaging aftershocks followed, the strongest of which was a magnitude 6.3 shock known as the Christchurch earthquake that occurred nearly six months later on 22 February 2011 and was much more destructive due to its proximity to Christchurch, and resulted in the deaths of 185 people.
A massive gas line pipeline explosion in the Crestmoor residential neighborhood of San Bruno, California quickly engulfs nearby houses. Eight people perished, 58 were reported injured and many homes were destroyed.
The utility giant PG&E was convicted of six felony charges connected to the 2010 San Bruno pipeline explosion. PG&E's sentence included a $3 million fine, a five-year probation period, independent safety monitoring and 10,000 hours of community service. In addition PG&E was mandated to take out full-page ads in the San Francisco Chronicle and Wall Street Journal, in addition to 60-second television ads, detailing the nature of PG&E's offenses and the steps the company was taking to prevent future offenses and disasters.
The U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, is attacked.
The Occupy Wall Street movement begins in New York City. Inspired by the Arab Spring, the protest was initiated by the anti-consumerist magazine Adbusters and targeted economic inequality and corporate greed in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. More
The "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy is officially repealed.
Widespread and violent protests erupt in Muslim-majority countries in response to the anti-Islamic video, Innocence of Muslims. The demonstrations were sparked by a crudely made 14-minute film produced in the United States and uploaded to YouTube that portrayed the Prophet Muhammad in a derogatory manner.
The protests led to more than 50 deaths and hundreds of injuries. The film was a trailer for a full-length movie produced by Mark Basseley Youssef, formerly known as Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, an Egyptian-American writer, producer, Coptic Christian living in California. He later served time in Jail on an related charges.
Diana Nyad, 64, makes record swim from Cuba to Key West, Florida. However her crossing was not conducted under the supervision of an organized sporting association, and ratification of the accomplishment was later denied by the World Open Water Swimming Association (WOWSA). Guinness World Records initially certified Nyad's achievement, but revoked its certification after considering the findings by WOWSA. More
A terrorist attack occurs at the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya.
Scotland holds a referendum on independence from the United Kingdom. The "No" side won with 2,001,926 (55.3%) voting against independence.
Ahmed Mohamed a Muslim teenager takes a reassembled home made clock to his Irving, on the outskirts of Dallas, Texas school. Ahmed, a model student, showed the clock to his science teacher but later another teacher saw it and reported it to the School Administration and the police was called. Mohamed was taken to a juvenile detention facility for fingerprinting and photographing, under suspicion of bringing a hoax bomb.
He was handcuffed and accused of making a "fake bomb", He was later released and the charges were dropped but he was suspended from school for three days. Two days later, President Obama twitted “Cool clock, Ahmed, Want to bring it to the White House? We should inspire more kids like you to like science. It’s what makes America great.” Ahmed took him up on the invitation and visited the White House. After the visit his family announced that Ahmed had received and accepted, an scholarship from the Qatar Qatar Foundation for Education, to study in the Middle East. More
World leaders adopt the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the United Nations. The conference took place at the UN Headquarters in New York City from September 25 to 27, 2015. More
Mother Teresa, the founder of the Order of the Missionaries of Charity and winner of the 1979 Nobel Prize for Peace, is canonized by Pope Francis I. Mother Teresa died on 5 September 1997. More
The International Criminal Court convicts Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdiu guilty of the war crime of intentionally directing attacks against religious and historical buildings in Timbuktu, Mali. Al-Mahdi, an Islamist rebel and member of Ansar Eddine, was sentenced to nine years in prison for the destruction of cultural heritage, which occurred between June and July 2012.
A powerful 7.1 Mw earthquake strikes Mexico. close to the city of Puebla. rocking the states of Puebla and Morelos as well as the e Greater Mexico City area and causing significant damage. This earthquake came after another a stronger 8.2 Mw earthquake struck on September 7 off the Pacific coast in the Gulf of Tehuantepec, near the state of Chiapas.