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Note: Sources for the historical content shown, include research and reviews of relevant Online History Resources or printed material.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.
We do our best to provide accurate information but would appreciate being notified if any incorrect information is found. You may do so by using our Feedback link.
,_b._1850%20-%20PD%20-%20R.jpg?auto=format,compress&fit=clip&max-w=1600)
President George Washington crosses the Potomac to lay the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol. The ceremony held in the federal city included the Alexandria Volunteer Artillery, members of Masonic lodges from Virginia and Maryland. and large crowd, with a procession and a Masonic ritual. More
The British win the Battle of Muizenberg on September 15, 1795 and capture the Cape Town Colony, ending the Dutch East India Company’s role in the region.
In 1802, they relinquished the colony back to the Dutch with the signing of the Treaty of Amiens but the British reannexed it in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars with the Cape becoming a very important base prior to the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. More
George Washington Farewell address to the nation is published. Washington composed his political statement to the nation with the assistance of Alexander Hamilton and James Madison. It was designed to inspire and guide future generations, and embodied a classic statement of Federalist doctrine.
Washington believed, that the stability of the Republic and the eight year-old Constitution were threatened by the forces of geographical sectionalism, political factionalism, and interference by foreign powers in the nation’s domestic affairs. More
The USS Constellation, the first American warship under the Constitution, is launched on September 7, 1797 in Baltimore, Maryland. The 38-gun frigate was one of the original six frigates authorized by the Naval Act of 1794, it became the first U.S. Navy vessel to capture an enemy ship, defeating the French frigate L'Insurgente in 1799 during the Quasi-War.
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery, returns to St. Louis after completing their 28-month, 8,000-mile journey to the Pacific Ocean, to explore and map the western portion of the United States.
The explorers were met with a hearty welcome from the town's inhabitants, who gathered to celebrate their safe arrival and the successful completion of the first recorded round-trip overland crossing of North America.
Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a Catholic Parish priest, launches the Mexican War of Independence by issuing his "Grito de Dolores" (The Battle Cry of Dolores) from the church pulpit in the town of Dolores, calling for the end of of 300 years of the Spanish rule of Mexico, the redistribution of land and racial equality.
Soon after, a peasant army was marching toward Mexico City. Hidalgo was later captured and later eventually executed, on July 30, 1811. Mexican Independence is officially celebrated on September 16.
Chile's Independence Day . Officially The Republic of Chile. (Establishment of the Government Junta of Chile).
The Battle of Borodino takes place during Napoleon's invasion of Russia, resulting in a costly victory for the French forces.
Napoleon and his Grande Armée enter the city of Moscow and find it almost deserted with most of the 275,00 residents gone and lacking the supplies the French army needed. Then, the Russians started fires throughout the city. Three days later, more than two-thirds of the city was destroyed.
After waiting a few weeks for a surrender that never came and the threat of the approaching Russian winter, Napoleon ordered the French army to leave Moscow.
The U.S. Receives The Nickname 'Uncle Sam". During the War of 1812, Samuel Wilson, a meat packer from Troy, New York. was one of the suppliers to the U. S. Army. He labeled his barrels of beef with “U.S.” to indicate U.S. government property, but soldiers referred to the “U.S.” as Uncle Sam (Wilson). On September 7, 1813, a local newspaper picked up the story which eventually led to the widespread use of the nickname. Congress passed a resolution in 1961 that recognized Samuel Wilson as the inspiration for the symbol Uncle Sam.
The United States adopts the nickname "Uncle Sam" originating with the legend of Samuel Wilson, a meat packer from Troy, New York. Wilson supplied the army during the War of 1812. Soldiers began calling his barrels of beef, stamped with "U.S.", "Uncle Sam's".
The name, personifying the federal government, gained widespread acceptance. The term gained popularity in newspapers, and the iconic image of a man in a stars-and-stripes suit and a white beard was developed and popularized by political cartoonist Thomas Nast in the late 1860s and 1870s. This origin of the story was recognized by a Congressional resolution in 1961.
The battle of Plattsburgh, also called the Battle of Lake Champlain took place on September 11, 1814, concluding with an important American victory that saved New York from a British invasion via the Hudson River valley.
The Americans included 1,500 regulars and about 2,500 militia commanded by Gen. Alexander Macomb, supported by a 14 ship American naval squadron under Commodore Thomas Macdonough. The British army of some 14,000 troops was commanded by Sir George Prevost. More
The poem "The Star-Spangled Banner" is written by Francis Scott Key during the bombardment of Fort McHenry, later becoming the national anthem of the United States. More
Guatemala Independence Day (Act of Independence of Central America).
.png?auto=format,compress&fit=clip&max-w=1600)
Honduras Independence Day (Act of Independence of Central America). On this day in 1821, the Act of Independence of Central America was signed, declaring the independence of several Central American countries, including Honduras, from Spanish rule. Honduras officially became a completely independent country on November 5, 1838, after it separated from the Federal Republic of Central America
El Salvador Independence Day (Act of Independence of Central America).
Costa Rica Independence Day (Act of Independence of Central America).
Nicaragua Independence Day (Act of Independence of Central America).
Brazil Independence day from Portugal (Declaration of independence by Pedro I of Brazil).
Joseph Marion Hernández becomes the first Hispanic American to be elected to the United States Congress. He represented the newly created Florida Territory. Hernandez was born a Spanish citizen in St. Augustine, FL. As of 2022, There are 52 Hispanic or Latino Members serving: 46 in the House, including 2 Delegates and the Resident Commissioner, and 7 in the Senate. More
