History of Today 11 September: Important Events, Births and Deaths

Welcome to History of Today 11 September. On this page, you can read important historical events, famous births, notable deaths and general knowledge facts related to 11 September. This information is useful for UPSC, SSC, Banking, Railway, State PSC and other competitive exams.

Last updated on 11 September 2026, 01:00 AM

Important Events on 11 September in History

11 Sep 2025: Progress MS-32 is launched to resupply the International Space Station. It is the 300th spacecraft launched to the ISS. Read more
11 Sep 2024: Hurricane Francine impacts the Gulf of Mexico, as a Category 2 hurricane. Read more
11 Sep 2024: Soyuz MS-26 is launched to the International Space Station, setting a record of 19 people in orbit at the same time. Read more
11 Sep 2023: The Libyan city of Derna experiences catastrophic floods after Storm Daniel causes two dams to collapse, killing thousands of people. Read more
11 Sep 2015: A crane collapses onto the Masjid al-Haram mosque in Saudi Arabia, killing 111 people and injuring 394 others. Read more
11 Sep 2012: A total of 315 people are killed in two garment factory fires in Pakistan. Read more
11 Sep 2012: The U.S. embassy in Benghazi, Libya is attacked, resulting in four deaths. Read more
11 Sep 2011: A dedication ceremony is held at the United States National September 11 Memorial on the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks in New York City, and the memorial opens to family members. Read more
11 Sep 2008: A major Channel Tunnel fire breaks out on a freight train, resulting in the closure of part of the tunnel for six months. Read more
11 Sep 2007: Russia tests the largest conventional weapon ever, the Father of All Bombs. Read more
11 Sep 2001: Nineteen members of al-Qaeda execute the September 11 attacks, a series of coordinated terrorist attacks that killed 2,977 people using four hijacked aircraft. Two aircraft crash into the World Trade Center in New York City, a third crashes into The Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, and a fourth into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Read more
11 Sep 1997: NASA's Mars Global Surveyor reaches Mars. Read more
11 Sep 1997: Kurkse tragedy: Fourteen Estonian soldiers of the Baltic Battalion are drowned or die of hypothermia during a training exercise in the Kurkse Strait. Read more
11 Sep 1997: After a nationwide referendum, Scotland votes to establish a devolved parliament within the United Kingdom. Read more
11 Sep 1995: The first game of the PCA World Chess Championship 1995, pitting incumbent champion Garry Kasparov against challenger Viswanathan Anand, takes place on the 107th floor of the World Trade Center's South Tower in New York City. Read more
11 Sep 1992: Hurricane Iniki strikes the island of Kauaʻi, Hawaii, killing 7 and causing $3.1bn in economic damages. Read more
11 Sep 1991: Continental Express Flight 2574 crashes in Colorado County, Texas, near Eagle Lake, killing 11 passengers and three crew. Read more
11 Sep 1990: A Faucett Boeing 727 disappears in the Atlantic Ocean while being flown from Malta to Peru. Read more
11 Sep 1989: Hungary announces that the East German refugees who had been housed in temporary camps were free to leave for West Germany. Read more
11 Sep 1985: Moimenta-Alcafache train crash, the worst railway accident to occur in Portugal. Read more
11 Sep 1982: The international forces that were guaranteeing the safety of Palestinian refugees following Israel's 1982 Invasion of Lebanon leave Beirut. Five days later, several thousand refugees are massacred in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps by Phalange forces. Read more
11 Sep 1980: A new constitution of Chile is established under the influence of then Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, which is subject to controversy in Chile today. Read more
11 Sep 1976: A bomb planted by a Croatian terrorist, Zvonko Bušić, is found at New York's Grand Central Terminal; one NYPD officer is killed trying to defuse it. Read more
11 Sep 1974: Eastern Air Lines Flight 212 crashes in Charlotte, North Carolina, killing 69 passengers and two crew. Read more
11 Sep 1973: A coup in Chile, headed by General Augusto Pinochet, topples the democratically elected president Salvador Allende. Read more
11 Sep 1973: JAT Airways Flight 769 crashes into the Maganik mountain range while on approach to Titograd Airport, killing 35 passengers and six crew. Read more
11 Sep 1972: The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit system begins passenger service. Read more
11 Sep 1971: The Egyptian Constitution becomes official. Read more
11 Sep 1971: The Festival Rock y Ruedas de Avándaro rock festival is held in the State of Mexico. It attracted more than 100,000 attendees during the Mexican Dirty War, a period marked by widespread political repression. Read more
11 Sep 1970: The Dawson's Field hijackers release 88 of their hostages. The remaining hostages, mostly Jews and Israeli citizens, are held until September 25. Read more
11 Sep 1968: Air France Flight 1611 crashes off Nice, France, killing 89 passengers and six crew. Read more
11 Sep 1968: John Eliot Gardiner conducts Monteverdi's Vespro della Beata Vergine with the Monteverdi Choir at the Proms. Read more
11 Sep 1967: China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) launched an attack on Indian posts at Nathu La, Sikkim, India, which resulted in military clashes. Read more
11 Sep 1965: Indo-Pakistani War: The Indian Army captures the town of Burki, just southeast of Lahore. Read more
11 Sep 1961: Hurricane Carla strikes the Texas coast as a Category 4 hurricane, the second strongest storm ever to hit the state. Read more
11 Sep 1954: Hurricane Edna hits New England (United States) as a Category 2 hurricane, causing significant damage and 29 deaths. Read more
11 Sep 1945: World War II: Batu Lintang camp, a Japanese-run POW and civilian internment camp on the island of Borneo, is liberated by Australian 9th Division forces. Read more
11 Sep 1944: World War II: RAF bombing raid on Darmstadt and the following firestorm kill 11,500. Read more
11 Sep 1943: World War II: German troops occupy Corsica and Kosovo-Metohija ending the Italian occupation of Corsica. Read more
11 Sep 1941: Construction begins on the Pentagon. Read more
11 Sep 1941: Charles Lindbergh makes his Des Moines speech accusing the British, Jews and FDR's administration of conspiring for war with Germany. Read more
11 Sep 1922: The Treaty of Kars is ratified in Yerevan, Armenia. Read more
11 Sep 1921: Nahalal, a Jewish moshav in Palestine, is settled. Read more
11 Sep 1919: United States Marine Corps invades Honduras. Read more
11 Sep 1916: The Quebec Bridge's central span collapses, killing 11 men. The bridge previously collapsed completely on August 29, 1907. Read more
11 Sep 1914: World War I: Australia invades German New Guinea, defeating a German contingent at the Battle of Bita Paka. Read more
11 Sep 1914: The Second Period of Russification: The teaching of the Russian language and Russian history in Finnish schools is ordered to be considerably increased as part of the forced Russification program in Finland run by Tsar Nicholas II. Read more
11 Sep 1905: The Ninth Avenue derailment occurs in New York City, killing 13. Read more
11 Sep 1903: The first race at the Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wisconsin is held. It is the oldest major speedway in the world. Read more
11 Sep 1897: After months of pursuit, generals of Menelik II of Ethiopia capture Gaki Sherocho, the last king of the Kaffa. Read more
11 Sep 1881: In the Swiss state of Glarus, a rockslide buries parts of the village of Elm, destroying 83 buildings and killing 115 people. Read more
11 Sep 1857: The Mountain Meadows massacre: Mormon settlers and Paiutes massacre 120 pioneers at Mountain Meadows, Utah. Read more
11 Sep 1852: Outbreak of Revolution of September 11 resulting in the State of Buenos Aires declaring independence as a Republic. Read more
11 Sep 1851: Christiana Resistance: Escaped slaves led by William Parker fight off and kill a slave owner who, with a federal marshal and an armed party, sought to seize three of his former slaves in Christiana, Pennsylvania, thereby creating a cause célèbre between slavery proponents and abolitionists. Read more
11 Sep 1840: An Anglo-Turkish force captures Beirut with the help of bombardment by an English fleet. Read more
11 Sep 1836: The Riograndense Republic is proclaimed by rebels after defeating Empire of Brazil's troops in the Battle of Seival, during the Ragamuffin War. Read more
11 Sep 1829: An expedition led by Isidro Barradas at Tampico, sent by the Spanish crown to retake Mexico, surrenders at the Battle of Tampico, marking the effective end of Spain's resistance to Mexico's campaign for independence. Read more
11 Sep 1814: War of 1812: The climax of the Battle of Plattsburgh, a major United States victory in the war. Read more
11 Sep 1813: War of 1812: British troops arrive in Mount Vernon and prepare to march to and invade Washington, D.C. Read more
11 Sep 1803: The Battle of Delhi, during the Second Anglo-Maratha War, between British troops under General Lake, and Marathas of Scindia's army under General Louis Bourquin ends in a British victory. Read more
11 Sep 1802: France annexes the Kingdom of Piedmont. Read more
11 Sep 1800: The Maltese National Congress Battalions are disbanded by British Civil Commissioner Alexander Ball. Read more

Famous Births on 11 September

11 Sep 2006: Oliver Peake, Australian cricketer Oliver John Peake is a professional Australian cricketer who has represented Australia in One Day International cricket, and plays Australian domestic cricket for Victoria and the Melbourne Renegades. He is a left-handed batsman and right-arm off-break bowler. Read more
11 Sep 2001: Joseph Fahnbulleh, Liberian-American sprinter Joseph Blowadeh Siafa Fahnbulleh is a Liberian-American sprinter. An Olympic finalist, Fahnbulleh is a double NCAA champion and finished fourth at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in the 200 meters race. Read more
11 Sep 2001: Nicholas Robertson, American ice hockey player Nicholas Robertson is an American professional ice hockey player who is a left winger for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected 53rd overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2019 NHL entry draft. He made his NHL debut with the Maple Leafs during the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, where he had one goal in four games. He is the younger brother of Jason Robertson of the Dallas Stars. Read more
11 Sep 2000: Leandro Bolmaro, Argentine-Italian basketball player Leandro Nicolás Bolmaro is an Argentine-Italian professional basketball player for Olimpia Milano of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. He also represents the senior Argentina national team. Read more
11 Sep 2000: Zay Flowers, American football player Xavien "Zay" Kevonn Flowers is an American professional football wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Boston College Eagles and was selected by the Ravens in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft. Read more
11 Sep 1997: Harmony Tan, French tennis player Harmony Tan is a French professional tennis player.
Tan has career-high WTA rankings of 90 in singles and 302 in doubles. She has won 13 singles titles and one doubles title on the ITF Circuit. Read more
11 Sep 1996: Ross Colton, American professional ice hockey player Ross Colton is an American professional ice hockey player who is a center for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Read more
11 Sep 1994: Teuvo Teräväinen, Finnish ice hockey player Teuvo Henri Matias Teräväinen is a Finnish professional ice hockey player who is a forward for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the first round, 18th overall, of the 2012 NHL entry draft by the Blackhawks after playing several seasons with the Jokerit organization in Finland. Also being drafted by the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL)'s Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the 2011 KHL Junior Draft, he is known for his offensive abilities and play-making skills. In 2015, Teräväinen won a Stanley Cup as a member of the Blackhawks. Read more
11 Sep 1994: Nicky Case, Canadian game developer Nicky Case is a Canadian indie game developer, web designer, and critical theorist. She has developed interactive websites and online video games such as Coming Out Simulator, Explorable Explanations, We Become What We Behold and Parable of the Polygons. Case's works are characterized by her recurring goal to "help people understand complex systems", presenting dilemmas and potential resolutions in a philosophical manner. Case has also collaborated with theorists and academics such as Stefano Gualeni, Vi Hart and Bret Victor. Read more
11 Sep 1993: Farrah Moan, American drag queen and entertainer Cameron Clayton, better known by the stage name Farrah Moan, is an American drag queen, model, actress, make-up artist and internet personality best known for participating in the 9th season of the reality TV show RuPaul's Drag Race, placing eighth, as well as participating in the 4th season of All Stars, where she placed ninth. Her stage name is a pun on the term "pheromone", whilst also being a reference to American actress Farrah Fawcett. In some interviews, she jokingly states that her drag surname is a reference to "being a whore". Read more
11 Sep 1992: Jonathan Adams, English discus thrower Jonathan Robert Adams is a Track and field athlete competing in the Shot Put in the F35 classification for athletes with cerebral palsy. Adams qualified to represent the Great Britain team at the 2012 Summer Paralympics, competing in the F34 shot put placing 14th in the final. Read more
11 Sep 1991: Jordan Ayew, Ghanaian footballer Jordan Pierre Ayew is a professional footballer who plays as a winger or forward for EFL Championship club Sheffield United. Born in France, he captains the Ghana national team. Read more
11 Sep 1991: Kygo, Norwegian DJ Kyrre Gørvell-Dahll, known professionally as Kygo, is a Norwegian DJ and record producer. He first received international attention with his December 2013 remix of the track "I See Fire" by Ed Sheeran and his December 2014 single "Firestone". In late 2015, he reached one billion streams on Spotify faster than any other artist, and by June 2016, he had reached two billion streams. Read more
11 Sep 1990: Jo Inge Berget, Norwegian footballer Jo Inge Berget is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a forward. He has played professionally in his homeland, Italy, Wales, Scotland, Sweden and the United States, and made his debut for the Norway national team in 2012. Read more
11 Sep 1989: Michael J. Willett, American actor and musician Michael James Mansel Willett is an American actor. Willett is known most for his roles as Lionel in United States of Tara and Tanner in G.B.F.. He starred in the MTV show Faking It from 2014 until its cancellation in 2016. Read more
11 Sep 1987: Robert Acquafresca, Italian footballer Robert Acquafresca is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is a former Italy under-21 international and represented Italy at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Read more
11 Sep 1987: Elizabeth Henstridge, English actress Elizabeth Frances Henstridge is an English actress, model and director. She is best known for her role as Jemma Simmons in the ABC superhero action drama series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013–2020), set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Read more
11 Sep 1987: Tyler Hoechlin, American actor Tyler Lee Hoechlin is an American actor. He initially earned recognition for starring as Michael Sullivan Jr. in the 2002 film Road to Perdition, for which he was nominated for the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer. In television, Hoechlin starred as Martin Brewer on 7th Heaven from 2003 to 2007, and also became known for portraying Derek Hale on Teen Wolf, Clark Kent / Superman in the CW's Supergirl (2016–2019) and Superman & Lois (2021–2024), and for voicing Sephiroth in the Final Fantasy VII Remake franchise. Read more
11 Sep 1986: Chiliboy Ralepelle, South African rugby player Mahlatse Chiliboy Ralepelle is a former rugby union player for the Sharks in Super Rugby and in the Currie Cup. His usual position is at hooker. Read more
11 Sep 1986: LaToya Sanders, American basketball player LaToya Antoinette Sanders, also known as Lara Sanders in Turkey, is an American-Turkish professional basketball coach and former player. She currently serves as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Sanders played college basketball at the University of North Carolina before getting drafted by the Phoenix Mercury in the 2008 WNBA draft. Sanders played for seven seasons in the WNBA with the Mercury, Minnesota Lynx, Los Angeles Sparks, and Washington Mystics. In 2019, her final season in the league, she won the championship with the Mystics. Sanders also played overseas in Israel, Turkey, Russia, and Italy. In 2012, she received Turkish citizenship and represented the Turkey women's national basketball team, including an appearance at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Read more
11 Sep 1986: Ben Scrivens, Canadian ice hockey player Benjamin John Scrivens is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive and former player. He is the current team manager of the University of Denver Pioneers. Scrivens has played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers, and Montreal Canadiens. Read more
11 Sep 1985: Shaun Livingston, American basketball player Shaun Livingston is an American professional basketball executive and former player. He entered the league directly out of high school and was selected fourth by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2004 NBA draft. During his 15-year career, Livingston played 959 games for nine teams and won three NBA championships as a member of the Golden State Warriors—in 2015, 2017, and 2018. Read more
11 Sep 1983: Vivian Cheruiyot, Kenyan runner Vivian Jepkemoi Cheruiyot is a Kenyan long-distance runner. She represented Kenya at the Summer Olympics in 2000, 2008, 2012, and 2016, winning the silver medal in the 5,000 metres and bronze in the 10,000 metres at the 2012 London Olympics as well as gold in the 5,000 m and silver in the 10,000 m at the 2016 Rio Olympics, setting a new Olympic record in the former. Cheruiyot won the silver medal in the 5,000 m at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics and became the world champion in the event at the 2009 edition, repeating this achievement in 2011, when she also won the 10,000 m. She added gold for the latter event at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics. After taking a silver in the 3,000 metres at the 2010 World Indoor Championships, Cheruiyot won a number of outdoor 5,000 m titles that year, becoming Commonwealth Games, African and Continental Cup champion, as well as winning the Diamond League title. Read more
11 Sep 1983: Ike Diogu, Nigerian-American basketball player Ikechukwu Somtochukwu Diogu is a Nigerian-American former professional basketball player who played six seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and in multiple other leagues in his 18-year career. He was an All-American college player for the Arizona State Sun Devils. Read more
11 Sep 1983: Jacoby Ellsbury, American baseball player Jacoby McCabe Ellsbury is an American former professional baseball center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox from 2007 through 2013 and then played for the New York Yankees from 2014 to 2017. An enrolled member of the Colorado River Indian Tribes, Ellsbury is the first Native American of Navajo descent to play Major League Baseball. Read more
11 Sep 1982: Elvan Abeylegesse, Ethiopian-Turkish runner Elvan Abeylegesse is an Ethiopian former middle and long-distance running athlete who represented Turkey. She competed over distances from 1500 metres up to the marathon, and also in cross country. She is a former world record-holder for the 5000 metres, at 14:24.68. Read more
11 Sep 1982: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Belarusian politician Sviatlana Hieorhiyeuna Tsikhanouskaya is a Belarusian opposition leader and political activist. Since running in the 2020 presidential election against President Alexander Lukashenko, she has led dissidence to his authoritarian rule through an alternate government operating from Lithuania and Poland. Read more
11 Sep 1981: Charles Kelley, American singer and musician Charles Burgess Kelley is an American country music singer who is the co-lead vocalist and founding member of the country music trio Lady A, which was formed in 2006 and are signed to Big Machine Records. He has also released two solo albums. Read more
11 Sep 1981: Dylan Klebold, American mass murderer, responsible for the Columbine High School massacre (died 1999) Eric David Harris and Dylan Bennet Klebold were an American mass murder duo who perpetrated the Columbine High School massacre, where they killed 13 students and one teacher, and wounded 23 others. After killing most of their victims in the school library, the two died from suicide by gunshot. At the time, the attack was the deadliest high school shooting in United States history. The ensuing media frenzy and moral panic turned "Columbine" into a byword for school shootings, and the event into one of the most infamous mass shootings. Read more
11 Sep 1981: Michael Sukkar, Australian politician Michael Sven Sukkar is an Australian former politician who was the Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Housing and as the Minister for Homelessness, Social and Community Housing in the Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison Liberal government. From 2022 to 2025, Sukkar was the Shadow Minister for Housing, NDIS, and Social Services from 2022 to 2025. He was a member of the House of Representatives from his first election in September 2013 to his defeat in May 2025, representing the Division of Deakin in Victoria for the Liberal Party. Read more
11 Sep 1980: Mike Comrie, Canadian ice hockey player Michael William Comrie is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. During his 13-year National Hockey League (NHL) career he played with the Edmonton Oilers, Philadelphia Flyers, Phoenix Coyotes, Ottawa Senators, New York Islanders, and the Pittsburgh Penguins. He retired in early 2012 after undergoing hip surgery for the third time. Read more
11 Sep 1980: Greet Daems, Belgian politician Greet Daems is a Belgian trade unionist, politician and member of the Chamber of Representatives. A member of the Workers' Party of Belgium, she has represented Antwerp since June 2019. Read more
11 Sep 1980: Antônio Pizzonia, Brazilian racing driver Antônio Reginaldo Pizzonia Júnior is a Brazilian professional racing driver who has raced in Formula One and the Champ Car World Series. Born in Manaus, he started his car racing career in the Formula Vauxhall Junior series in 1997 and then progressed through various junior formulae, winning the Formula Vauxhall Junior Winter Festival in 1997, the Formula Vauxhall Junior and Formula Renault Winter Festival in 1998, the Formula Renault 2.0 UK in 1999, and the British Formula 3 Championship in 2000. Read more
11 Sep 1979: Eric Abidal, French footballer Eric Sylvain Abidal is a French former professional footballer who played as a left-back or centre-back. Read more
11 Sep 1979: Frank Francisco, Dominican baseball player Franklin Thomas Francisco is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, and Chicago White Sox. Read more
11 Sep 1979: David Pizarro, Chilean footballer David Marcelo Pizarro Cortez is a Chilean former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He was usually deployed as a central midfielder, although he could also operate in a holding role in front of the back-line, in a more attacking position in the hole behind the strikers, or even as a deep-lying playmaker. An intelligent and technically gifted player, who possessed significant physical strength in spite of his diminutive stature, and an ability to dictate play in midfield, Pizarro was known in particular for his vision, range of passing, dribbling skills, and ability from set pieces. Read more
11 Sep 1979: Ariana Richards, American actress and artist Ariana Clarice Richards is an American painter and actress. She is best known for her role as Lex Murphy in the 1993 film Jurassic Park. Richards won several Young Artist Awards for her acting as a child, but as an adult has focused primarily on her art career. Read more
11 Sep 1978: Dejan Stanković, Serbian footballer and manager Dejan Stanković is a Serbian professional football manager and former player. He last served as the head coach of Serbian Super League club Red Star Belgrade. He captained the Serbia national team from 2007 until 2011, when he announced his retirement from international football. Read more
11 Sep 1977: Jonny Buckland, Welsh guitarist Jonathan Mark Buckland is a British musician and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist and co-founder of the rock band Coldplay. Raised in Pantymwyn, Wales, he started to play guitar at an early age, taking inspiration from groups such as My Bloody Valentine, the Stone Roses and U2. His compositions are noted for being sparse and delicate, using delay pedals and slide bars with a timbre that led to comparisons to the Edge. Read more
11 Sep 1977: Ludacris, American rapper and producer Christopher Brian Bridges, known professionally as Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludacris moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where he first began rapping. Starting out with a brief stint as a DJ, he formed the record label Disturbing tha Peace in the late 1990s to release his debut studio album Incognegro (1999). After its single, "What's Your Fantasy", became a top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, the album was re-released by Def Jam Recordings as his major label debut, Back for the First Time (2000). The latter album peaked at number four on the Billboard 200 and spawned his second top 40 single, "Southern Hospitality". Read more
11 Sep 1977: Matthew Stevens, Welsh snooker player Matthew John Stevens is a Welsh professional snooker player. He has won two of the game's Triple Crown events—the Masters in 2000 and the UK Championship in 2003. He has also been a two-time runner-up in the other triple crown event, the World Snooker Championship, in 2000 and 2005. Stevens reached a career high ranking of No. 4 for the 2005/2006 season. Stevens has compiled more than 350 century breaks during his career. Read more
11 Sep 1977: Tobias Zellner, German footballer Tobias Zellner is a former German footballer. Read more
11 Sep 1976: Tomáš Enge, Czech racing driver Tomáš Enge is a Czech former professional racing driver who has competed in many classes of motorsport, including three races in Formula One. Read more
11 Sep 1976: Murali Kartik, Indian cricketer and sportscaster Murali Kartik is an Indian cricket commentator and former cricketer who sporadically represented the national team from 2000 to 2007. He was a slow left-arm orthodox bowler. He was not selected for international matches during his prime years due to the presence of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh in the Indian squad. A left-handed batsman who had some success with the bat at first-class level with 21 half-centuries, Murli was not able to repeat such performances at international level. Read more
11 Sep 1975: Juan Cobián, Argentinian footballer Juan Manuel Cobián is a former Argentine footballer who played mostly as a right-back for clubs including Sheffield Wednesday, Swindon Town, Aberdeen and Boca Juniors. Read more
11 Sep 1975: Pierre Issa, South African footballer Pierre Sanharib Issa is a South African former professional soccer player who played as a defender. He is the sporting director of Greek side Olympiacos. Read more
11 Sep 1974: DeLisha Milton-Jones, American basketball player and coach DeLisha Lachell Milton-Jones is an American former professional basketball player and the head coach of Old Dominion. Milton-Jones played college basketball for the University of Florida. She was a first-team All-American and SEC Player of the Year her senior season. Read more
11 Sep 1971: Richard Ashcroft, English singer-songwriter and musician Richard Paul Ashcroft is an English musician, singer, and songwriter. He formed the alternative rock band the Verve in 1990 and served as the sole songwriter, lead singer and rhythm guitarist throughout the band's lifetime. In 2000, Ashcroft embarked on a solo career, releasing six UK top-three solo albums, including Alone with Everybody, Keys to the World and These People. Read more
11 Sep 1970: Antonio Gómez Medina, Mexican wrestler Antonio Gómez Medina is a Mexican professional wrestler and professional wrestling trainer based out of Arena Coliseo Guadalajara in Guadalajara. Gómez is best known under the ring name Máscara Mágica; he is the second person to use the "Máscara Mágica" name, taking it over after Eddie Guerrero abandoned the name in the early 1990s. As Máscara Mágica, he was part of the Los Nuevo Infernales group; as part of a Los Nuevo Inferales vs. Los Infernales storyline, and lost his mask as a result of a Luchas de Apuestas match loss to Los Infernales leader El Satánico. In recent years Gómez has focused more on his training position at Arena Coliseo Guadalajara, where he also works as a booker and part-time wrestler. Read more
11 Sep 1970: Ted Leo, American singer and musician Theodore Francis Leo is an American singer and musician. He is the frontman and lead guitarist of the rock group Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, and in 2013, he and Aimee Mann formed the indie rock duo The Both. Read more
11 Sep 1970: Taraji P. Henson, American actress and singer Taraji Penda Henson is an American actress, producer, author, and mental health advocate. Her accolades include a Golden Globe Award, alongside nominations for an Academy Award, six Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award. In 2016 and 2024, Time named Henson one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Read more
11 Sep 1969: Stefano Cagol, Italian artist, photographer and director Stefano Cagol is an Italian contemporary artist living in Italy, Germany and Norway. His artistic practice spans video, photography, installation and performance art in the fields of conceptual art, environmental art / eco art and land art, and has reflected for years on borders, viruses, flags and climate issues. His research includes both artistic and curatorial work, often engaging with political ecology and the Anthropocene. He has exhibited internationally and curated interdisciplinary projects at the intersection of art and science. Read more
11 Sep 1969: Eduardo Pérez, American baseball player, manager, and sportscaster Eduardo Atanasio Pérez Pérez is an American former professional baseball player, coach, and current television sports color commentator. He played in Major League Baseball and the Nippon Professional Baseball league as a first baseman, third baseman, and outfielder from 1993 to 2006. After his playing career, Pérez became a baseball analyst with ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN Latin America as well as a host on SiriusXM's MLB Network Radio. Read more
11 Sep 1968: Allan Alaküla, Estonian journalist Allan Alaküla is an Estonian journalist. Read more
11 Sep 1968: Paul Mayeda Berges, American director and screenwriter Paul Mayeda Berges is an American screenwriter and director. He is known for his work on films such as 2002's Bend It Like Beckham. Read more
11 Sep 1967: Maria Bartiromo, American financial journalist and television personality Maria Sara Bartiromo is an American conservative journalist and author who has also worked as a financial reporter and news anchor. She was the host of Mornings with Maria and Maria Bartiromo's Wall Street on the Fox Business channel, and Sunday Morning Futures With Maria Bartiromo on the Fox News channel until her firing in 2026. Read more
11 Sep 1967: Harry Connick Jr., American singer-songwriter, pianist, actor, and talk show host Joseph Harry Fowler Connick Jr. is an American singer, pianist, composer, actor, and former television host. As of 2019, he has sold over 30 million albums worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top 60 best-selling male artists in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America, with 16 million in certified sales. He has had seven top 20 U.S. albums, and ten number-one U.S. jazz albums, earning more number-one albums than any other artist in U.S. jazz chart history as of 2009. Read more
11 Sep 1967: Sung Jae-gi, South Korean activist, founded Man of Korea (died 2013) Sung Jae-gi was a South Korean men's rights activist. Sung was the leader of various masculinist and anti-feminist organizations, including the Association of Anti-Feminism and Male Liberation, Association for the Abolition of the Ministry of Women, and Man of Korea. Sung also ran a shelter for homeless men, male victims of violent crime, teenage runaways, and gay and transgender men. Read more
11 Sep 1967: Charles Walker, English politician Sir Charles Ashley Rupert Walker is a British politician who served as chair of the House of Commons Procedure Committee from 2012 to 2019. A member of the Conservative Party, he was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Broxbourne in Hertfordshire from 2005 to 2024. Read more
11 Sep 1965: Bashar al-Assad, Syrian politician, 21st President of Syria Bashar Hafez al-Assad is a former Syrian politician, medical doctor, and military officer who served as the president of Syria from 2000 until his overthrow in 2024 after the Syrian civil war. As president, Assad was commander-in-chief of the Syrian Arab Armed Forces and secretary-general of the Central Command of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party. He is the son of Hafez al-Assad, who ruled Syria from 1970 to 2000. Read more
11 Sep 1965: Paul Heyman, American wrestling promoter, manager, and journalist Paul Heyman is an American
professional wrestling manager, former executive, promoter, and commentator. He is signed to WWE, where he is a creative advisor and an on-screen talent. Read more
11 Sep 1965: Moby, American singer-songwriter, musician, and DJ Richard Melville Hall, known professionally as Moby, is an American musician, songwriter and animal rights activist. He has sold 20 million records worldwide. AllMusic considers him to be "among the most important dance music figures of the early 1990s, helping bring dance music to a mainstream audience both in the United States and the United Kingdom". Read more
11 Sep 1964: Ellis Burks, American baseball player Ellis Rena Burks is an American former outfielder. Burks played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 18 seasons from 1987 to 2004 with the Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies, San Francisco Giants, and Cleveland Indians. Burks was a two-time MLB All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger Award winner, a Gold Glove Award winner, and a member of the 30–30 club. He is a member of the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame. Read more
11 Sep 1963: Dave Bidini, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Bidini is a Canadian musician and writer. Originally from Etobicoke, Ontario, he is a founding member of the rock band Rheostatics, and leads the intermittently active Bidiniband. In addition, he has published several books about music, travel and sports, and has written feature journalism pieces and columns for numerous Canadian magazines and newspapers. He is the only Canadian to have been nominated for all three of Canada's main entertainment awards, the Gemini Award for television work, the Genie Awards for film work and the Juno Awards for music, as well as being nominated on Canada's national book awards program, Canada Reads. Read more
11 Sep 1962: Filip Dewinter, Belgian politician Philip Michel Frans "Filip" Dewinter is a Belgian politician, journalist and commentator. He is one of the leading members of Vlaams Belang, a right-wing Flemish nationalist and secessionist political party. Read more
11 Sep 1962: Kristy McNichol, American actress Christina Ann "Kristy" McNichol is an American former actress. Beginning her career as a child actress, she rose to fame in 1976 with her role as the teenage daughter Letitia "Buddy" Lawrence in the TV drama Family for which she won two Emmy Awards. Subsequent roles included Angel in the film Little Darlings, Polly in Only When I Laugh, and Barbara Weston in the TV sitcom Empty Nest. McNichol retired from acting in 2001. Read more
11 Sep 1962: Victoria Poleva, Ukrainian pianist and composer Victoria Vita Polyova is a Ukrainian composer.
She was the Shevchenko National Prize laureate of 2018. Read more
11 Sep 1962: Julio Salinas, Spanish footballer Julio Salinas Fernández is a Spanish former professional footballer who played during the 1980s and 1990s. Read more
11 Sep 1961: Virginia Madsen, American actress Virginia Madsen is an American actress. She is the recipient of two Critics' Choice Awards, an Independent Spirit Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, as well as nominations for one Academy Award and one Golden Globe Award. Read more
11 Sep 1961: Samina Raja, Pakistani poet and educator (died 2012) Samina Raja was a Pakistani Urdu poet, writer, editor, translator, educationist and broadcaster. She lived in Islamabad, Pakistan, and worked in the National Language Authority and National Book Foundation as a subject specialist. Read more
11 Sep 1960: Hiroshi Amano, Japanese physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate Hiroshi Amano is a Japanese materials scientist specializing in the field of semiconductor technology. He is a co-inventor of the blue LED, for which he was awarded the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics along with Isamu Akasaki and Shuji Nakamura. Read more
11 Sep 1960: Anne Ramsay, American actress Anne Ramsay is an American actress best known for her role as Lisa Stemple on Mad About You. Read more
11 Sep 1959: David Frost, South African golfer David Laurence Frost is a South African professional golfer who was ranked in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Frost has 29 professional tournament wins to his name, spread across four continents, including the World Series of Golf, South African Open, Nedbank Million Dollar Challenge and Canadian Open. He has also been on the winning Alfred Dunhill Cup team and played in the Presidents Cup. Read more
11 Sep 1959: John Hawkes, American actor John Hawkes is an American actor. He is the recipient of two Independent Spirit Awards and has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. Read more
11 Sep 1958: Roxann Dawson, American actress and director Roxann Dawson, also credited as Roxann Biggs and Roxann Biggs-Dawson, is an American actress and director. She is best known for her role as B'Elanna Torres on the television series Star Trek: Voyager (1995–2001). In the 2000s, she transitioned to a career primarily as a director, and has directed numerous episodes of television series including Star Trek: Enterprise, Crossing Jordan, Cold Case, Heroes, The Closer, The Mentalist, The Good Wife, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Mercy Street, The Deuce, Foundation and Dark Matter. Read more
11 Sep 1958: Scott Patterson, American actor and baseball player Scott Patterson is an American actor and former baseball player. After making his film debut in Intent to Kill (1992), Patterson had his breakout with a main role as Luke Danes on the WB comedy-drama television series Gilmore Girls (2000–2007). He reprised his role on the Netflix miniseries Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life (2016). Read more
11 Sep 1956: Tony Gilroy, American director, producer, and screenwriter Anthony Joseph Gilroy is an American screenwriter, director, and producer. He wrote the screenplays of The Bourne Identity (2002), The Bourne Supremacy (2004), and The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), the first three films in the Bourne film franchise, and wrote and directed the fourth film of the franchise, The Bourne Legacy (2012), as well as Michael Clayton (2007) and Duplicity (2009). Read more
11 Sep 1955: Sharon Lamb, American psychologist and academic Sharon Lamb is an American professor in the Department of Counseling and School Psychology at the University of Massachusetts Boston's, College of Education and Human Development, and a fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA). She also sits on the editorial board of the academic journals Feminism & Psychology, and Sexualization, Media, and Society. Read more
11 Sep 1953: Jani Allan, English-South African journalist and author (died 2023) Jani Allan was a South African journalist, columnist, writer, and broadcaster. Read more
11 Sep 1953: Sarita Francis, Former Montserrat Deputy Governor Sarita Violeta Francis is the Director of the Montserrat National Trust. Read more
11 Sep 1953: Renée Geyer, Australian singer-songwriter (died 2023) Renée Rebecca Geyer was an Australian singer who was an acclaimed jazz, soul and R&B musician. She released 15 studio albums with Moving Along (1977) and Tenderland (2003) both reaching number 11 on the Australian charts. Geyer's singles success as a solo artist in Australia were with "It's a Man's Man's World", "Heading in the Right Direction" and "Stares and Whispers" in the 1970s and "Say I Love You" in the 1980s. The latter also reached number one in New Zealand. The singer was an internationally respected and sought-after backing vocalist, whose session credits include work with Sting, Chaka Khan, Toni Childs, Joe Cocker, Neil Diamond, Men at Work and Trouble Funk. Read more
11 Sep 1953: Tommy Shaw, American singer-songwriter and guitarist Tommy Roland Shaw is an American musician best known for his tenure in the rock band Styx as co-lead vocalist. In between his stints with Styx, he has played with other groups including Damn Yankees and Shaw Blades as well as releasing several solo albums. Read more
11 Sep 1952: Catherine Bott, English soprano Catherine Bott is a British singer and broadcaster. Read more
11 Sep 1951: Richard D. Gill, English-Dutch mathematician and academic Richard David Gill is a British-Dutch mathematician and professor emeritus at Leiden University. He has held academic positions in the Netherlands. As a probability theorist and statistician, Gill has researched counting processes. He is also known for his consulting and advocacy on behalf of alleged victims of statistical misrepresentation, including the reversal of the murder conviction of a Dutch nurse who had been jailed for six years. Read more
11 Sep 1951: Johnny Neumann, American basketball player and coach (died 2019) Carl John Neumann, nicknamed "Johnny Reb", was an American professional basketball player and coach. At 6'6" and 200 pounds, he played at the shooting guard and small forward positions. Read more
11 Sep 1951: Hugo Porta, Argentinian rugby player Hugo Porta is an Argentine retired rugby union player. Considered one of the best fly-halves the sport has seen, he is an inductee of both the International Rugby Hall of Fame and IRB Hall of Fame. During the 1970s and 1980s, he played 58 times for Argentina, captaining them on 34 occasions, including leading them during the first World Cup in 1987. Read more
11 Sep 1950: Anne Dell, Australian biochemist and academic Anne Dell is an Australian biochemist specialising in the study of glycomics and the carbohydrate structures that modify proteins. Anne's work could be used to figure out how pathogens such as HIV are able to evade termination by the immune system which could be applied toward understanding how this occurs in fetuses. Her research has also led to the development of higher sensitivity mass spectroscopy techniques which have allowed for the better studying of the structure of carbohydrates. Anne also established GlycoTRIC at Imperial College London, a research centre that allows for glycobiology to be better understood in biomedical applications. She is currently Professor of Carbohydrate Biochemistry and Head of the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial College London. Dell's other contributions to the study of Glycobiology are the additions she has made to the textbook "Essentials of Glycobiology" Dell was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2009 Birthday Honours. Read more
11 Sep 1950: Bruce Doull, Australian footballer Alexander Bruce Doull is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Read more
11 Sep 1950: Amy Madigan, American actress Amy Marie Madigan is an American actress and singer. Known for her work on stage and screen, her accolades include an Academy Award, an Actor Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Critics' Choice Award, in addition to a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award. Read more
11 Sep 1950: Barry Sheene, English motorcycle racer and sportscaster (died 2003) Barry Steven Frank Sheene was a British professional motorcycle racer and television sports presenter. He competed in Grand Prix motorcycle racing between 1971 and 1984, most prominently as a member of the Suzuki factory racing team where he won two consecutive FIM World Championships in 1976 and 1977. Sheene remains the last British competitor to win the premier class of FIM road racing competitions. Read more
11 Sep 1949: Roger Uttley, English rugby player and coach Roger Miles Uttley OBE is a former English rugby union player. Read more
11 Sep 1949: Bill Whittington, American racing driver (died 2021) William Marvin Whittington was an American racing driver from Lubbock, Texas, who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans and competed five times in the Indianapolis 500. Read more
11 Sep 1948: John Martyn, English-Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2009) Iain David McGeachy, known professionally as John Martyn, was a British singer-songwriter and guitarist. Over a 40-year career, he released 23 studio albums and received frequent critical acclaim. The Times described him as "an electrifying guitarist and singer whose music blurred the boundaries between folk, jazz, rock and blues". Read more
11 Sep 1947: John Agrue, American serial killer (died 2009) John William Agrue was an American murderer who was posthumously identified as a serial killer. He was convicted in 1966 of murdering his 15-year-old sister-in-law in Joliet, Illinois, and was later linked to a 1982 killing in Longmont, Colorado, after his parole from prison. He was arrested that year for an attempted kidnapping but was not charged in the Colorado homicide at the time due to a lack of evidence. Read more
11 Sep 1945: Franz Beckenbauer, German footballer and manager (died 2024) Franz Anton Beckenbauer was a German professional football player, manager, and official. Nicknamed der Kaiser, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential players of all time. Beckenbauer was a versatile player who started out as a midfielder, but made his name as a centre-back. He is often credited as having invented the role of the modern sweeper. Read more
11 Sep 1945: Gianluigi Gelmetti, Italian composer and conductor (died 2021) Gianluigi Gelmetti was an Italian-Monégasque conductor and composer. Read more
11 Sep 1945: Leo Kottke, American singer-songwriter and guitarist Leo Kottke is an American acoustic guitarist. He is known for a fingerpicking style that draws on blues, jazz, and folk music, and for syncopated, polyphonic melodies. He has overcome a series of personal obstacles, including partial loss of hearing and a nearly career-ending bout with tendon damage in his right hand, to emerge as a widely recognized master of his instrument. He resides in the Minneapolis area with his family. Read more
11 Sep 1944: Everaldo, Brazilian footballer (died 1974) Everaldo Marques da Silva, nicknamed Everaldo, was a Brazilian footballer who played as a left back for Grêmio and the Brazil national team. He won the 1970 FIFA World Cup. The golden star in Grêmio's flag was added in 1970 in his homage. Read more
11 Sep 1944: Freddy Thielemans, Belgian educator and politician, Mayor of Brussels (died 2022) Freddy Thielemans was a Belgian socialist politician who was the mayor of the City of Brussels from 2001 to 2013, and previously also for a period in 1994. Read more
11 Sep 1943: André Caillé, Canadian chemist and businessman André Caillé is a Canadian electricity company executive. Read more
11 Sep 1943: Mickey Hart, American musician Mickey Hart is an American percussionist. He is best known as one of the two drummers of the rock band Grateful Dead. He was a member of the Grateful Dead from September 1967 until February 1971, and again from October 1974 until their final show in July 1995. He and fellow Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann earned the nickname "the rhythm devils". Read more
11 Sep 1943: Brian Perkins, New Zealand-English journalist and actor Brian Perkins is a former senior newsreader on BBC Radio 4. Read more
11 Sep 1942: Lola Falana, American actress, singer, and dancer Loletha Elayne Falana or Loletha Elaine Falana, better known by her stage name Lola Falana, is an American singer, dancer, and actress. She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical in 1975 for her performance as Edna Mae Sheridan in Doctor Jazz. Read more
11 Sep 1941: Minnijean Brown-Trickey, Civil Rights activist and Little Rock Nine member Minnijean Brown-Trickey is an American political figure who was a member of the Little Rock Nine, a group of nine African American teenagers who integrated Little Rock Central High School. The integration followed the Brown v. Board of Education decision which required public schools to be desegregated. Read more
11 Sep 1940: Brian De Palma, American director, producer, and screenwriter Brian Russell De Palma is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood generation, he is best known for his work in the suspense, crime, and psychological thriller genres in a career spanning more than five decades. Read more
11 Sep 1940: Nông Đức Mạnh, Vietnamese politician Nông Đức Mạnh is a Vietnamese politician who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the most powerful position in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, from 2001 to 2011. His parents were Tày peasants. Nông Đức Mạnh was born in Cường Lợi, Na Rì district, Bắc Kạn province. His son Nông Quốc Tuấn is the party secretary for Bắc Giang province. Read more
11 Sep 1940: Theodore Olson, American lawyer (died 2024) Theodore Bevry Olson was an American lawyer who served as the 42nd solicitor general of the United States from 2001 to 2004 in the administration of President George W. Bush. He previously served as the Assistant Attorney General of the Office of Legal Counsel of the U.S. Department of Justice from 1981 to 1984 under President Ronald Reagan, and he was also a longtime partner at the law firm Gibson Dunn. Read more
11 Sep 1939: Charles Geschke, American businessman, co-founded Adobe Systems (died 2021) Charles Matthew "Chuck" Geschke was an American businessman and computer scientist best known for founding the graphics and publishing software company Adobe Inc. with John Warnock in 1982, with whom he also co-created the PDF document format. Read more
11 Sep 1938: Brian F. G. Johnson, English chemist and academic Brian Frederick Gilbert Johnson is a British scientist and emeritus professor of chemistry at the University of Cambridge. He was also Master of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge from 1999 to 2005. Read more
11 Sep 1937: Robert Crippen, American captain, pilot, and astronaut Robert Laurel Crippen is an American retired naval officer and aviator, test pilot, aerospace engineer, and astronaut. He traveled into space four times: as pilot of STS-1 in April 1981, the first Space Shuttle mission; and as commander of STS-7 in June 1983, STS-41-C in April 1984, and STS-41-G in October 1984. He was also a part of the Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL), Skylab Medical Experiment Altitude Test (SMEAT), ASTP support crew member, and the Approach and Landing Tests (ALT) for the Space Shuttle. Read more
11 Sep 1937: Queen Paola of Belgium Paola Margherita Maria-Antonia Consiglia dei Principi Ruffo di Calabria is a member of the Belgian royal family who was Queen of the Belgians during the reign of her husband, King Albert II, from 9 August 1993 to 21 July 2013. Read more
11 Sep 1936: Pavel Landovský, Czech actor, director, and playwright (died 2014) Pavel Landovský, nicknamed Lanďák, was a Czech actor, playwright, and director. He was a prominent dissident under the communist regime of former Czechoslovakia. Read more
11 Sep 1935: Arvo Pärt, Estonian composer Arvo Pärt is an Estonian composer. Since the late 1970s, Pärt has worked in a minimalist style that employs tintinnabuli, a compositional technique he invented. Pärt's music is in part inspired by Gregorian chant. His most performed works include Fratres (1977), Spiegel im Spiegel (1978), and Für Alina (1976). From 2011 to 2018, and again in 2022 and 2025, Pärt was the most performed living composer in the world. The Arvo Pärt Centre, in Laulasmaa, was opened to the public in 2018. Read more
11 Sep 1935: Gherman Titov, Russian general, pilot, and astronaut (died 2000) Gherman Stepanovich Titov was a Soviet and Russian cosmonaut who, on 6 August 1961, became the second human to orbit the Earth, aboard Vostok 2, preceded by Yuri Gagarin on Vostok 1. He was the fourth person in space, counting suborbital voyages of US astronauts Alan Shepard and Gus Grissom. Born in Altai Krai in western Siberia, Titov was the first spacefarer born in Asia. At 25 years old at launch, he remains the youngest professional astronaut and the youngest person to fly in Earth orbit. Read more
11 Sep 1933: Margaret Booth, English lawyer and judge (died 2021) Dame Margaret Myfanwy Wood Booth, DBE was a British judge. Read more
11 Sep 1933: William Luther Pierce, American author and activist (died 2002) William Luther Pierce III was an American neo-Nazi political activist. For more than 30 years, he was one of the highest-profile individuals of the white nationalist movement. A physicist by profession, he authored the novels The Turner Diaries and Hunter under the pen name Andrew Macdonald. The first novel inspired multiple terrorist attacks, including the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Pierce founded the white nationalist National Alliance, an organization which he led for almost 30 years. Read more
11 Sep 1933: Nicola Pietrangeli, Italian tennis player (died 2025) Nicola Chirinsky Pietrangeli was an Italian tennis player. He won two singles titles at the French Championships and is considered by many to be one of Italy's greatest tennis champions. Read more
11 Sep 1931: Hans-Ulrich Wehler, German historian and academic (died 2014) Hans-Ulrich Wehler was a German left-liberal historian known for his role in promoting social history through the "Bielefeld School", and for his critical studies of 19th-century Germany. Read more
11 Sep 1930: Cathryn Damon, American actress and dancer (died 1987) Cathryn Lee Damon was an American actress known for her roles in sitcoms in the 1970s and 1980s. She was best known as Mary Campbell in Soap, for which she was nominated three times for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, winning in 1980. Read more
11 Sep 1930: Jean-Claude Forest, French author and illustrator (died 1998) Jean-Claude Forest was a French writer and illustrator of comics and the creator of character Barbarella. Read more
11 Sep 1930: Saleh Selim, Egyptian footballer, manager, and actor (died 2002) Mohamed Saleh Mohamed Selim was an Egyptian football executive, former football player and an actor. He was the 13th president of Al Ahly SC. Read more
11 Sep 1929: Luis García, Venezuelan baseball player and manager (died 2014) Luis García Beltrán was a Venezuelan professional baseball player and manager. Listed at 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m), 189 lb (86 kg), he batted and threw right handed. Read more
11 Sep 1929: Primož Kozak, Slovenian playwright (died 1981) Primož Kozak was a Slovenian playwright and essayist. Together with Dominik Smole, Dane Zajc and Taras Kermauner, he was the most visible representative of the so-called Critical generation, a group of Slovenian authors and intellectuals that reflected on the paradoxes of the communist regime, and the relation between power and individual existence in general. Read more
11 Sep 1929: Patrick Mayhew, English lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (died 2016) Patrick Barnabas Burke Mayhew, Baron Mayhew of Twysden, was a British barrister and politician. Read more
11 Sep 1928: Reubin Askew, American sergeant, lawyer, and politician, 37th Governor of Florida (died 2014) Reubin O'Donovan Askew was an American politician, who served as the 37th governor of Florida from 1971 to 1979. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 7th U.S. trade representative from 1979 to 1980 under President Jimmy Carter. He led on tax reform, civil rights, and financial transparency for public officials, maintaining an outstanding reputation for personal integrity. Read more
11 Sep 1928: Earl Holliman, American actor (died 2024) Henry Earl Holliman was an American actor, animal rights activist, and singer known for his many character roles in films, mostly Westerns and dramas, in the 1950s and 1960s. He won a Golden Globe Award for the film The Rainmaker (1956) and portrayed Sergeant Bill Crowley on the television police drama Police Woman throughout its 1974 to 1978 run. Read more
11 Sep 1927: Keith Holman, Australian rugby league player and coach (died 2011) Keith Victor Holman, MBE was an Australian Rugby League footballer, a national and state representative Halfback whose club career was played with Western Suburbs between 1949 and 1961. He has since been named as one of Australia’s finest rugby league players of the 20th century. After retiring as player, Holman was coach of Wests and later became one of the game's top-level referees. He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1977. Read more
11 Sep 1927: G. David Schine, American soldier and businessman (died 1996) Gerard David Schine, better known as G. David Schine or David Schine, was the wealthy heir to a hotel chain fortune who became a central figure in the Army–McCarthy hearings of 1954 in his role as the chief consultant to the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Later in life, he became a part of the film/television industry. He was the executive producer for the 1971 film The French Connection. Read more
11 Sep 1926: Eddie Miksis, American baseball player (died 2005) Edward Thomas Miksis was an American professional baseball infielder and outfielder. He played fourteen seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1944 and 1958 for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, Baltimore Orioles, and Cincinnati Reds. Read more
11 Sep 1925: Harry Somers, Canadian soldier and composer (died 1999) Harry Stewart Somers, CC was a contemporary Canadian composer. Read more
11 Sep 1924: Daniel Akaka, American soldier, engineer, and politician (died 2018) Daniel Kahikina Akaka was an American educator and politician who served as a United States Senator from Hawaii from 1990 to 2013. He was a member of the Democratic Party. Read more
11 Sep 1924: Tom Landry, American football player and coach (died 2000) Thomas Wade Landry was an American professional football coach, player, and World War II bomber pilot. Regarded as one of the greatest head coaches of all time, he was the first head coach of the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League (NFL), a position he held for 29 seasons. During his coaching career, he created many new formations and methods, such as the now default 4–3 defense that is used by a majority of teams in the NFL, and the "flex defense" system made famous by the "Doomsday Defense" squads he built during his tenure with the Cowboys. His 29 consecutive years from 1960 to 1988 as the coach of one team is an NFL record, along with his 20 consecutive winning seasons, which is considered to be his most impressive professional accomplishment. Read more
11 Sep 1924: Rudolf Vrba, Czech-Canadian pharmacologist and educator (died 2006) Rudolf Vrba was a Slovak-Jewish biochemist who, as a teenager in 1942, was deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp in German-occupied Poland. He escaped from the camp in April 1944, at the height of the Holocaust, and co-wrote the Vrba-Wetzler report, a detailed report about the mass murder taking place there. The report, distributed by George Mantello in Switzerland, is credited with having halted the mass deportation of Hungary's Jews to Auschwitz in July 1944, saving more than 200,000 lives. After the war, Vrba trained as a biochemist, working mostly in England and Canada. Read more
11 Sep 1923: Betsy Drake, American actress (died 2015) Betsy Drake was an American actress, writer, and psychotherapist. She was the third wife of actor Cary Grant. Read more
11 Sep 1923: Vasilije Mokranjac, Serbian composer and academic (died 1984) Vasilije Mokranjac was a Serbian composer, professor of composition at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade and a member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts. He was one of the most prominent Serbian composers in the second half of the 20th century. Although famed for his symphonies, he also wrote piano music, as well as music for radio, film and theatre. He won the most prestigious awards in former Yugoslavia, including the October Prize, the award of the Yugoslav Radio-Diffusion, as well as the Lifetime Achievement Award. Read more
11 Sep 1923: Alan Badel, English actor (died 1982) Alan Fernand Badel was an English actor who appeared frequently on stage, in film, on radio and on television. Read more
11 Sep 1921: Leaford Bearskin, American tribal leader and colonel (died 2012) Leaford Bearskin was a Native American tribal leader and US Air Force officer. He was Chief of the Wyandotte Nation from 1983 to 2011. Read more
11 Sep 1917: Donald Blakeslee, American colonel and pilot (died 2008) Donald James Matthew Blakeslee was an American pilot and officer in the United States Air Force, whose aviation career began as a pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force flying Spitfire fighter aircraft during World War II. He then became a member of the Royal Air Force Eagle Squadrons, before transferring to the United States Army Air Forces in 1942. He flew more combat missions against the Luftwaffe than any other American fighter pilot, and by the end of the war was a flying ace credited with 15.5 aerial victories. Read more
11 Sep 1917: Herbert Lom, Czech-born English actor (died 2012) Herbert Charles Angelo Kuchačevič ze Schluderpacheru, known professionally as Herbert Lom, was a Czech-British actor with a career spanning over 60 years. His cool demeanour and precise, elegant elocution saw him cast as criminals or suave villains in his younger years, and professional men and nobles as he aged. Highly versatile, he was also known to legions of comedy fans as the beleaguered Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus in the Pink Panther film series. Read more
11 Sep 1917: Ferdinand Marcos, Filipino soldier, lawyer, and politician, 10th President of the Philippines (died 1989) Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. was a Filipino lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who served as the tenth president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. From 1972 to 1981, Marcos ruled the Philippines under martial law, embracing a policy of "constitutional authoritarianism." Following the lifting of martial law in 1981, a wide-ranging economic crisis, and the assassination of Ninoy Aquino, Marcos was deposed in 1986 by the People Power Revolution and was succeeded as president by Aquino's widow, Corazon Aquino. He was also the father of Bongbong Marcos, the incumbent president of the Philippines since 2022. Read more
11 Sep 1917: Jessica Mitford, English-American journalist and author (died 1996) Jessica Lucy "Decca" Treuhaft was an English-American author, communist activist and one of the Mitford sisters. Her 1960 memoir Hons and Rebels and her 1963 book of social commentary The American Way of Death both became classics. Read more
11 Sep 1917: Daniel Wildenstein, French art dealer and horse breeder (died 2001) Daniel Leopold Wildenstein was a French art dealer, historian and owner-breeder of thoroughbred and standardbred race horses. He was the third member of the family to preside over Wildenstein & Co., one of the most successful and influential art-dealerships of the 20th century. He was once described as "probably the richest and most powerful art dealer on earth." Read more
11 Sep 1916: Ed Sabol, American film producer, co-founded NFL Films (died 2015) Edwin Milton Sabol was an American filmmaker and the founder of NFL Films. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011 as a contributor, due to his works with NFL Films. Read more
11 Sep 1915: Dajikaka Gadgil, Indian jeweller (died 2014) Anant "Dajikaka" Gadgil was an Indian jeweller, industrialist and writer. He is best known for founding the P. N. Gadgil Jewellers & Company in Pune in 1958. Read more
11 Sep 1914: Serbian Patriarch Pavle II (died 2009) Pavle was the 44th Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, serving from 1990 to 2009. Read more
11 Sep 1913: Bear Bryant, American football player and coach (died 1983) Paul William "Bear" Bryant was an American college football player and coach. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, and best known as the head coach of the University of Alabama football team, the Alabama Crimson Tide, from 1958 to 1982. During his 25-year tenure as Alabama's head coach, he amassed six national championships and 13 conference championships. Upon his retirement in 1982, he held the record for the most wins (323) as a head coach in collegiate football history. The Paul W. Bryant Museum, Paul W. Bryant Hall, Paul W. Bryant Drive, and Saban Field at Bryant–Denny Stadium are all named in his honor at the University of Alabama. Read more
11 Sep 1913: Jacinto Convit, Venezuelan physician and academic (died 2014) Jacinto Convit García was a Venezuelan physician and scientist, known for developing a vaccine to prevent leprosy and his studies to treat cancer. He played a role in founding Venezuela's National Institute of Biomedicine and held many leprosy-related positions. Among Convit's many honors for his work on leprosy and tropical diseases was Spain's Prince of Asturias Award in the Scientific and Technical Research category and France's Legion of Honor. In 1988, Convit was nominated for a Nobel Prize in Medicine for his experimental anti-leprosy vaccine. Read more
11 Sep 1911: Lala Amarnath, Indian cricketer (died 2000) Lala Amarnath Bhardwaj was an Indian cricketer. He is considered to be the father figure of Indian cricket. He scored the first ever century for India in Test Cricket in 1933. He was independent India's first cricket captain and captained India in their first Test series win against Pakistan in 1952. Read more
11 Sep 1911: Bola de Nieve, Cuban singer-songwriter and pianist (died 1971) Bola de Nieve, born Ignacio Jacinto Villa Fernández, was a Cuban singer-pianist and songwriter. His name originates from his round, black face. Read more
11 Sep 1908: Alvar Lidell, English journalist (died 1981) Tord Alvar Quan Lidell was an English radio announcer and newsreader for the BBC and compere. He joined BBC Birmingham as chief announcer in 1932 before moving to London the following year. Lidell was made deputy chief announcer of the BBC in 1937 and announced important events such as Edward VIII's abdication and Britain's declaration of war with Germany in 1939. Read more
11 Sep 1907: Cécile Chabot, Canadian poet and illustrator (died 1990) Cécile Chabot was a Canadian poet and illustrator. Read more
11 Sep 1907: Lev Oborin, Russian pianist and educator (died 1974) Lev Nikolayevich Oborin ; was a Soviet and Russian pianist, composer and pedagogue. He was the winner of the first International Chopin Piano Competition in 1927. Read more
11 Sep 1904: Karl Plutus, Estonian lawyer and jurist (died 2010) Karl Plutus was an Estonian jurist and the oldest verified living man in Estonia from 2006 to 2010. Read more
11 Sep 1903: Theodor Adorno, German sociologist and philosopher (died 1969) Theodor W. Adorno was a German philosopher, cultural, and music critic. He was a leading member of the Frankfurt School of critical theory, whose work has come to be associated with thinkers such as Ernst Bloch, Walter Benjamin, Max Horkheimer, Erich Fromm, and Herbert Marcuse, for whom the works of Sigmund Freud, Karl Marx, and G. W. F. Hegel were essential to a critique of modern society. As a critic of both fascism and what he called the culture industry, he authored numerous works—such as Dialectic of Enlightenment (1947), Minima Moralia (1951), and Negative Dialectics (1966)—that strongly influenced the European New Left. Read more
11 Sep 1903: Stephen Etnier, American lieutenant and painter (died 1984) Stephen Morgan Etnier was an American realist painter, and an active painter for six decades. His work is distinguished by a mixture of realism and luminism, favoring industrial and working scenes, but always imbued with atmospheric light. Geographically, his career spanned the length of the eastern Atlantic and beyond. Read more
11 Sep 1901: D. W. Brooks, American farmer and businessman, founded Gold Kist (died 1999) David William Brooks was an American farmer and businessman. Read more
11 Sep 1899: Philipp Bouhler, German politician (died 1945) Philipp Bouhler was a German senior Nazi Party functionary who was both a Reichsleiter and Chief of the Chancellery of the Führer of the NSDAP. He was also the SS official responsible for the Aktion T4 euthanasia program that killed more than 250,000 disabled adults and children in Nazi Germany, as well as co-initiator of Aktion 14f13, also called Sonderbehandlung, that killed 15,000–20,000 concentration camp prisoners. Read more
11 Sep 1899: Jimmie Davis, American singer-songwriter and politician, 47th Governor of Louisiana (died 2000) James Houston Davis was an American singer, songwriter, and Democratic Party politician. After achieving fame for releasing both sacred and country songs, Davis served as the 47th governor of Louisiana from 1944 to 1948 and again from 1960 to 1964. Read more
11 Sep 1899: Anton Koolmann, Estonian wrestler and coach (died 1953) Anton Koolmann was a wrestler and coach from Kuusalu Parish, Estonia who took part at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. Read more
11 Sep 1898: Gerald Templer, English field marshal and politician, British High Commissioner in Malaya (died 1979) Field Marshal Sir Gerald Walter Robert Templer was a senior British Army officer. He fought in both the world wars and was involved in the British response to the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine. As Chief of the Imperial General Staff, the professional head of the British Army between 1955 and 1958, Templer was Prime Minister Anthony Eden's chief military adviser during the Suez Crisis. He is also credited as a founder of the United Kingdom's National Army Museum. Read more
11 Sep 1895: Vinoba Bhave, Indian philosopher and Gandhian, Bharat Ratna Awardee (died 1982) Vinayak Narahar Bhave, also known as Vinoba Bhave, was an Indian philosopher and an advocate of nonviolence and human rights. Often called Acharya, he is best known for the Bhoodan land reform movement, and is considered as the spiritual successor of Mahatma Gandhi. Read more
11 Sep 1893: Douglas Hawkes, English-Greek racing driver and engineer (died 1974) Wallace Douglas Hawkes was a British motor car designer, businessman and racing driver. He was born in Barton, Gloucestershire, married Gwenda Stewart in 1937, and died, aged 80, in Athens, Greece. Read more
11 Sep 1891: William Thomas Walsh, American historian, author, and educator (died 1949) William Thomas Walsh was an American Catholic historian, author, educator, and violinist. He is best known for popular biographies of Spanish Catholic historical figures and for his 1947 book Our Lady of Fatima, which significantly increased awareness of the Fatima apparitions among American Catholics. He received the Laetare Medal from the University of Notre Dame in 1941. Walsh wrote from a strongly Catholic perspective; his interpretations of Spanish history, particularly regarding the Inquisition and the expulsion of the Jews, have been both praised in Catholic circles and criticized by some historians for alleged antisemitic bias. Read more
11 Sep 1885: D. H. Lawrence, English novelist, poet, playwright, and critic (died 1930) David Herbert Lawrence was an English novelist, short story writer, poet, playwright, literary critic, travel writer, essayist, and painter. His modernist works reflect on modernity, social alienation and industrialisation, while championing sexuality, vitality and instinct. Four of his most famous novels – Sons and Lovers
(1913), The Rainbow (1915), Women in Love (1920), and Lady Chatterley's Lover (1928) – were the subject of censorship trials for their radical portrayals of romance, sexuality, and use of explicit language. Read more
11 Sep 1885: Herbert Stothart, American composer and conductor (died 1949) Herbert Pope Stothart was an American songwriter, arranger, conductor, and composer. He was nominated for ten Academy Awards and won Best Original Score for The Wizard of Oz. Stothart was widely acknowledged as a prominent member of the top tier of Hollywood composers during the 1930s and 1940s. Read more
11 Sep 1884: Sudhamoy Pramanick, Indian activist and politician (died 1974) Sudhamoy Pramanick was an Indian advocate from Shantipur. He was the lifetime secretary of the Tili Samaj, a societal benefit organisation. He was a social activist – member of the executive committee of the Indian National Congress and involved with the Satyagraha movement to campaign for Indian independence. Read more
11 Sep 1879: Louis Coatalen, French engineer (died 1962) Louis Hervé Coatalen was an automobile engineer and racing driver born in Brittany who spent much of his adult life in Britain and took British nationality. He was a pioneer of the design and development of internal combustion engines for cars and aircraft. Read more
11 Sep 1877: Felix Dzerzhinsky, Polish-Russian academic and politician (died 1926) Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky, nicknamed Iron Felix, was a Bolshevik revolutionary and politician of Polish origin. From 1917 until his death in 1926, he led the first three Soviet secret police organizations—the Cheka, the GPU and the OGPU—establishing state security organs for the new Soviet government. Read more
11 Sep 1877: James Hopwood Jeans, English physicist, astronomer, and mathematician (died 1946) Sir James Hopwood Jeans was an English physicist, mathematician and an astronomer. He served as a secretary of the Royal Society from 1919 to 1929, and was the president of the Royal Astronomical Society from 1925 to 1927, and won its Gold Medal. Read more
11 Sep 1876: Stan Rowley, Australian sprinter (died 1924) Stanley Rupert Rowley was an Australian sprinter who won four medals at the 1900 Summer Olympics. He was born in Young, New South Wales and died in Manly, New South Wales. Read more
11 Sep 1871: Scipione Borghese, 10th Prince of Sulmona, Italian racing driver, mountaineer, and politician (died 1927) Prince Luigi Marcantonio Francesco Rodolfo Scipione Borghese, commonly known as Scipione Borghese, was an Italian aristocrat, industrialist, politician, explorer, mountain climber and racing driver belonging to the House of Borghese. Read more
11 Sep 1865: Rainis, Latvian poet and playwright (died 1929) Jānis Pliekšāns, known by his pseudonym Rainis, was a Latvian poet, playwright, translator, and politician. Rainis' works include the classic plays Uguns un nakts and Indulis un Ārija, and a highly regarded translation of Goethe's Faust. His works had a profound influence on the literary Latvian language, and the ethnic symbolism he employed in his major works has been central to Latvian nationalism. Read more
11 Sep 1862: Julian Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy, English field marshal and politician, 12th Governor General of Canada (died 1935) Field Marshal Julian Hedworth George Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy, was a British Army officer who served as Governor General of Canada, the 12th since the Canadian Confederation. Read more
11 Sep 1862: Hawley Harvey Crippen, American physician (died 1910) Hawley Harvey Crippen, colloquially known as Dr. Crippen, was an American homeopath, ear and eye specialist and medicine dispenser who was hanged in Pentonville Prison, London, for the murder of his second wife, Cora Henrietta Crippen. He was the first criminal to be captured with the aid of wireless telegraphy. Read more
11 Sep 1862: O. Henry, American short story writer (died 1910) William Sydney Porter, better known by his pen name O. Henry, was an American writer known primarily for his short stories, though he also wrote poetry and non-fiction. His works include "The Gift of the Magi", "The Caballero's Way", "The Duplicity of Hargraves", and "The Ransom of Red Chief", as well as the novel Cabbages and Kings. Porter's stories are known for their naturalist observations, witty narration, and surprise endings. Read more
11 Sep 1861: Juhani Aho, Finnish author and journalist (died 1921) Juhani Aho, originally Johannes Brofeldt, was a Finnish author and journalist. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature sixteen times. Read more
11 Sep 1860: James Allan, New Zealand rugby player (died 1934) James Allan ) was a New Zealand rugby union player who played eight games for the New Zealand national rugby union team, and was nicknamed the Taieri Giant. Allan played in the first match contested by the New Zealand team, and the New Zealand Rugby Union regard him as the first ever All Black. Read more
11 Sep 1859: Vjenceslav Novak, Croatian author and playwright (died 1905) Vjenceslav Novak was a Croatian Realist writer, dramatist, and music historian. Read more
11 Sep 1847: Mary Watson Whitney, American astronomer and academic (died 1921) Mary Watson Whitney was an American astronomer and was the head of the Vassar College Observatory for 22 years, where 102 scientific papers were published under her guidance. Read more
11 Sep 1838: John Ireland, Irish-American archbishop (died 1918) John Ireland was an Irish-American prelate who was the third Catholic bishop and first archbishop of Saint Paul, Minnesota (1888–1918). He became both a religious as well as civic leader in Saint Paul during the turn of the 20th century. Ireland was known for his progressive stance on education, immigration and relations between church and state, as well as his opposition to saloons, alcoholism, political machines, and political corruption. Read more
11 Sep 1836: Fitz Hugh Ludlow, American journalist, author, and explorer (died 1870) Fitz Hugh Ludlow, sometimes seen as Fitzhugh Ludlow, was an American author, journalist, and explorer; best known for his autobiographical book The Hasheesh Eater (1857). Read more
11 Sep 1829: Thomas Hill, American painter (died 1908) Thomas Hill was an American artist of the 19th century. He produced many fine paintings of the Californian landscape, in particular of the Yosemite Valley, as well as the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Read more
11 Sep 1825: Eduard Hanslick, Bohemian-Austrian musicologist and critic (died 1904) Eduard Hanslick was an Austrian music critic, aesthetician and historian. Among the leading critics of his time, he was the chief music critic of the Neue Freie Presse from 1864 until the end of his life. His best known work, the 1854 treatise Vom Musikalisch-Schönen, was a landmark in the aesthetics of music and outlines much of his artistic and philosophical beliefs on music. Read more
11 Sep 1816: Carl Zeiss, German lens maker, created the Optical instrument (died 1888) Carl Zeiss was a German scientific instrument maker, optician and businessman. In 1846 he founded his workshop, which is still in business as Zeiss. Zeiss gathered a group of gifted practical and theoretical opticians and glass makers to reshape most aspects of optical instrument production. His collaboration with Ernst Abbe revolutionized optical theory and practical design of microscopes. Their quest to extend these advances brought Otto Schott into the enterprises to revolutionize optical glass manufacture. The firm of Carl Zeiss grew to one of the largest and most respected optical firms in the world. Read more
11 Sep 1800: Daniel S. Dickinson, American lawyer and politician, 13th Lieutenant Governor of New York (died 1866) Daniel Stevens Dickinson was an American politician and lawyer, most notable as a United States senator from 1844 to 1851. Read more

Notable Deaths on 11 September

11 Sep 2025: John D. Petersen, American chemist, educator, and academic administrator (born 1947) John David Petersen was an American chemist, educator and academic administrator who was president of the University of Tennessee system. Read more
11 Sep 2024: Kenneth Cope, British actor (born 1931) Kenneth Charles Cope was an English actor and scriptwriter. He was best known for his roles as Marty Hopkirk in Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), Jed Stone in Coronation Street, Ray Hilton in Brookside, Sid in The Damned and as a minor member of the Carry On team. Read more
11 Sep 2024: Alberto Fujimori, Peruvian politician, professor, and engineer, President of Peru (born 1938) Alberto Kenya Fujimori Inomoto was a Peruvian politician, professor, engineer and dictator who served as the president of Peru from 1990 to 2000. During Fujimori's tenure, the Peruvian Armed Forces repressed the far-left guerrilla group Shining Path, halting the group's actions while also killing thousands of civilians. Fujimori became known for his neoliberal political and economic ideology of Fujimorism, which pushed a free market economy and social conservatism. He also collaborated with the head of the National Intelligence Service (SIN), Vladimiro Montesinos, to consolidate power and eliminate political opponents. Fujimori's presidency was marked by authoritarian measures, excessive use of propaganda, entrenched political corruption, multiple cases of extrajudicial killings, and human rights violations. Read more
11 Sep 2024: Chad McQueen, American actor and race car driver (born 1960) Chadwick Steven McQueen was an American actor, film producer, martial artist, and race car driver. He was the only son and last living child of actor Steve McQueen (1930–1980). Read more
11 Sep 2024: Joe Schmidt, American football player and coach (born 1932) Joseph Paul Schmidt was an American professional football player and coach. He played as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Detroit Lions for 13 years from 1953 to 1965. He won two NFL championships with the Lions, and, between 1954 and 1963, he played in ten consecutive Pro Bowl games and was selected each year as a first-team All-Pro player. He was also voted by his fellow NFL players as the NFL's most valuable defensive player in 1960 and 1963, named to the NFL 1950s All-Decade Team, inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973 and chosen as a member of the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team in 2019. Read more
11 Sep 2022: Javier Marías, Spanish novelist, journalist and translator (born 1951) Javier Marías Franco was a Spanish author, translator, and columnist. Marías published fifteen novels, including A Heart So White, Tomorrow in the Battle Think on Me and the Your Face Tomorrow trilogy, widely regarded as his greatest achievement. In addition to his novels, he also published three collections of short stories and various essays. As one of Spain's most celebrated novelists, his books have been translated into forty-six languages and sold close to nine million copies internationally. He received several awards for his work, such as the Rómulo Gallegos Prize (1995), the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award (1997), the International Nonino Prize (2011), and the Austrian State Prize for European Literature (2011). Read more
11 Sep 2022: John W. O'Malley, American academic, Catholic historian, and Jesuit priest (born 1927) John William O'Malley was an American academic, Catholic historian, and Jesuit priest. He was a university professor at Georgetown University, housed in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies. O'Malley was a widely published expert on the religious history of Early Modern Europe, with specialities on the Council of Trent, the Second Vatican Council, and the First Vatican Council. Read more
11 Sep 2022: Joyce Reynolds, British classicist and academic (born 1918) Joyce Maire Reynolds was a British classicist and academic, specialising in Roman historical epigraphy. She was an honorary fellow of Newnham College, Cambridge. She dedicated her life to the study and teaching of Classics and was the first woman to be awarded the Kenyon medal by the British Academy. Among Reynolds' most significant publications were texts from the city of Aphrodisias, including letters between Aphrodisian and Roman authorities. Read more
11 Sep 2021: Abimael Guzmán, Peruvian philosopher and academic (born 1934) Manuel Rubén Abimael Guzmán Reinoso, also known by his nom de guerre Chairman Gonzalo, was a Peruvian Maoist revolutionary, terrorist, and guerrilla leader. He founded the organization Communist Party of Peru – Shining Path (PCP-SL) in 1969 and led a rebellion against the Peruvian government until his capture by authorities on 12 September 1992. He was then sentenced to life imprisonment for terrorism and treason. Read more
11 Sep 2020: Toots Hibbert, Jamaican singer and songwriter (born 1942) Frederick Nathaniel "Toots" Hibbert, was a Jamaican singer and songwriter who was the lead vocalist for the reggae and ska band Toots and the Maytals. A reggae pioneer, he performed for six decades and helped establish some of the fundamentals of reggae music. Hibbert's 1968 song "Do the Reggay" is widely credited as the genesis of the genre name reggae. His band's album True Love won a Grammy Award in 2005. Read more
11 Sep 2020: Swami Agnivesh, an Indian social activist and the founder of Arya Sabha, a political party based on the principles of Arya Samaj (born 1939) Swami Agnivesh, was an Indian social activist and the founder of Arya Sabha, a political party based on the principles of Arya Samaj. He also served as a cabinet minister in the state of Haryana. He is best known for his work against bonded labour through the Bonded Labour Liberation Front, which he founded in 1981. Read more
11 Sep 2019: B. J. Habibie, 3rd President of Indonesia (born 1936) Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie was an Indonesian statesman, engineer, scientist and inventor who served as the third president of Indonesia from 1998 to 1999. A little over two months after his inauguration as the seventh vice president in March 1998, he succeeded Suharto, who resigned after 32 years in office, thereby being the country's first vice president to assume the presidency intra-term. Originating from Sulawesi with Bugis-Gorontalese and Javanese ancestry, his presidency was seen as a landmark and transition to the Reform era. Read more
11 Sep 2016: Alexis Arquette, American actress, musician and cabaret performer (born 1969) Alexis Arquette was an American actress and transgender activist. Born in Los Angeles, she was the fourth of five children of actor and director Lewis Arquette and Brenda Olivia "Mardi", an actress. Her siblings include actors Rosanna, Richmond, Patricia, and David Arquette. Read more
11 Sep 2014: Bob Crewe, American singer-songwriter and producer (born 1930) Robert Stanley Crewe was an American songwriter, record producer, dancer and manager, best known mainly for co-writing and producing a string of Top 10 singles with Bob Gaudio for the 1960s pop rock band The Four Seasons. Read more
11 Sep 2014: Antoine Duhamel, French composer and conductor (born 1925) Antoine Duhamel was a French composer, orchestra conductor and music teacher. Read more
11 Sep 2014: Donald Sinden, English actor (born 1923) Sir Donald Alfred Sinden was an English actor. Read more
11 Sep 2013: Francisco Chavez, Filipino lawyer and politician, Solicitor General of the Philippines (born 1947) Francisco "Frank" Chavez was a Filipino lawyer. He was the Solicitor General of the Philippines during the Aquino administration. Read more
11 Sep 2013: Albert Jacquard, French geneticist and biologist (born 1925) Albert Jacquard was a French geneticist, popularizer of science and essayist. Read more
11 Sep 2013: Andrzej Trybulec, Polish mathematician and computer scientist (born 1941) Andrzej Wojciech Trybulec was a Polish mathematician and computer scientist noted for work on the Mizar system. Read more
11 Sep 2012: Finn Bergesen, Norwegian civil servant and businessman (born 1945) Finn Bergesen was a Norwegian civil servant and businessperson. Read more
11 Sep 2012: Tomas Evjen, Norwegian cinematographer and producer (born 1972) Tomas Evjen was a Norwegian editor, media personality and film producer. Read more
11 Sep 2012: J. Christopher Stevens, American lawyer and diplomat, 10th United States Ambassador to Libya (born 1960) John Christopher Stevens was an American career diplomat and lawyer who served as the U.S. Ambassador to Libya from May 22, 2012, to September 11, 2012. Stevens was killed when the U.S. Special Mission in Benghazi, Libya, was attacked by members of Ansar al-Sharia on September 11–12, 2012., making Stevens the eighth and most recent U.S. Ambassador to be killed while in office. Read more
11 Sep 2011: Christian Bakkerud, Danish racing driver (born 1984) Christian Bakkerud was a Danish racing driver, who competed in the 2007 and 2008 GP2 Series seasons, albeit hindered by a recurrent back injury. Prior to GP2 he competed in British Formula 3 and Formula BMW. Read more
11 Sep 2011: Ralph Gubbins, English footballer (born 1932) Ralph Grayham Gubbins was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward. Gubbins made nearly 250 appearances in the Football League for three clubs between 1952 and 1964, before playing non-league football. Read more
11 Sep 2011: Anjali Gupta, Indian soldier and pilot (born 1975) Flying Officer Anjali Gupta was an Indian Air Force (IAF) officer who served in Air Force from 2001 to 2006. She was the first female officer in India and in the Air Force to be court martialled. She was working at the Aircraft Systems and Testing Establishment in Bangalore. Read more
11 Sep 2011: Andy Whitfield, Welsh actor and model (born 1971) Andrew Whitfield was a Welsh actor. He was best known for his leading role in the Starz television series Spartacus: Blood and Sand. Read more
11 Sep 2010: Harold Gould, American actor (born 1923) Harold Vernon Goldstein, better known as Harold Gould, was an American character actor. He appeared as Martin Morgenstern on the sitcom Rhoda (1974–78) and Miles Webber on the sitcom The Golden Girls (1985–92). A five-time Emmy Award nominee, Gould acted in television, film, and theatre for more than 50 years, appearing in more than 300 television shows, 20 major motion pictures, and over 100 stage plays. He was known for playing elegant, well-dressed men, and he regularly played Jewish characters and grandfather-type figures on television and in film. Read more
11 Sep 2010: Kevin McCarthy, American actor (born 1914) Kevin McCarthy was an American stage, film and television actor, remembered as the male lead in the horror science fiction film Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956). Read more
11 Sep 2009: Jim Carroll, American author, poet and musician (born 1949) James Dennis Carroll was an American author, poet, and punk musician. Carroll was best known for his 1978 autobiographical work The Basketball Diaries, which inspired a 1995 film of the same title that starred Leonardo DiCaprio as Carroll, and his 1980 song "People Who Died" with the Jim Carroll Band. Read more
11 Sep 2009: Pierre Cossette, Canadian producer and manager (born 1923) Pierre Maurice Joseph Cossette was a television executive producer and Broadway producer. Cossette produced the first television broadcast of the Grammy Awards in 1971. He was one of the founders of Dunhill Records. Read more
11 Sep 2009: Larry Gelbart, American director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1928) Larry Simon Gelbart was an American television writer, playwright, screenwriter, director and author, most famous as a creator and producer of the television series M*A*S*H, and as co-writer of the Broadway musicals A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and City of Angels. Read more
11 Sep 2009: Yoshito Usui, Japanese author and illustrator (born 1958) Yoshito Usui was a Japanese manga artist known for the popular Crayon Shin-chan series. He was born in Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. Read more
11 Sep 2007: Ian Porterfield, Scottish footballer and manager (born 1946) John Ian Porterfield was a Scottish professional footballer, and an experienced football coach who worked at both club and international level for almost 30 years. At the time of his death, he was the coach of the Armenia national football team. Read more
11 Sep 2007: Gene Savoy, American explorer, theologian, and author (born 1927) Douglas Eugene "Gene" Savoy was an American explorer, author, religious leader, and theologian. He served as Head Bishop of the International Community of Christ, Church of the Second Advent from 1971 until his death. Rising to prominence as one of the premier explorers of Peru in the 1960s, he is best known for his claims to have discovered more than 40 lost cities in Peru and is credited with bringing to light a number of Peru’s most important archeological sites, including Vilcabamba, the last refuge of the Incas during the Spanish conquest, and Gran Pajaten, which he named but did not discover. Read more
11 Sep 2007: Jean Séguy, French sociologist and author (born 1925) Jean Séguy was a French sociologist of religions. He was particularly interested in cults, religious conflicts and Christianity. He was also member of the École des hautes études en sciences sociales. He served as editor-in-chief of the journal Archives de sciences sociales des religions between 1980 and 1988. Read more
11 Sep 2007: Joe Zawinul, Austrian keyboard player and songwriter (born 1932) Josef Erich Zawinul was an Austrian jazz and jazz fusion keyboardist and composer. First coming to prominence with saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, Zawinul went on to play with Miles Davis and to become one of the creators of jazz fusion, a musical genre that combined jazz with rock. He co-founded the groups Weather Report and The Zawinul Syndicate. He pioneered the use of electric piano and synthesizer, and was named "Best Electric Keyboardist" twenty-eight times by the readers of DownBeat magazine. Read more
11 Sep 2006: William Auld, Scottish poet and author (born 1924) William Auld was a British poet, author, translator and magazine editor who wrote chiefly in Esperanto. Read more
11 Sep 2006: Joachim Fest, German journalist and author (born 1926) Joachim Clemens Fest was a German historian, journalist, critic and editor who was best known for his writings and public commentary on Nazi Germany, including a biography of Adolf Hitler and books about Albert Speer and German resistance to Nazism. He was a leading figure in the debate among German historians about the Nazi era. Read more
11 Sep 2004: Fred Ebb, American songwriter (born 1928) Fred Ebb was an American lyricist and playwright who had many successful collaborations with composer John Kander. The Kander and Ebb team frequently wrote for such performers as Liza Minnelli and Chita Rivera. Read more
11 Sep 2004: David Mann, American painter and illustrator (born 1939) David Mann was a California graphic artist whose paintings celebrated biker culture, and choppers. Called "the biker world's artist-in-residence," his images are ubiquitous in biker clubhouses and garages, on motorcycle gas tanks, tattoos, and on T-shirts and other memorabilia associated with biker culture. Choppers have been built based on the bikes first imagined in a David Mann painting. Read more
11 Sep 2004: Patriarch Peter VII of Alexandria (born 1949) Peter VII was the Greek Orthodox Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and all Africa from 1997 to 2004. During his reign, Petros VII was credited with reviving the Greek Orthodox churches in Africa by increasing the churches' attendance of about 250,000 people. Read more
11 Sep 2003: Anna Lindh, Swedish politician, 39th Minister of Foreign Affairs for Sweden (born 1957) Ylva Anna Maria Lindh was a Swedish politician, diplomat, and lawyer who served as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1998 until her assassination in 2003. A leading figure of the Swedish Social Democratic Party, Lindh was a Member of the Riksdag representing Södermanland County from 1982 to 1985 and again from 1998 to 2003. Read more
11 Sep 2003: John Ritter, American actor (born 1948) John Ritter was an American actor. He was a son of the singing cowboy star Tex Ritter and the father of actors Jason and Tyler Ritter. He played Jack Tripper on the popular ABC sitcom Three's Company (1977–1984), and received a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award for the role in 1984. Ritter briefly reprised the role on the spin-off Three's a Crowd, which aired for one season, producing 22 episodes before its cancellation in 1985. Read more
11 Sep 2002: Kim Hunter, American actress (born 1922) Kim Hunter was an American theatre, film, and television actress. She achieved prominence for portraying Stella Kowalski in the original production of Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire, which she reprised for the 1951 film adaptation, and won both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress. Read more
11 Sep 2002: Johnny Unitas, American football player and sportscaster (born 1933) John Constantine Unitas was an American professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons, primarily with the Baltimore Colts. Nicknamed "Johnny U." and "the Golden Arm", Unitas was considered the prototype of the modern era marquee quarterback and is regarded as one of the greatest NFL players of all time. Read more
11 Sep 2002: David Wisniewski, American author and illustrator (born 1953) David R. Wisniewski, was an American writer and illustrator best known for children's books. Read more
11 Sep 2001: Alice Stewart Trillin, American author and educator (born 1938) Alice Stewart Trillin was an American educator, author, film producer and longtime muse to her husband, author Calvin Trillin. Diagnosed with lung cancer in the 1970s, she wrote about her experience and became known for her work with cancer patients. Alice Trillin is a recurring subject in Calvin Trillin's writings, including his 2006 book titled About Alice. She ultimately died from heart failure related to the radiation therapy that her cancer was treated with. Read more
11 Sep 2001: Casualties of the September 11 attacks: see Category:Victims of the September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks were the deadliest terrorist attacks in human history, causing the deaths of 2,996 people, including 19 hijackers who committed murder–suicide and 2,977 victims. Thousands more were injured, and long-term health effects have arisen as a consequence of the attacks. New York City took the brunt of the death toll when the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan were attacked, with an estimated 1,700 victims from the North Tower and around a thousand from the South Tower. 200 mi (320 km) southwest in Arlington County, Virginia, another 125 were killed in the Pentagon. The remaining 265 fatalities included the 92 passengers and crew of American Airlines Flight 11, the 65 aboard United Airlines Flight 175, the 64 aboard American Airlines Flight 77 and the 44 aboard United Airlines Flight 93. The attack on the World Trade Center's North Tower alone made the September 11 attacks the deadliest act of terrorism in human history. Read more
11 Sep 1999: Belkis Ayón, Cuban painter and lithographer (born 1967) Belkis Ayón was a Cuban printmaker who specialized in the technique of collography. Ayón created large, highly detailed allegorical collagraphs based on Abakuá, a secret, all-male Afro-Cuban society. Her work is often in black and white, consisting of ghost-white figures with oblong heads and empty, almond-shaped eyes, set against dark, patterned backgrounds. Read more
11 Sep 1999: Gonzalo Rodríguez, Uruguayan racing driver (born 1972) Gonzalo "Gonchi" Rodríguez Bongoll was a Uruguayan racing driver. He was killed in a crash at Laguna Seca Raceway during practice for the 1999 Honda Grand Prix of Monterey CART race which would have been his second start in the series. Read more
11 Sep 1998: Dane Clark, American actor (born 1912) Dane Clark was an American character actor who was known for playing, as he labeled himself, "Joe Average." Read more
11 Sep 1997: Camille Henry, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1933) Joseph Wilfred Camille "The Eel" Henry was a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger/centre who played for the New York Rangers, Chicago Black Hawks, and St. Louis Blues in the National Hockey League. Read more
11 Sep 1997: Hannah Weiner, American poet (born 1928) Hannah Adelle Weiner was an American poet who is often grouped with the Language poets because of the prominent place she assumed in the poetics of that group. Read more
11 Sep 1995: Anita Harding, English neurologist and academic (born 1952) Anita Elizabeth Harding was an Irish-British neurologist, and Professor of Clinical Neurology at the Institute of Neurology of the University of London. She is known for the discovery with Ian Holt and John Morgan-Hughes of the "first identification of a mitochondrial DNA mutation in human disease and the concept of tissue heteroplasmy of mutant mitochondrial DNA", published in Nature in 1986. In 1985 she established the first neurogenetics research group in the United Kingdom at the UCL Institute of Neurology. Read more
11 Sep 1994: Luciano Sgrizzi, Italian harpsichordist, pianist, and composer (born 1910) Luciano Sgrizzi was an Italian harpsichordist, organist, pianist and composer. Read more
11 Sep 1994: Jessica Tandy, English-American actress (born 1909) Jessie Alice Tandy, known professionally as Jessica Tandy, was an English and American actress. She appeared in over 100 stage productions and had more than 60 roles in film and TV, receiving an Academy Award, four Tony Awards, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Tandy is one of few performers to achieve Triple Crown of Acting status. Read more
11 Sep 1993: Antoine Izméry, Haitian businessman and activist Antoine Izméry was a Haitian businessman and pro-democracy activist. Read more
11 Sep 1993: Erich Leinsdorf, Austrian-American conductor (born 1912) Erich Leinsdorf was an Austrian-born American conductor. He performed and recorded with leading orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States and Europe, earning a reputation for exacting standards as well as an acerbic personality. He also published books and essays on musical matters. Read more
11 Sep 1993: Mary Jane Reoch, American cyclist (born 1945) Mary Jane Reoch was an American cyclist. She won 11 national championships during her cycling career and afterwards worked as a cycling coach. She was killed in a road accident while training a client in 1993. She was posthumously inducted into the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame in 1994. Read more
11 Sep 1991: Ernst Herbeck, Austrian-German poet (born 1920) Ernst Herbeck was an Austrian poet. In 1940, at the age of 20, Herbeck was committed to the national mental hospital in Lower Austria (Niederösterreich). He lived in the institution for most of his life. After 15 years he began writing poetry and completed thousands of poems, until his death on 11 September 1991. Read more
11 Sep 1990: Myrna Mack, Guatemalan anthropologist and activist (born 1949) Myrna Mack Chang was a Guatemalan anthropologist. In 1990, she was stabbed to death by elements in the Guatemalan military due to her criticism of the Guatemala government's treatment of the indigenous Maya, and human rights abuses against the people in general. Read more
11 Sep 1988: Roger Hargreaves, English author and illustrator (born 1935) Charles Roger Hargreaves was an English cartoonist, illustrator and writer of children's books. He created the Mr. Men, Little Miss and Timbuctoo series;, intended for young readers. The simple and humorous stories, with bold, brightly coloured illustrations, have sold more than 85 million copies worldwide in 20 languages. Read more
11 Sep 1987: Lorne Greene, Canadian actor (born 1915) Lorne Hyman Greene was a Canadian actor, singer, and radio personality. His notable roles include Ben Cartwright in the Western television series Bonanza and Commander Adama in the original science-fiction series Battlestar Galactica and Galactica 1980. He also worked on the Canadian television nature documentary series Lorne Greene's New Wilderness and in television commercials. Read more
11 Sep 1987: Peter Tosh, Jamaican singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1944) Peter Tosh was a Jamaican musician and reggae singer. Along with Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer, he was one of the core members of the band the Wailers (1963–1976), after which he established himself as a successful solo artist and a promoter of Rastafari. Tosh was murdered in 1987 during a home invasion. Read more
11 Sep 1987: Mahadevi Varma, Indian poet and educator (born 1907) Mahadevi Varma was an Indian Hindi-language poet, essayist, and short-story writer. She is regarded as one of the four major pillars of the Chhayavaad movement in Hindi literature. Read more
11 Sep 1986: Panagiotis Kanellopoulos, Greek academic and politician, 138th Prime Minister of Greece (born 1902) Panagiotis Kanellopoulos or Panayotis Kanellopoulos was a Greek writer, politician and Prime Minister of Greece. He was the Prime Minister of Greece deposed by the Greek military junta of 1967–1974. Read more
11 Sep 1986: Noel Streatfeild, English author (born 1895) Mary Noel Streatfeild was an English author, best known for children's books including the "Shoes" books, which were not a series. Random House, the US publisher of the 1936 novel Ballet Shoes (1936), published some of Streatfeild's subsequent children's books using the word "Shoes" in their titles, to capitalise on the popularity of Ballet Shoes; thus Circus Shoes, Party Shoes, Skating Shoes and many more. She won the third annual Carnegie Medal for The Circus Is Coming. Read more
11 Sep 1985: William Alwyn, English composer, conductor, and educator (born 1905) William Alwyn was an English composer, conductor, and music teacher who composed over 200 cinematic scores, of which some 70 were for full-length features, as well as number of operas, concertos and symphonies. Read more
11 Sep 1985: Henrietta Barnett, British Women's Royal Air Force officer (born 1905) Air Commandant Dame Mary Henrietta Barnett was a senior officer of the Women's Royal Air Force (WRAF). From 1956 to 1960, she served as its director. Read more
11 Sep 1985: Eleanor Dark, Australian author (born 1901) Eleanor Dark AO was an Australian writer whose novels included Prelude to Christopher (1934) and Return to Coolami (1936), both winners of the Australian Literature Society Gold Medal for literature, and her best known work The Timeless Land (1941). Read more
11 Sep 1984: Jerry Voorhis, American politician (born 1901) Horace Jeremiah "Jerry" Voorhis was an American politician and educator who served five terms in the United States House of Representatives representing California from 1937 to 1947. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented the 12th congressional district in Los Angeles County. He was the first political opponent of Richard M. Nixon, who defeated Voorhis for re-election in 1946 in a campaign cited as the first example of Nixon's use of red-baiting tactics during his political rise. Read more
11 Sep 1983: Brian Lawrance, Australian bandleader and singer (born 1909) Brian Vinrace Lawrance was an Australian singer and violinist who led his own British dance band in the 1930s. Known for regular broadcasts with Fred Hartley and his Quintet, Lawrance was considered one of the leading dance band vocalists, and drew a large radio audience. Lawrance arrived in Britain in 1927, and returned to Australia in 1940, where he continued his career. Read more
11 Sep 1982: Albert Soboul, French historian and academic (born 1914) Albert Marius Soboul was a historian of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic periods. A professor at the Sorbonne, he was chair of the History of the French Revolution and author of numerous influential works of history and historical interpretation. In his lifetime, he was internationally recognized as the foremost French authority on the Revolutionary era. Read more
11 Sep 1978: Mike Gazella, American baseball player and manager (born 1895) Michael Gazella was an American Major League Baseball player who played for the New York Yankees on several championship teams in the 1920s. Read more
11 Sep 1978: Georgi Markov, Bulgarian author and playwright (born 1929) Georgi Ivanov Markov was a Bulgarian dissident writer. He worked as a novelist, screenwriter and playwright in his native country, the People's Republic of Bulgaria, until his defection in 1969. After relocating to London, he worked as a broadcaster and journalist for the BBC World Service, the Radio Free Europe and West Germany's Deutsche Welle. Markov used such forums to conduct a campaign of sarcastic criticism against the incumbent Bulgarian-Soviet regime. Read more
11 Sep 1978: Janet Parker, English photographer (born 1938) In 1978, a smallpox outbreak in the United Kingdom led to the death of Janet Parker, a British medical photographer. She was the last person recorded to have died from this disease. Parker's illness and death were linked to two additional fatalities, prompting the government to establish the Shooter Inquiry. This official investigation, conducted by a panel of experts headed by microbiologist R.A. Shooter, led to significant reforms in the study of dangerous pathogens in the UK. Read more
11 Sep 1978: Ronnie Peterson, Swedish racing driver (born 1944) Bengt Ronnie Peterson was a Swedish racing driver, who competed in Formula One from 1970 to 1978. Nicknamed "Superswede", Peterson twice finished runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 1971 and 1978, and won 10 Grands Prix across nine seasons. Read more
11 Sep 1974: Lois Lenski, American author and illustrator (born 1893) Lois Lenore Lenski Covey was a Newbery Medal-winning author and illustrator of picture books and children's literature. Beginning in 1927 with her first books, Skipping Village and Jack Horner's Pie: A Book of Nursery Rhymes, Lenski published 98 books, including several posthumously. Her work includes children's picture books and illustrated chapter books, songbooks, poetry, short stories, her 1972 autobiography, Journey into Childhood, and essays about books and children's literature. Her best-known bodies of work include the "Mr. Small" series of picture books (1934–62); her "Historical" series of novels, including the Newbery Honor-winning titles Phebe Fairchild: Her Book (1936) and Indian Captive: The Story of Mary Jemison (1941); and her "Regional" series, including Newbery Medal-winning Strawberry Girl (1945) and Children's Book Award-winning Judy's Journey (1947). Read more
11 Sep 1973: Salvador Allende, Chilean physician and politician, 29th President of Chile (born 1908) Salvador Guillermo Allende Gossens was a Chilean socialist politician who served as the 29th president of Chile from 1970 until his suicide in 1973. As a socialist committed to democracy, he has been described as the first Marxist to be elected president in a liberal democracy in Latin America. Read more
11 Sep 1973: Neem Karoli Baba, Indian philosopher and guru Neem Karoli Baba also known as Neeb Karori Baba and by his followers as Maharaj-ji, was a Hindu guru and devotee of the Hindu deity Hanuman. Read more
11 Sep 1971: Nikita Khrushchev, Russian general and politician (born 1894) Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and the Chairman of the Council of Ministers from 1958 to 1964. As leader of the Soviet Union, he shocked the world by denouncing his predecessor Joseph Stalin, embarking on a campaign of de-Stalinization, and presiding over the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. Read more
11 Sep 1968: René Cogny, French general (born 1904) René Cogny was a French Général de corps d'armée, World War II and French Resistance veteran and survivor of Buchenwald and Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camps. He was a commander of the French forces in Tonkin during the First Indochina War, and notably during the Battle of Dien Bien Phu. His post-war private and legal conflict with superior General Henri Navarre became a public controversy. Known to his men as Le General Vitesse, and reputable for his military pomp, physical presence and skill with the press, Cogny was killed in the 1968 Ajaccio-Nice Caravelle crash in the Mediterranean near Nice. Read more
11 Sep 1967: Tadeusz Żyliński, Polish engineer and academic (born 1904) Tadeusz Żyliński was a Polish technician, textilist and mechanical engineer. He was a professor of Technical University of Łódź, creator of Polish school of textile metrology. Author of Metrologia włókiennicza and Nauka o włóknie. Read more
11 Sep 1966: Collett E. Woolman, American businessman, co-founded Delta Air Lines (born 1889) Collett Everman Woolman, commonly known as "C.E.", was an American airline entrepreneur best known as the principal founder and first CEO of Delta Air Lines. Read more
11 Sep 1965: Ralph C. Smedley, American educator, founded Toastmasters International (born 1878) Ralph Chesnut Smedley was the founder of Toastmasters International, an international public speaking organization. He spent 60 years developing the Toastmasters concept from a series of unsuccessful local clubs to the successful organization that flourishes today. He was also a long time official with the YMCA and a pioneer of adult education and lifelong learning. Read more
11 Sep 1964: Gajanan Madhav Muktibodh, Indian poet and critic (born 1917) Gajanan Madhav Muktibodh was a prominent Hindi poet, essayist, literary and political critic, and fiction writer of the 20th century. Read more
11 Sep 1959: Paul Douglas, American actor (born 1907) Paul Douglas Fleischer, known professionally as Paul Douglas, was an American actor. Read more
11 Sep 1958: Camillien Houde, Canadian politician, 34th Mayor of Montreal (born 1889) Camillien Houde was a Quebec politician, a Member of Parliament, and a four-time mayor of Montreal. He is of the few Canadian politicians to have served at all three levels of government. During World War II, Houde was interned under the War Measures Act for campaigning against conscription. Read more
11 Sep 1958: Robert W. Service, English-French poet and author (born 1874) Robert William Service was an English-born Canadian poet and writer, often called “The Bard of the Yukon" and "The Canadian Kipling". Born in Lancashire of Scottish descent, he was a bank clerk by trade, but spent long periods travelling in the west in the United States and Canada, often in poverty. When his bank sent him to the Yukon, he was inspired by tales of the Klondike Gold Rush, and wrote two poems, "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" and "The Cremation of Sam McGee", which showed remarkable authenticity from an author with no experience of the gold rush or mining, and enjoyed immediate popularity. Encouraged by this, he quickly wrote more poems on the same theme, which were published as Songs of a Sourdough, and achieved a massive sale. When his next collection, Ballads of a Cheechako, proved equally successful, Service could afford to travel widely and live a leisurely life, basing himself in Paris and the French Riviera. Read more
11 Sep 1957: Mary Proctor, American astronomer (born 1862) Mary Proctor was a British-American popularizer of astronomy. While not a professional astronomer, Proctor became well known for her books and articles written for the public – particularly her children's fiction. Read more
11 Sep 1956: Billy Bishop, Canadian colonel and pilot (born 1894) Air Marshal William Avery "Billy" Bishop, Jr., was a Canadian flying ace of the First World War. He was officially credited with 72 victories, making him the top Canadian and British Empire ace of the war, and also received a Victoria Cross. During the Second World War, Bishop was instrumental in setting up and promoting the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Read more
11 Sep 1950: Jan Smuts, South African field marshal and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of South Africa (born 1870) Field Marshal Jan Christian Smuts was a South African statesman, military officer and philosopher. In addition to holding various military and cabinet posts, he served as Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa from 1919 to 1924 and 1939 to 1948. Read more
11 Sep 1949: Henri Rabaud, French composer and conductor (born 1873) Henri Benjamin Rabaud was a French conductor, composer and teacher, who held important posts in the French musical establishment and upheld mainly conservative trends in French music in the first half of the twentieth century. Read more
11 Sep 1948: Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Pakistani lawyer and politician, 1st Governor-General of Pakistan (born 1876) Muhammad Ali Jinnah was a barrister, statesman, and the founder of Pakistan. He served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the independence of Pakistan on 14 August 1947, and then as Pakistan's first governor-general until his death a year later in 1948. Read more
11 Sep 1941: Christian Rakovsky, Bulgarian physician, journalist, and politician, Soviet Ambassador to France (born 1873) Christian Georgiyevich Rakovsky, Bulgarian name Krastyo Georgiev Rakovski, born Krastyo Georgiev Stanchov, was a Bulgarian-born socialist revolutionary, a Bolshevik politician and Soviet diplomat and statesman; he was also noted as a journalist, physician, and essayist. Rakovsky's political career took him throughout the Balkans and into France and Imperial Russia; for part of his life, he was also a Romanian citizen. Read more
11 Sep 1941: Aleksandra Izmailovich, Belarusian revolutionary (born 1878) Aleksandra Adolfovna Izmailovich was a Belarusian socialist revolutionary. From a noble family, she joined the Socialist Revolutionary Party (PSR) while studying in Saint Petersburg. She used her family home in Minsk to host PSR meetings, during which they plotted attacks against Russian Imperial government officials. Izmailovich herself attempted to assassinate the governor of Minsk Pavel Kurlov, who was responsible for pogroms in the city, but her shots failed to hit him. In prison, she found out that her sister Katerina Izmailovich had died attempting to assassinate the Russian naval commander Grigoriy Chukhnin. Read more
11 Sep 1941: Maria Spiridonova, Russian revolutionary (born 1884) Maria Alexandrovna Spiridonova was a Narodnik-inspired Russian revolutionary. In 1906, as a novice member of a local combat group of the Tambov Socialists-Revolutionaries (SRs), she assassinated Gavriil Luzhenovsky, a Tsarist security official. Her subsequent abuse by police earned her enormous popularity with the opponents of Tsarism throughout the empire and even abroad. Read more
11 Sep 1939: Konstantin Korovin, Russian-French painter and set designer (born 1861) Konstantin Alekseyevich Korovin was a leading Russian Impressionist painter. Read more
11 Sep 1935: Charles Norris, American coroner (born 1867) Charles Norris was New York's first appointed chief medical examiner (1918–1935) and pioneer of forensic toxicology in America. Read more
11 Sep 1932: Stanisław Wigura, Polish pilot and businessman, co-founded the RWD Company (born 1901) Stanisław Wigura was a Polish aircraft designer and aviator, co-founder of the RWD aircraft construction team and lecturer at the Warsaw University of Technology. Along with Franciszek Żwirko, he won the international air contest Challenge 1932. Read more
11 Sep 1932: Franciszek Żwirko, Polish soldier and pilot (born 1895) Franciszek Żwirko was a prominent Polish sport and military aviator. Along with Stanisław Wigura, he won the international air contest Challenge 1932. Read more
11 Sep 1926: Matsunosuke Onoe, Japanese actor and director (born 1875) Matsunosuke Onoe , sometimes known as Medama no Matchan , was a Japanese actor. His birth name is Tsuruzo Nakamura. He is sometimes credited as Yukio Koki, Tamijaku Onoe, or Tsunusaburo Onoe, and as a kabuki artist he went by the name Tsurusaburo Onoe. He gained great popularity, appearing in over 1,000 films, and has been called the first superstar of Japanese cinema. Read more
11 Sep 1921: Subramania Bharati, Indian journalist, poet, and activist (born 1882) Subramania Bharati was an Indian writer, poet, composer, journalist, teacher, Indian independence activist, social reformer, and polyglot. He was bestowed the title Bharati for his poetry and was a pioneer of modern Tamil poetry. He is popularly known by his title Bharati or Bharatiyar and also by the other title "Mahakavi Bharati". His works included patriotic songs composed during the Indian Independence movement. He fought for the emancipation of women, against child marriage, opposed the caste system, and advocated reforms of the society and religion. Read more
11 Sep 1917: Georges Guynemer, French captain and pilot (born 1894) Georges Marie Lodovic Jules Guynemer was the second highest-scoring French fighter ace with 54 victories during World War I, and a French national hero at the time of his death. Guynemer's death was a profound shock to France. Read more
11 Sep 1915: William Sprague IV, American businessman and politician, 27th Governor of Rhode Island (born 1830) William Sprague IV was an American politician who served as the 27th governor of Rhode Island from 1860 to 1863, and a U.S. senator from 1863 to 1875. He participated in the First Battle of Bull Run during the American Civil War while he was a sitting governor. Read more
11 Sep 1911: Louis Henri Boussenard, French explorer and author (born 1847) Louis Henri Boussenard was a French author of adventure novels, dubbed "the French Rider Haggard" during his lifetime, but known better presently in Eastern Europe than in Francophone countries. As a measure of his popularity, 40 volumes of his collected works were published in Imperial Russia during 1911. Read more
11 Sep 1898: Nikoline Harbitz, Norwegian author (born 1841) Nikoline Anette Harbitz was a Norwegian author. Read more
11 Sep 1896: Francis James Child, American scholar and educator (born 1825) Francis James Child was an American scholar, educator, and folklorist, best known today for his collection of English and Scottish ballads now known as the Child Ballads. Child was Boylston Professor of Rhetoric and Oratory at Harvard University, where he produced influential editions of English poetry. In 1876 he was named Harvard's first professor of English, a position which allowed him to focus on academic research. It was during this time that he began work on the Child Ballads. Read more
11 Sep 1888: Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, Argentinian journalist and politician, 7th President of Argentina (born 1811) Domingo Faustino Sarmiento was President of Argentina from 1868 to 1874. He was a member of a group of intellectuals, known as the Generation of 1837, who had a great influence on 19th-century Argentina. Read more
11 Sep 1865: Christophe Léon Louis Juchault de Lamoricière, French general (born 1806) Christophe Léon Louis Juchault de Lamoricière was a 19th-century French general. Read more
11 Sep 1851: Sylvester Graham, American minister and dietary reformer, namesake of the graham cracker (born 1794) Sylvester Graham was an American Presbyterian minister and dietary reformer. He was known for his emphasis on vegetarianism, the temperance movement, and eating whole-grain bread. His preaching inspired the graham flour, graham bread, and graham cracker products. Graham is often referred to as the "Father of Vegetarianism" in the United States of America. Graham's lectures caused riots on multiple occasions. Read more
11 Sep 1846: José Núñez de Cáceres, Dominican politician and writer, leader of the Independence movement of the Dominican Republic (born 1772) José Núñez de Cáceres y Albor was a Dominican revolutionary and writer. Known for being the leader of the first Dominican independence movement against Spain in 1821, his actions preceded the Dominican War of Independence. Read more
11 Sep 1843: Joseph Nicollet, French mathematician and explorer (born 1786) Joseph Nicolas Nicollet, also known as Jean-Nicolas Nicollet, was a French geographer, astronomer, and mathematician known for mapping the Upper Mississippi River basin during the 1830s. Nicollet led three expeditions in the region between the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, primarily in Minnesota, South Dakota, and North Dakota. Read more
11 Sep 1823: David Ricardo, English economist and politician (born 1772) David Ricardo was a British economist and politician. He is recognized as one of the most influential classical economists, alongside figures such as Thomas Malthus, Adam Smith and James Mill. Read more

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