On September 21st...

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1192 English King Richard I the Lionhearted was captured by Leopold V, Duke of Austria.

1327 King Edward II of England died.

1452 Italian reformer Girolamo Savonarola was born.

1621 King James I of England gave Sir Alexander Sterling a royal charter for the colonization of Nova Scotia.

1645 Louis Joliet, explorer of the Mississippi River with Jacques Marquette, was born.

1676 Benedetto Odescalchi was elected Pope and took the name Innocent XI.

1677 John and Nicolaas van der Heyden patented a fire extinguisher.

1756 Inventor John Loudon McAdam was born.

1776 Nathan Hale was arrested for spying.

1780 Benedict Arnold gave plans for West Point to British Major John André.

1784 The first daily newspaper in America, the Pennsylvania Packet & General Advertiser, began publication.

1788 Margaret Mackall Smith, wife of President Zachary Taylor, was born.

1792 The First French Republic was declared.

1827 According to Joseph Smith Jr., the angel Moroni gave him a record of gold plates, one-third of which Smith translated into The Book of Mormon.

1831 The Anti-Masonic Party held the first ever presidential candidate nominating convention in the United States.

1832 Poet and historical novelist Sir Walter Scott died.

1837 Charles Tiffany founded his jewelry and china stores.

1865 Ezra Fitch, co-founder of Abercrombie & Fitch, was born.

1866 The first two regiments of "Buffalo Soldiers" were organized.
1866 Author H.G. Wells was born.

1867 Henry L. Stimson, U.S. Secretary of War, was born.

1884 Irving Price, co-founder of Fisher-Price Toys, was born.

1893 Frank Duryea drove the first U.S.-made gasoline-powered vehicle.

1895 Duryea Motor Wagon Company became the world's first automobile manufacturer.

1897 The New York Sun ran its "Yes, Virginia there is a Santa Claus" editorial.

1903 Preston Tucker, designer of a single-headlight car, was born.

1912 Cartoonist Chuck Jones was born.

1919 Actor Nigel Stock was born.

1920 Actor Simon Scott was born.

1926 Physicist Donald A. Glaser was born.

1930 Johann Ostermeyer patented the flashbulb.

1931 Great Britain abandoned the gold standard.
1931 Actor Larry Hagman was born.

1934 Songwriter Leonard Cohen was born.

1935 Actor Henry Gibson was born.
1935 Actress Sigrid Valdis was born.

1937 J. R. R. Tolkein published The Hobbit.

1940 Journalist Bill Kurtis was born.

1941 The United States launched its first Liberty Ship, the Patrick Henry.

1942 The B-29 Superfortress made its first flight.

1944 Comedian Fannie Flagg was born.
1944 Hamilton Jordan, White House Chief of Staff under President Jimmy Carter, was born.

1945 Television producer Jerry Bruckheimer was born.

1947 Jacques-Édouard Alexis, Prime Minister of Haiti, was born.
1947 Guitarist Don Felder was born.
1947 Author Stephen King was born.

1948 "Texaco Star Theater" debuted on NBC-TV.

1949 Chinese Communist leaders proclaimed the People's Republic of China.
1949 The Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) was established.

1950 Actor Bill Murray was born.

1953 Auto racer Arie Luyendyk was born.

1954 Sinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, was born.

1957 "Perry Mason" premiered on CBS-TV.
1957 Kevin Rudd, Prime Minister of Australia, was born.
1957 King Haakon VII of Norway died.

1958 The Milwaukee Braves clinched their 2nd consecutive National League pennant.
1958 Television producer Marta Kauffman was born.

1960 Actor David James Elliott was born.

1961 Actress Nancy Travis was born.

1962 Actor Rob Morrow was born.

1963 Baseball player Cecil Fielder was born.
1963 Actor Angus Macfadyen was born.

1964 Malta became independent of Great Britain.

1965 Actress Cheryl Hines was born.

1967 Singer Faith Hill was born.

1968 Talk show host Ricki Lake was born.

1970 "Monday Night Football" premiered on ABC-TV (Browns 31, Jets 21).
1970 Actor James Lesure was born.

1971 Actor Alfonso Ribeiro was born.

1974 Actor Walter Brennan died.

1980 Actress Autumn Reeser was born.

1981 British Honduras became independent of the United Kingdom, as Belize.
1981 Sandra Day O'Connor became the first female Justice of the United States Supreme Court.

1991 Armenia declared its independence from the Soviet Union.

1998 Actors Lorenzo and Nikolas Brino were born.
1998 Olympic track star Florence Griffith Joyner died.

2007 Televangelist Rex Humbard died.

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This page was last updated on December 17, 2018.