September 1 is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 121 days remaining until the end of the year.
Today in history
462 – Possible start of first Byzantine indiction cycle.
1355 – Tvrtko I writes in castro nostro Vizoka vocatum from old town Visoki.
1532 – Lady Anne Boleyn is made Marchioness of Pembroke by her fiancé, King Henry VIII of England.
1644 – Battle of Tippermuir: Montrose defeats Elcho's Covenanters, reviving the Royalist cause.
1715 – King Louis XIV of France dies after a reign of 72 years—the longest of any major European monarch.
1752 – The Liberty Bell arrives in Philadelphia.
1763 – Catherine II of Russia endorses Ivan Betskoy's plans for a Foundling Home in Moscow
1772 – Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa founded in San Luis Obispo, California.
1804 – Juno, one of the largest main belt asteroids, is discovered by German astronomer Karl Ludwig Harding.
1807 – Former US Vice President Aaron Burr is acquitted of treason.
1836 – Narcissa Whitman, one of the first English-speaking white women to settle west of the Rocky Mountains, arrives at Walla Walla, Washington.
1859 – A solar superstorm affects electrical telegraph service.
1862 – American Civil War: Battle of Chantilly – Confederate forces attack retreating Union troops in Chantilly, Virginia.
1864 – American Civil War: Confederate General John Bell Hood evacuates Atlanta, Georgia after a four-month siege by General Sherman.
1870 – Franco-Prussian War: Battle of Sedan is fought, resulting in a decisive Prussian victory.
1873 – Cetshwayo ascends to the throne as king of the Zulu nation following the death of his father Mpande.
1875 – A murder conviction effectively forces the violent Irish anti-owner coal miners, the "Molly Maguires", to disband.
1894 – Great Hinckley Fire: A forest fire in Hinckley, Minnesota, kills more than 400 people.
1897 – The Boston subway opens, becoming the first underground rapid transit system in North America.
1902 – A Trip to the Moon, considered one of the first science fiction films, is released in France.
1905 – Alberta and Saskatchewan join the Canadian confederation.
1906 – The International Federation of Intellectual Property Attorneys is established.
1911 – The armored cruiser Georgios Averof is commissioned into the Greek Navy. It now serves as a museum ship.
1914 – St. Petersburg, Russia changes its name to Petrograd.
1914 – The last passenger pigeon, a female named Martha, dies in captivity in the Cincinnati Zoo.
1923 – The Great Kantō earthquake devastates Tokyo and Yokohama, killing about 105,000 people.
1928 – Ahmet Zogu declares Albania to be a monarchy and proclaims himself king.
1934 – SMJK Sam Tet is founded by Father Fourgs from the St. Michael Church, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
1939 – World War II: Nazi Germany invades Poland, beginning the war in Europe.
1939 – George C. Marshall becomes Chief of Staff of the United States Army.
1939 – The Wound Badge for Wehrmacht, SS, Kriegsmarine, and Luftwaffe soldiers is instituted. The final version of the Iron Cross is also instituted on this date.
1939 – Switzerland mobilizes its forces and the Swiss Parliament elects Henri Guisan to head the Swiss Army (an event that can happen only during war or mobilization).
1951 – The United States, Australia and New Zealand sign a mutual defense pact, called the ANZUS Treaty.
1961 – The Eritrean War of Independence officially begins with the shooting of the Ethiopian police by Hamid Idris Awate
1962 – Channel Television launches to 54,000 households in the Channel Islands.
1964 – Indian Oil Corporation forms after the merger of Indian Oil Refineries and Indian Oil Company.
1969 – A revolution in Libya brings Muammar al-Gaddafi to power, which is later transferred to the People's Committees.
1970 – Attempted assassination of King Hussein of Jordan by Palestinian guerrillas, who attacked his motorcade.
1972 – In Reykjavík, Iceland, American Bobby Fischer beats Russian Boris Spassky and becomes the world chess champion.
1974 – The SR-71 Blackbird sets (and holds) the record for flying from New York to London: 1 hour 54 minutes and 56.4 seconds.
1979 – The American space probe Pioneer 11 becomes the first spacecraft to visit Saturn when it passes the planet at a distance of 21,000 km.
1980 – Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope ends in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
1981 – A coup d'état in the Central African Republic overthrows President David Dacko.
1982 – Canada adopts a Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as part of its Constitution.
1982 – The United States Air Force Space Command is founded.
1983 – Cold War: Korean Air Flight 007 is shot down by a Soviet Union jet fighter when the commercial aircraft enters Soviet airspace. All 269 on board are killed, including Congressman Lawrence McDonald.
1985 – A joint American–French expedition locates the wreck of the RMS Titanic.
1990 – The Communist Labour Party of Turkey/Leninist is founded, following a split from the Communist Labour Party of Turkey.
1991 – Uzbekistan declares independence from the Soviet Union
2004 – Beslan school hostage crisis commences when armed terrorists take children and adults hostage in the Russian town of Beslan in North Ossetia.
2006 – Luxembourg became the first country to complete the move to all digital television broadcasting.
Births
1286 – Elisabeth Richeza of Poland, Queen of Poland (d. 1335)
1453 – Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, Spanish general (d. 1515)
1566 – Edward Alleyn, English actor (d. 1626)
1588 – Henry II, Prince of Condé, French nobleman (d. 1646)
1651 – Nataliya Kyrillovna Naryshkina, Tsaritsa of Russia (d. 1694)
1653 – Johann Pachelbel, German composer (d. 1706)
1711 – William IV, Prince of Orange (d. 1759)
1795 – James Gordon Bennett, Sr., American newspaper publisher (d. 1872)
1818 – José María Castro Madriz, first President of Costa Rica and founder of the republic (d. 1892)
1848 – Auguste-Henri Forel, Swiss entomologist (d. 1931)
1854 – Engelbert Humperdinck, German composer (d. 1921)
1855 – Innokenty Annensky, Russian poet (d. 1909)
1856 – Sergei Winogradsky, Russian scientist (d. 1953)
1866 – James J. Corbett, American heavyweight boxer (d. 1933)
1868 – Henri Bourassa, French Canadian politician and publisher (d. 1952)
1871 – J. Reuben Clark, Jr., American Undersecretary of State (d. 1961)
1875 – Edgar Rice Burroughs, American writer (d. 1950)
1876 – Harriet Shaw Weaver, English political activist (d. 1961)
1877 – Francis William Aston, Nobel laureate (d. 1945)
1878 – Princess Alexandra of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (d. 1942)
1883 – Didier Pitre, French Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1934)
1884 – Sigurd Wallén, Swedish actor and filmdirector (d. 1947)
1886 – Othmar Schoeck, Swiss composer and conductor (d. 1957)
1887 – Blaise Cendrars, Swiss writer (d. 1961)
1888 – Andrija Štampar, Croatian physician (d. 1958)
1889 – Richard Arlen, American actor (d. 1976)
1892 – Leverett Saltonstall, 55th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1979)
1895 – Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar, Indian musician (d. 1974)
1896 – A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Indian theologian (d. 1977)
1897 – Andy Kennedy, Irish footballer (d. 1963)
1899 – Andrei Platonov, Russian writer (d. 1951)
1904 – Johnny Mack Brown, American actor (d. 1974)
1905 – Elvera Sanchez, Puerto Rican dancer (d. 2000)
1906 – Joaquín Balaguer, President of the Dominican Republic (d. 2002)
1906 – Franz Biebl, German composer (d. 2001)
1906 – Eleanor Burford Hibertt (Jean Plaidy, Victoria Holt, Philippa Carr...), English writer (d. 1993)
1907 – Walter Reuther, American labor union leader (d. 1970)
1908 – Amir Elahi, Pakistani cricketer (d. 1980)
1909 – E. Herbert Norman, Canadian diplomat (d. 1957)
1913 – Ludwig Merwart, Austrian painter and graphic artist (d. 1979)
1913 – Christian Nyby, American director and film editor (d. 1993)
1916 – Dorothy Cheney, American tennis player
1919 – Ossie Dawson, South African cricketer (d. 2008)
1920 – Richard Farnsworth, American actor (d. 2000)
1921 – Willem Frederik Hermans, Dutch writer (d. 1995)
1921 – Madhav Mantri, Indian cricketer
1922 – Yvonne De Carlo, Canadian-born actress (d. 2007)
1922 – Vittorio Gassman, Italian actor (d. 2000)
1923 – Rocky Marciano, American boxer (d. 1969)
1923 – Kenneth Thomson, 2nd Baron Thomson of Fleet, Canadian businessman (d. 2006)
1925 – Art Pepper, American musician (d. 1982)
1926 – Abdur Rahman Biswas, President of Bangladesh
1926 – Gene Colan, American comic book artist
1927 – Wyatt Cooper, American author and screenwriter (d. 1978)
1928 – Clifford Lincoln, Canadian politician
1928 – George Maharis, American actor
1929 – Anne Ramsey, American actress (d. 1988)
1931 – Boxcar Willie, American country musician (d. 1999)
1932 – Derog Gioura, Nauruan politician
1932 – Sunny von Buelow, American socialite (d. 2008)
1933 – Ann W. Richards, American politician (d. 2006)
1933 – Conway Twitty, American singer (d. 1993)
1935 – Seiji Ozawa, Japanese conductor
1937 – Al Geiberger, American golfer
1937 – Ron O'Neal, American actor, film director and screenwriter (d. 2004)
1939 – Lily Tomlin, American actress and comedian
1941 – Graeme Langlands, Australian rugby league footballer
1942 – C. J. Cherryh, American writer
1943 – Don Stroud, American actor
1944 – Leonard Slatkin, American conductor
1945 – Mustafa Balel, Turkish writer
1946 – Greg Errico, American drummer (Sly & the Family Stone)
1946 – Barry Gibb, English singer (Bee Gees)
1946 – Roh Moo-Hyun, President of South Korea (d. 2009)
1947 – Al Green, American politician
1948 – Józef Życiński, Polish archbishop and philosopher
1949 – P.A. Sangma, Indian politician
1950 – Phillip Fulmer, American football coach
1950 – Dr. Phil McGraw, American talk show host
1951 – Nicu Ceauşescu, Romanian politician (d. 1996)
1951 – David Bairstow, England cricketer (d. 1998)
1952 – Phil Hendrie, American radio personality
1953 – Beau Billingslea, American voice actor
1953 – Ted Petty, American professional wrestler (d. 2002)
1954 – Dave Lumley, Canadian ice hockey player
1955 – Billy Blanks, American martial artist
1955 – Bruce Foxton, English bassist (The Jam)
1956 – Philece Sampler, American voice artist
1956 – Bernie Wagenblast, American broadcaster and editor
1957 – Gloria Estefan, Cuban/American singer
1957 – Duško Ivanović, Montenegrin basketball coach
1958 – Armi Aavikko, Finnish singer (d. 2002)
1959 – Kenny Mayne, American sports journalist
1960 – Joseph Williams, American singer and film score composer
1961 – Bam Bam Bigelow, American professional wrestler (d. 2007)
1962 – Ruud Gullit, Dutch footballer
1962 – Tony Cascarino, Irish footballer
1963 – Stephen Kernahan, Australian rules footballer
1963 – Carola Smit, Dutch singer
1964 – Brian Bellows, Canadian ice hockey player
1964 – Cécilia Rhode, Swedish model
1964 – Ray D'Arcy, Irish DJ and TV presenter
1966 – Tim Hardaway, American basketball player
1967 – David Whissell, Quebec politician
1968 – Mohammed Atta, Egyptian terrorist (d. 2001)
1969 – Henning Berg, Norwegian footballer
1970 – Hwang Jung-min, South Korean actor
1970 – Padma Lakshmi, Indian actress
1970 – Mitsou, Quebec singer, television and radio host, actress
1970 – Vanna, Croatian singer
1971 – Ricardo Antonio Chavira, American actor
1971 – Joe Enochs, American soccer player
1971 – Yoshitaka Hirota, Japanese composer
1971 – Lââm, French singer
1971 – Jimmy Snuka, Jr., American professional wrestler
1971 – Hakan Şükür, Turkish footballer
1972 – Doug Williams, British professional wrestler
1973 – Ram Kapoor, Indian actor
1973 – J. D. Fortune, Canadian singer (INXS)
1973 – Zach Thomas, American football player
1974 – Jason Taylor, American football player
1974 – Jhonen Vasquez, American comic book artist
1975 – Scott Speedman, English-born actor
1975 – Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Australian actress and singer
1975 – Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, Puerto Rican guitarist
1975 – Cuttino Mobley, American basketball player
1976 – Marcos Ambrose, Australian racing driver
1976 – Erik Morales, Mexican boxer
1976 – Jada Fire, American porn actress
1976 – Polly Shannon, Canadian actress
1976 – Sebastián Rozental, Chilean footballer
1976 – Clare Connor, England Woman cricketer
1977 – Aaron Schobel, American football player
1977 – Raffaele Giammaria, Italian racing driver
1977 – Shoshana Bean, American stage actress
1977 – Aamir Ali, Indian television actor
1977 – David Albelda, Spanish footballer
1978 – Max Vieri, Australian soccer player
1978 – Lucie Blackman, English murder victim (d. 2000)
1979 – James O'Connor, Irish footballer
1980 – Chris Riggott, English footballer
1980 – Sammy Adjei, Ghanaian footballer
1981 – Clinton Portis, American football player
1981 – Adam Quick, Australian basketball player
1981 – Matthew McGuire, Australian Rower
1982 – Ryan Gomes, American basketball player
1982 – Paul Dumbrell, Australian racing driver
1982 – Jeffrey Buttle, Canadian figure skater
1983 – José Antonio Reyes, Spanish footballer
1983 – Jeff Woywitka, Canadian ice hockey player
1984 – Joseph Trohman, American musician (Fall Out Boy)
1984 – Nick Noble, American footballer
1984 – Rod Pelley, Canadian ice hockey player
1985 – Camile Velasco, Filipino-American singer
1986 – Gaël Monfils, French tennis player
1986 – Anthony Allen, English rugby union player
1987 – Dann Hume, New Zealand musician (Evermore)
1988 – Gabriel Ferrari, American footballer
1988 – Mushfiqur Rahim, Bangladeshi cricketer
1989 – Juliana Lohmann, Brazilian actress
1993 – Ilona Mitrecey, French singer
1994 – Bianca Ryan, American singer
Deaths
1067 – Baldwin V of Flanders
1159 – Pope Adrian IV (b. 1100)
1256 – Kujo Yoritsune, Japanese shogun (b. 1218)
1414 – William de Ros, 7th Baron de Ros, Lord Treasurer of England (b. 1369)
1557 – Jacques Cartier, French explorer (b. 1491)
1581 – Guru Ram Das, fourth Sikh Guru (b. 1534)
1600 – Tadeáš Hájek, Czech physician (b. 1525)
1615 – Étienne Pasquier, French lawyer (b. 1529)
1648 – Marin Mersenne, French mathematician (b. 1588)
1685 – Leoline Jenkins, Welsh lawyer (b. 1625)
1687 – Henry More, English philosopher (b. 1614)
1715 – François Girardon, French sculptor (b. 1628)
1715 – King Louis XIV of France (b. 1638)
1818 – Robert Calder, British naval officer (b. 1745)
1838 – William Clark, American explorer, part of the Lewis and Clark Expedition (b. 1770)
1943 – Charles Atangana, Cameroonian chief (b. 1880)
1947 – Frederick Russell Burnham, father of the international Scouting movement (b. 1861)
1953 – Bernard O'Dowd, Australian poet (b. 1866)
1957 – Dennis Brain, English musician (b. 1921)
1967 – Siegfried Sassoon, English poet (b. 1886)
1967 – Ilse Koch, Nazi war criminal (b. 1906)
1969 – Drew Pearson, American newspaper columnist (b. 1897)
1970 – François Mauriac, French writer, Nobel laureate (b. 1885)
1977 – Ethel Waters, American singer (b. 1896)
1981 – Albert Speer, Nazi official (b. 1905)
1981 – Ann Harding, American actress (b. 1901)
1982 – Haskell Curry, American mathematician (b. 1900)
1982 – Wladyslaw Gomulka, Polish communist leader (b. 1905)
1983 – Henry M. Jackson, American politician (b. 1912)
1983 – Larry McDonald, American congressman (b. 1935)
1985 – Stefan Bellof, German race car driver (b. 1957)
1985 – Jay Youngblood, American wrestler (b. 1955)
1986 – Murray Hamilton, American actor (b. 1923)
1988 – Luis Alvarez, American physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1911)
1989 – A. Bartlett Giamatti, American baseball commissioner (b. 1938)
1989 – Tadeusz Sendzimir, American inventor (b. 1894)
1994 – Boris Malenko, American professional wrestler (b. 1933)
1998 – Józef Krupiński, Polish poet (b. 1930)
1998 – Cary Middlecoff, American golfer (b. 1921)
1999 – W. Richard Stevens, Zambian computer scientist (b. 1951)
2001 – Brian Moore British sports commentator (b. 1932)
2003 – Sir Terry Frost, British artist (b. 1915)
2004 – Ahmed Kuftaro, Grand Mufti of Syria (b. 1915)
2005 – R. L. Burnside, American musician (b. 1926)
2005 – Thanos Leivaditis, Greek actor (b. 1934)
2006 – Kyffin Williams, Welsh landscape painter (b. 1918)
2006 – Bob O'Connor, mayor of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (b. 1944)
2006 – Nellie Connally, wife of Texas governor John Connally (b. 1919)
2006 – Warren Mitofsky, American pollster (b. 1934)
2007 – Roy McKenzie, New Zealand philanthropist (b. 1922)
2008 – Don LaFontaine, American voice actor (b. 1940)
2008 – Jerry Reed, American musician and actor (b. 1937)
Holidays and observances
In the Eastern Orthodox Church, the new liturgical year begins on September 1. Also see September 1 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics).
Eastern (Byzantine) Catholic Church, the new Liturgical Year (Indiction) also begins.
Church of England – Saint Giles.
Russia – Knowledge Day.
Singapore – Teachers' Day.
Slovakia – Constitution Day.
Uzbekistan – Independence Day (from USSR, 1991).
Libya – Revolution Day (1969)
First day of Spring in Australia and New Zealand.
