EVENTS
- 70 – The Roman army plunders the city of Jerusalem.
- 1822 – Brazil declares independence from Portugal.
- 1936 – The Tasmanian Tiger becomes extinct. The last surviving Tasmanian Tiger – a carnivorous marsupial, died in captivity at the Hobart Zoo, Tasmania, Australia. Called Benjamin, the thylacine, as the species was called, is believed to have died due to neglect. Thylacines were natives of Australia and New Guinea and went extinct due to over hunting and the introduction of invasive species like dingos.
- 1940 – The German Luftwaffe began its Blitz bombing campaign against London during World War II.
German Luftwaffe - 1971 – The Beverly Hillbillies airs it’s final episode.
- 1977 – Treaty giving the Panama Canal to Panama is signed. The Torrijos–Carter Treaties were two treaties signed between the heads of state of the US and Panama. The treaties gave control of the canal that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean to Panama. The canal was constructed by, and had been in the control of, the United States since 1904.
- 1978 – Georgi Markov is murdered. The Bulgarian writer and dissenter had left Bulgaria in 1969 and was working at BBC in London during the time of his murder. His murder, which is popularly known as the Umbrella Murder took place while he was crossing the Waterloo Bridge in London. The assassin, nicknamed Piccadilly, used a modified umbrella to shot a pellet full of ricin in Markov’s leg. Markov died 4 days later, on September 11 of ricin poisoning.
- 1979 – ESPN, the first all sports cable network, makes its debut.
- 1986 – Bishop Desmond Tutu became Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa, the first black head of South Africa’s Anglicans.
- 1994 – The U.S. Army closed its headquarters in Berlin, ending the American military presence in the once-divided city after nearly half a century.
- 1998 – Google, the search engine company, is founded.
- 1999 – For the first time since World War II, Germany’s parliament, the Bundestag, returned to Berlin, former capital of Imperial Germany as well as Hitler’s Reich. The Bundestag held its first session in the fully restored Reichstag building, attended by parliamentarians from around the world. The session also marked the 50th anniversary of the Bundestag’s first post-war session, held in Bonn, the former capital of West Germany.
- 2005 – Egypt holds its first presidential election
- 2011 – Independence of South Sudan. South Sudan became an independent country after a referendum that passed with over 98% of votes.
BIRTHDAYS
- 1533 – Elizabeth I (Queen of England)
- 1860 – Grandma Moses (Artist)
- 1908 – Paul Brown (American football coach, executive)
- 1909 – Elia Kazan (Greek/American actor, director, producer, writer)
- 1936 – Buddy Holly (Singer)
Buddy Holly - 1940 – Abdurrahman Wahid. Indonesian politician, 4th President of Indonesia)
- 1951 – Chrissie Hynde (Singer)
- 1954 – Corbin Bernsen (Actor)
- 1984 – Vera Zvonareva (Russian tennis player)
- 1987 – Evan Rachel Wood (Actor)
- 1973 – Shannon Elizabeth (Actor)
- 1988 – Kevin Love (Basketball player)
DEATHS
- 1566 – Suleiman the Magnificent (Ottoman sultan)
- 1978 – Keith Moon (English drummer, songwriter, producer)
- 1984 – Don Tallon (Australian cricketer)
- 1997 – Mobutu Sese Seko (Congolese politician, President of Zaire)