September 15

September 15 is the 258th day of the year (259th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 107 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

• 668 – Eastern Roman Emperor Constans II is assassinated in his bath at Syracuse, Italy.
• 921 – At Tetin Saint Ludmila is murdered at the command of her daughter-in-law.
• 994 – Major Fatimid victory over the Byzantine Empire at the Battle of the Orontes.
• 1440 – Gilles de Rais, one of the earliest known serial killers, is taken into custody upon an accusation brought against him by the Bishop of Nantes.
• 1556 – Departing from Vlissingen, ex-Holy Roman Emperor Charles V returns to Spain.
• 1616 – The first non-aristocratic, free public school in Europe is opened in Frascati, Italy.
• 1762 – Seven Years War: Battle of Signal Hill.
• 1776 – American Revolutionary War: British forces land at Kip's Bay during the New York Campaign.
• 1789 – The United States Department of State is established (formerly known as the "Department of Foreign Affairs").
• 1812 – The French army under Napoleon reaches the Kremlin in Moscow.
• 1812 – War of 1812: A second supply train sent to relieve Fort Harrison is ambushed in the Attack at the Narrows.
• 1816 – HMS Whiting ran aground on the Doom Bar
• 1820 – Constitutionalist revolution in Lisbon, Portugal.
• 1821 – Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica jointly declare independence from Spain.
• 1830 – The Liverpool to Manchester railway line opens.
• 1831 – The locomotive John Bull operates for the first time in New Jersey on the Camden and Amboy Railroad.
• 1835 – HMS Beagle, with Charles Darwin aboard, reaches the Galápagos Islands. The ship lands at Chatham or San Cristobal, the easternmost of the archipielago.
• 1851 – Saint Joseph's University is founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
• 1862 – American Civil War: Confederate forces capture Harpers Ferry, Virginia.
• 1873 – Franco-Prussian War: The last German troops leave France upon completion of payment of indemnity.
• 1894 – First Sino-Japanese War: Japan defeats China in the Battle of Pyongyang.
• 1916 – World War I: Tanks are used for the first time in battle, at the Battle of the Somme.
• 1935 – India's first all-boys public school, The Doon School, is founded.
• 1935 – The Nuremberg Laws deprive German Jews of citizenship.
• 1935 – Nazi Germany adopts a new national flag with the swastika.
• 1940 – World War II: The climax of the Battle of Britain, when the Royal Air Force shoots down large numbers of Luftwaffe aircraft.
• 1942 – World War II: U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Wasp is torpedoed at Guadalcanal.
• 1944 – Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill meet in Quebec as part of the Octagon Conference to discuss strategy.
• 1944 – Battle of Peleliu begins as the United States Marine Corps' 1st Marine Division and the United States Army's 81st Infantry Division hit White and Orange beaches under heavy fire from Japanese infantry and artillery.
• 1945 – A hurricane in southern Florida and the Bahamas destroys 366 planes and 25 blimps at NAS Richmond.
• 1947 – RCA releases the 12AX7 vacuum tube.
• 1947 – Typhoon Kathleen hit the Kanto Region in Japan killing 1,077.
• 1948 – The F-86 Sabre sets the world aircraft speed record at 671 miles per hour (1,080 km/h).
• 1950 – Korean War: United States forces land at Inchon
• 1952 – United Nations gives Eritrea to Ethiopia.
• 1958 – A Central Railroad of New Jersey commuter train runs through an open drawbridge at the Newark Bay, killing 48.
• 1959 – Nikita Khrushchev becomes the first Soviet leader to visit the United States.
• 1961 – Hurricane Carla strikes Texas with winds of 175 miles per hour.
• 1962 – The Soviet ship Poltava heads toward Cuba, one of the events that sets into motion the Cuban Missile Crisis.
• 1963 – The 16th Street Baptist Church bombing: Four children killed at an African-American church in Birmingham, Alabama, United States
• 1966 – U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson, responding to a sniper attack at the University of Texas at Austin, writes a letter to Congress urging the enactment of gun control legislation.
• 1968 – The Soviet Zond 5 spaceship is launched, becoming the first spacecraft to fly around the Moon and re-enter the Earth's atmosphere.
• 1972 – A Scandinavian Airlines System domestic flight from Gothenburg to Stockholm is hijacked and flown to Malmö-Bulltofta Airport.
• 1974 – Air Vietnam Flight 706 is hijacked, then crashes while attempting to land with 75 on board.
• 1975 – The French département of Corse (the entire island of Corsica) is divided into two: Haute-Corse and Corse-du-Sud.
• 1981 – The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously approves Sandra Day O'Connor to become the first female justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
• 1981 – The John Bull becomes the oldest operable steam locomotive in the world when the Smithsonian Institution operates it under its own power outside Washington, D.C.
• 1981 – Vanuatu becomes a member of the United Nations.
• 1983 – Israeli premier Menachem Begin resigns.
• 1987 – United States Secretary of State George Shultz and Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze sign a treaty to establish centers to reduce the risk of nuclear war.
• 1990 – France announces it will send 4,000 troops to the Persian Gulf.
• 1993 – Liechtenstein Prince Hans-Adam II disbands Parliament
• 1998 – With the landmark merger of WorldCom and MCI Communications completed the day prior, the new MCI WorldCom opens its doors for business.
• 2004 – National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman announces lockout of the players union and cessation of operations by the NHL head office.
• 2007 – Colin McRae dies when the helicopter he was piloting crashes near his Lanarkshire home.
• 2008 – Lehman Brothers files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the largest bankruptcy filing in U.S. history.

Births

• 786 – Al-Ma'mun, Iraqi caliph (d. 833)
• 1533 – Catherine of Austria, Queen of Poland (d. 1572)
• 1580 – Charles Annibal Fabrot, French lawyer (d. 1659)
• 1613 – François de La Rochefoucauld, French author (d. 1680)
• 1649 – Titus Oates, English minister, fabricated the Popish Plot (d. 1705)
• 1666 – Sophia Dorothea of Celle (d. 1726)
• 1690 – Ignazio Prota, Italian composer and educator (d. 1748)
• 1715 – Jean-Baptiste Vaquette de Gribeauval, French general and engineer (d. 1789)
• 1736 – Jean Sylvain Bailly, French astronomer, mathematician, and politician, 1st Mayor of Paris (d. 1793)
• 1759 – Cornelio Saavedra, Argentinean military officer and politician (d. 1829)
• 1760 – Bogislav Friedrich Emanuel von Tauentzien, Prussian general (d. 1824)
• 1765 – Manuel Maria Barbosa du Bocage, Portuguese poet (d. 1805)
• 1789 – James Fenimore Cooper, American author (d. 1851)
• 1815 – Halfdan Kjerulf, Norwegian composer (d. 1868)
• 1819 – Cyprien Tanguay, Canadian priest and historian (d. 1902)
• 1828 – Alexander Butlerov, Russian chemist (d. 1886)
• 1830 – Porfirio Díaz, Mexican general and politician, 29th President of Mexico (d. 1915)
• 1857 – William Howard Taft, American lawyer, jurist, and politician, 27th President of the United States (d. 1930)
• 1858 – Charles de Foucauld, French priest and martyr (d. 1916)
• 1858 – Jenő Hubay, Hungarian violinist (d. 1937)
• 1860 – Visvesvaraya, Indian engineer, scholar, and politician, Diwan of the Mysore Kingdom (d. 1962)
• 1863 – Horatio Parker, American organist, composer, and educator (d. 1919)
• 1864 – Prince Sigismund of Prussia (d. 1866)
• 1867 – Vladimir May-Mayevsky, Russian general (d. 1920)
• 1870 – Rose Sutro, American pianist (d. 1957)
• 1876 – Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Indian author (d. 1938)
• 1876 – Bruno Walter, German-American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1962)
• 1877 – Jakob Ehrlich, Czech zionist (d. 1938)
• 1879 – Joseph Lyons, Australian politician, 10th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1939)
• 1880 – Chujiro Hayashi, Japanese physician (d. 1940)
• 1881 – Ettore Bugatti, Italian-French businessman, founded Bugatti (d. 1947)
• 1881 – Julian Schmitz, American gymnast
• 1883 – Esteban Terradas i Illa, Spanish mathematician and engineer (d. 1950)
• 1886 – Paul Lévy, French mathematician (d. 1971)
• 1887 – Carlos Dávila, Chilean politician, President of Chile (d. 1955)
• 1888 – Antonio Ascari, Italian race car driver (d. 1925)
• 1889 – Robert Benchley, American actor, screenwriter, and critic (d. 1945)
• 1889 – Claude McKay, Jamaican-American poet and author (d. 1948)
• 1890 – Ernest Bullock, English organist and composer (d. 1979)
• 1890 – Agatha Christie, English author, poet, and playwright (d. 1976)
• 1890 – Frank Martin, Swiss-Dutch composer (d. 1974)
• 1892 – Silpa Bhirasri, Italian sculptor (d. 1962)
• 1894 – Jean Renoir, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1979)
• 1894 – Oskar Klein, Swedish physicist (d. 1977)
• 1895 – Chic Harley, American football player (d. 1974)
• 1895 – Magda Lupescu, Romanian wife of Carol II of Romania (d. 1977)
• 1897 – Merle Curti, American historian and author (d. 1997)
• 1898 – J. Slauerhoff, Dutch poet and author (d. 1936)
• 1901 – Donald Bailey, English engineer, designed Bailey bridge (d. 1985)
• 1903 – Roy Acuff, American singer-songwriter and fiddler (d. 1992)
• 1904 – Umberto II of Italy (d. 1983)
• 1904 – Sheilah Graham Westbrook, English-American actress, journalist, and author (d. 1988)
• 1906 – Jacques Becker, French actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1960)
• 1906 – Walter E. Rollins, American songwriter (d. 1973)
• 1907 – Gunnar Ekelöf, Swedish poet and author (d. 1968)
• 1907 – Fay Wray, Canadian-American actress (d. 2004)
• 1908 – Kid Sheik, American trumpet player (Preservation Hall Jazz Band) (d. 1996)
• 1908 – Penny Singleton, American actress and singer (d. 2003)
• 1909 – C. N. Annadurai, Indian politician, 7th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (d. 1969)
• 1909 – Phil Arnold, American actor (d. 1968)
• 1910 – Betty Neels, English author (d. 2001)
• 1911 – Karsten Solheim, Norwegian-American businessman, founded PING (d. 2000)
• 1911 – Luther Terry, American physician, 9th Surgeon General of the United States (d. 1985)
• 1913 – Henry Brant, Canadian-American composer and conductor (d. 2008)
• 1913 – Bruno Hoffmann, German glass harp player (d. 1991)
• 1913 – John N. Mitchell, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician, 67th United States Attorney General (d. 1988)
• 1913 – Johannes Steinhoff, German general and pilot (d. 1994)
• 1914 – Creighton Abrams, American general (d. 1974)
• 1914 – Adolfo Bioy Casares, Argentinian journalist and author (d. 1999)
• 1914 – Orhan Kemal, Turkish author (d. 1970)
• 1914 – Robert McCloskey, American author and illustrator (d. 2003)
• 1915 – Fawn M. Brodie, American historian and author (d. 1981)
• 1915 – Al Casey, American guitarist (d. 2005)
• 1915 – José Nicomedes Grossi, Brazilian bishop (d. 2009)
• 1915 – Paul Ch'eng Shih-kuang, Taiwanese bishop (d. 2012)
• 1915 – Albert Whitlock, English-American special effects designer (d. 1999)
• 1915 – Ismail Yasin, Egyptian actor (d. 1972)
• 1915 – Meinhardt Raabe, American actor (d. 2010)
• 1916 – Margaret Lockwood, Pakistani-English actress and singer (d. 1990)
• 1916 – Frederick C. Weyand, American general (d. 2010)
• 1917 – Hilde Gueden, Austrian soprano (d. 1988)
• 1918 – Alfred D. Chandler, Jr., American historian and academic (d. 2007)
• 1918 – Phil Lamason, New Zealand pilot (d. 2012)
• 1918 – Nipsey Russell, American comedian and actor (d. 2005)
• 1919 – Fausto Coppi, Italian cyclist (d. 1960)
• 1919 – Nelson Gidding, American screenwriter (d. 2004)
• 1919 – Heda Margolius Kovály, Czech author (d. 2010)
• 1920 – Kym Bonython, Australian radio host (d. 2011)
• 1921 – Richard Gordon, English surgeon and author
• 1921 – Norma MacMillan, Canadian actress (d. 2001)
• 1921 – Snooky Pryor, American harmonica player (d. 2006)
• 1921 – Gene Roland, American pianist and composer (d. 1982)
• 1922 – Bob Anderson, English fencer and choreographer (d. 2012)
• 1922 – Jackie Cooper, American actor, singer, director, and producer (d. 2011)
• 1922 – Gaetano Cozzi, Italian historian (d. 2001)
• 1923 – Anton Heiller, Austrian organist, composer, and conductor (d. 1979)
• 1924 – Lucebert, Dutch poet and painter (d. 1994)
• 1924 – György Lázár, Hungarian politician, 50th Prime Minister of Hungary
• 1924 – Bobby Short, American singer and pianist (d. 2005)
• 1925 – Stanley Chapman, English architect, designer, and author (d. 2009)
• 1925 – Forrest Compton, American actor
• 1925 – Helle Virkner, Danish actress (d. 2009)
• 1926 – Shohei Imamura, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2006)
• 1926 – Jean-Pierre Serre, French mathematician
• 1927 – Norm Crosby, American comedian and actor
• 1927 – Erika Köth, German soprano (d. 1981)
• 1927 – David Stove, Australian philosopher (d. 1994)
• 1928 – Cannonball Adderley, American saxophonist and bandleader (d. 1975)
• 1929 – Eva Burrows, Australian 13th General of The Salvation Army
• 1929 – Murray Gell-Mann, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1929 – Dick Latessa, American actor
• 1931 – Brian Henderson, New Zealand-Australian journalist
• 1932 – Neil Bartlett, English-American chemist (d. 2008)
• 1933 – Henry Darrow, American actor
• 1933 – Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Spanish conductor and composer
• 1933 – Monica Maughan, Tongan-Australian actress (d. 2010)
• 1934 – Tomie dePaola, American author and illustrator
• 1934 – Fred Nile, Australian soldier, minister, and politician
• 1936 – Ashley Cooper, Australian tennis player
• 1936 – Sara Henderson, Australian farmer and author (d. 2005)
• 1937 – Fernando de la Rúa, Argentinian lawyer and politician, 51st President of Argentina
• 1937 – Robert Lucas, Jr., American economist, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1937 – Pino Puglisi, Italian priest (d. 1993)
• 1938 – Gaylord Perry, American baseball player and coach
• 1939 – Subramanian Swamy, Indian economist, academic, and politician, Minister of Law and Justice for India
• 1940 – Merlin Olsen, American football player, sportscaster, and actor (d. 2010)
• 1940 – Norman Spinrad, American author and critic
• 1941 – Flórián Albert, Hungarian footballer and manager (d. 2011)
• 1941 – Signe Toly Anderson, American singer (Jefferson Airplane and KBC Band)
• 1941 – Mirosław Hermaszewski, Polish pilot, general, and astronaut
• 1941 – Yuriy Norshteyn, Russian animator, director, and screenwriter
• 1941 – Viktor Zubkov, Russian politician, 37th Prime Minister of Russia
• 1942 – Lee Dorman, American bass player (Iron Butterfly and Captain Beyond) (d. 2012)
• 1943 – Tommy Hall, American jug player (The 13th Floor Elevators)
• 1944 – Sotirios Hatzigakis, Greek politician, Minister of Justice for Greece
• 1944 – Mauro Piacenza, Italian cardinal
• 1945 – Carmen Maura, Spanish actress
• 1945 – Jessye Norman, American soprano
• 1945 – Hans-Gert Pöttering, German lawyer and politician, 23rd President of the European Parliament
• 1945 – Ron Shelton, American director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1946 – Ola Brunkert, Swedish drummer (d. 2008)
• 1946 – Tommy Lee Jones, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1946 – Mike Procter, South African cricketer, coach, and referee
• 1946 – Oliver Stone, American director, screenwriter, and producer
• 1946 – Howard Waldrop, American author
• 1947 – Viggo Jensen, Danish footballer and manager
• 1947 – Theodore Long, American wrestling referee and manager
• 1947 – Charles "Bobo" Shaw, American drummer (Black Artists Group and Human Arts Ensemble)
• 1947 – Larry Sparks, American singer and guitarist
• 1949 – Joe Barton, American politician
• 1950 – Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Pakistani-English caliph
• 1951 – Pete Carroll, American football player and coach
• 1951 – Johan Neeskens, Dutch footballer and manager
• 1952 – Richard Brodeur, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
• 1952 – Paula Duncan, Australian actress
• 1952 – Ratnajeevan Hoole, Sri Lankan engineer and academic
• 1952 – Kelly Keagy, American singer and drummer (Night Ranger)
• 1953 – Paul Piché, Canadian singer-songwriter
• 1954 – Hrant Dink, Turkish journalist (d. 2007)
• 1955 – Željka Antunović, Croatian politician, 9th Minister of Defence of Croatia
• 1955 – Bruce Reitherman, American voice actor, singer, cinematographer, and producer
• 1955 – Renzo Rosso, Italian fashion designer and businessman, co-founded Diesel Clothing
• 1956 – Jaki Graham, English singer
• 1956 – Maggie Reilly, Scottish singer-songwriter (Cado Belle)
• 1956 – Ned Rothenberg, American saxophonist, clarinet player, and composer
• 1958 – Dr. Know, American guitarist (Bad Brains)
• 1958 – Joel Quenneville, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1958 – Wendie Jo Sperber, American actress and singer (d. 2005)
• 1959 – Mark Kirk, American commander, lawyer, and politician
• 1960 – Kevin Allen, Welsh actor and director
• 1960 – Ed Solomon, American director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1961 – Terry Lamb, Australian rugby player and coach
• 1961 – Dan Marino, American football player
• 1962 – Dina Lohan, American dancer, actress, and manager
• 1962 – Scott McNeil, Australian-Canadian actor
• 1963 – Pete Myers, American basketball player and coach
• 1964 – Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein, American guitarist and songwriter (The Misfits and Kryst the Conqueror)
• 1965 – Dyan Castillejo, Filipino tennis player and journalist
• 1965 – Robert Fico, Slovak politician, 14th Prime Minister of Slovakia
• 1966 – Sherman Douglas, American basketball player
• 1967 – Paul Abbott, American baseball player and coach
• 1967 – Huw Bunford, Welsh guitarist and songwriter (Super Furry Animals)
• 1968 – Vicky Entwistle, English actress
• 1968 – Danny Nucci, Austrian-American actor
• 1969 – Revaz Arveladze, Georgian footballer
• 1970 – Carsten Klee, German footballer
• 1971 – Nathan Astle, New Zealand cricketer and coach
• 1971 – Josh Charles, American actor
• 1971 – Ben Wallers, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (Country Teasers)
• 1972 – Jimmy Carr, English comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1972 – Kit Chan, Singaporean singer and actress
• 1972 – Letizia, Princess of Asturias
• 1973 – Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland
• 1975 – Tom Dolan, American swimmer
• 1975 – Martina Krupičková, Czech painter
• 1976 – Paul Thomson, Scottish drummer (Franz Ferdinand, Correcto, and The Yummy Fur)
• 1976 – Matt Thornton, American baseball player
• 1977 – Angela Aki, Japanese singer-songwriter
• 1977 – Sophie Dahl, English model and author
• 1977 – Tom Hardy, English actor
• 1977 – Leander Jordan, American football player
• 1977 – Marisa Ramirez, American actress
• 1977 – Jason Terry, American basketball player
• 1978 – Eiður Guðjohnsen, Icelandic footballer
• 1979 – Dave Annable, American actor
• 1979 – Amy Davidson, American actress
• 1979 – Patrick Marleau, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1979 – Carlos Ruiz, Guatemalan footballer
• 1980 – Tammie Brown, American drag queen performer, singer, and hair stylist
• 1980 – David Diehl, American football player
• 1980 – Mike Dunleavy, Jr., American basketball player
• 1980 – Jolin Tsai, Taiwanese singer, actress, and dancer
• 1982 – Laila Boonyasak, Thai actress
• 1983 – Luke Hochevar, American baseball player
• 1984 – Prince Harry
• 1984 – Loek van Mil, Dutch baseball player
• 1985 – François-Olivier Roberge, Canadian speed skater
• 1985 – Kayden Kross, American porn actress and author
• 1986 – Poppy Delevingne, English model
• 1986 – Heidi Montag, American model and singer
• 1986 – Peter Wilson, English target shooter
• 1987 – Aly Cissokho, French footballer
• 1987 – Clare Maguire, English singer-songwriter
• 1988 – Chelsea Kane, American actress and singer
• 1989 – Kris Chetan Ramlu, New Zealand tabla player
• 1990 – Oliver Gill, English footballer
• 1990 – Matt Shively, American actor
• 1991 – Lee Jung-shin, South Korean rapper, bass player, and actor (CN Blue)
• 1991 – Phil Ofosu-Ayeh, German-Ghanaian footballer
• 1996 – Jake Cherry, American actor

Deaths

• 668 – Constans II, Byzantine emperor (b. 630)
• 921 – Ludmila of Bohemia, Czech martyr and saint (b. 860)
• 1231 – Louis I, Duke of Bavaria (b. 1173)
• 1326 – Dmitry of Tver (b. 1299)
• 1352 – Ewostatewos, Ethiopian monk (b. 1273)
• 1500 – John Morton, English cardinal (b. 1420)
• 1596 – Leonhard Rauwolf, German physician and botanist (b. 1535)
• 1613 – Thomas Overbury, English poet (b. 1581)
• 1643 – Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork, Irish politician, Lord High Treasurer of Ireland (b. 1566)
• 1649 – John Floyd, English preacher (b. 1572)
• 1700 – André Le Nôtre, French gardener (b. 1613)
• 1701 – Edmé Boursault, French playwright (b. 1638)
• 1707 – George Stepney, English poet and diplomat (b. 1663)
• 1712 – Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin, English politician, Lord High Treasurer (b. 1645)
• 1750 – Charles Theodore Pachelbel, German organist and composer (b. 1690)
• 1794 – Abraham Clark, American politician (b. 1725)
• 1803 – Gian Francesco Albani, Italian cardinal (b. 1719)
• 1830 – François Baillairgé, Canadian painter and sculptor (b. 1759)
• 1830 – William Huskisson, English politician, Secretary of State for War and the Colonies (b. 1770)
• 1835 – Sarah Knox Taylor, American wife of Jefferson Davis (b. 1814)
• 1841 – Alessandro Rolla, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1757)
• 1842 – Pierre Baillot, French violinist and composer (b. 1771)
• 1842 – Francisco Morazán, Guatemalan general, lawyer, and politician, President of Central American Federation (b. 1792)
• 1852 – Johann Karl Simon Morgenstern, Baltic German philologist (b. 1770)
• 1859 – Isambard Kingdom Brunel, English engineer, designed the Great Western Railway (b. 1806)
• 1864 – John Hanning Speke, English army officer and explorer (b. 1827)
• 1883 – Joseph Plateau, Belgian physicist (b. 1801)
• 1885 – Jumbo, African elephant (b. 1861)
• 1893 – Thomas Hawksley, English engineer (b. 1807)
• 1915 – Ernest Gagnon, Canadian organist and composer (b. 1834)
• 1921 – Roman von Ungern-Sternberg, Austrian-Russian general (b. 1886)
• 1926 – Rudolf Christoph Eucken, German philosopher, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1846)
• 1930 – Milton Sills, American actor (b. 1882)
• 1938 – Thomas Wolfe, American author (b. 1900)
• 1940 – William B. Bankhead, American politician, 47th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (b. 1874)
• 1944 – Walter Middelberg, Dutch rower (b. 1875)
• 1945 – André Tardieu, French politician, 97th Prime Minister of France (b. 1876)
• 1945 – Anton Webern, Austrian composer and conductor (b. 1883)
• 1945 – Linnie Marsh Wolfe, American librarian and author (b. 1881)
• 1952 – Hugo Raudsepp, Estonian playwright (b. 1883)
• 1965 – Steve Brown, American bassist (New Orleans Rhythm Kings) (b. 1890)
• 1972 – Geoffrey Fisher, English archbishop (b. 1887)
• 1973 – Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden (b. 1882)
• 1973 – Víctor Jara, Chilean singer-songwriter, poet, and director (b. 1932)
• 1978 – Robert Cliche, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1921)
• 1978 – Willy Messerschmitt, German aircraft designer, designed the Messerschmitt Bf 109 (b. 1898)
• 1979 – Tommy Leonetti, American singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1929)
• 1980 – Bill Evans, American pianist and composer (b. 1929)
• 1981 – Harold Bennett, English actor (b. 1899)
• 1981 – Rafael Méndez, Mexican trumpet player (b. 1906)
• 1982 – Rolfe Sedan, American actor (b. 1896)
• 1983 – Prince Far I, Jamaican DJ and producer (Suns of Arqa) (b. 1944)
• 1985 – Cootie Williams, American trumpet player (b. 1910)
• 1989 – Jan DeGaetani, American soprano (b. 1933)
• 1989 – Olga Erteszek, American fashion designer (b. 1916)
• 1989 – Robert Penn Warren, American poet, author, and critic (b. 1905)
• 1991 – John Hoyt, American actor (b. 1904)
• 1993 – Pino Puglisi, Italian priest (b. 1937)
• 1995 – Harry Calder, South African cricketer (b. 1901)
• 1995 – Gunnar Nordahl, Swedish footballer and manager (b. 1921)
• 1998 – Louis Rasminsky, Canadian economist, 3rd Governor of the Bank of Canada (b. 1908)
• 2001 – June Salter, Australian actress (b. 1932)
• 2001 – Balbir Singh Sodhi, Indian murder victim (b. 1949)
• 2003 – Garner Ted Armstrong, American evangelist (b. 1930)
• 2003 – Jack Brymer, English clarinet player (b. 1915)
• 2003 – Josef Hiršal, Czech author and poet (b. 1920)
• 2004 – Johnny Ramone, American guitarist and songwriter (The Ramones) (b. 1948)
• 2004 – Walter Stewart, Canadian journalist and author (b. 1931)
• 2005 – Guy Green, English director and cinematographer (b. 1913)
• 2005 – Sidney Luft, American manager and producer (b. 1915)
• 2006 – Raymond Baxter, English television host (b. 1922)
• 2006 – Oriana Fallaci, Italian journalist and author (b. 1929)
• 2006 – Pablo Santos, Mexican actor (b. 1987)
• 2007 – Colin McRae, Scottish race car driver (b. 1968)
• 2007 – Jeremy Moore, English general (b. 1928)
• 2007 – Aldemaro Romero, Venezuelan pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1928)
• 2007 – Brett Somers, Canadian-American actress and singer (b. 1924)
• 2008 – Stavros Paravas, Greek actor (b. 1935)
• 2008 – Richard Wright, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player (Pink Floyd) (b. 1943)
• 2009 – Troy Kennedy Martin, Scottish-English screenwriter (b. 1932)
• 2010 – Arrow, Caribbean singer-songwriter (b. 1949)
• 2010 – Richard Livsey, Baron Livsey of Talgarth, Welsh politician (b. 1935)
• 2011 – Frances Bay, Canadian-American actress (b. 1919)
• 2012 – Tibor Antalpéter, Hungarian volleyball player and diplomat (b. 1930)
• 2012 – Fred Bodsworth, Canadian journalist (b. 1918)
• 2012 – Predrag Brzaković, Serbian footballer (b. 1964)
• 2012 – James "Sugar Boy" Crawford, American singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1934)
• 2012 – Olga Ferri, Argentinian dancer and choreographer (b. 1928)
• 2012 – Pierre Mondy, French actor and director (b. 1925)
• 2012 – Paul Okesene, Samoan rugby player (b. 1968)
• 2012 – Stephen Paul, American physicist (b. 1953)
• 2012 – Nevin Spence, Irish rugby player (b. 1990)
• 2012 – K. S. Sudarshan, Indian nationalist (b. 1931)
• 2013 – Habib Munzir Al-Musawa, Indonesian scholar (b. 1973)
• 2013 – Jerry G. Bishop, American radio and television host (b. 1936)
• 2013 – Gerard Cafesjian, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1925)
• 2013 – Joyce Jacobs, English-Australian actress (b. 1922)
• 2013 – Jackie Lomax, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1944)
• 2013 – Tomás Ó Canainn, Irish singer-songwriter and pipe player (b. 1930)
• 2013 – Émile Turlant, French centenarian (b. 1904)

Holidays and observances

• Battle of Britain Day (United Kingdom)
• Christian Feast Day:
  • Catherine of Genoa
  • Joseph Abibos
  • Nicomedes
  • Our Lady of Sorrows
  • September 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics).
• "Cry of Dolores" or Grito de Dolores, celebrated on the eve of the Independence Day (Mexico).
• Earliest day on which German-American Steuben Parade can fall, while September 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Saturday in September. (United States, especially New York City)
• Earliest day on which POW/MIA Recognition Day can fall, while September 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Friday in September. (United States)
• Earliest day on which Prinsjesdag can fall, while September 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Tuesday in September. (Netherlands)
• Earliest day on which Respect for the Aged Day can fall, while September 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday in September. (Japan)
• Engineer's Day (India)
• Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Guatemala (a Patriotic Day), El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica from Spain in 1821.
• International Day of Democracy (International)
• Knowledge Day (Azerbaijan)
• Restoration of Primorska to the Motherland Day (Slovenia)
• Silpa Bhirasri Day (Thailand).
• The beginning of National Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated until October 15 (United States)
• World Lymphoma Awareness Day (International)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to September 15.

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada