September 14 :: Historical Events

Events

• 786 - Harun al-Rashid becomes the Abbasid caliph upon the death of his brother al-Hadi.


• 1180 - Battle of Ishibashiyama in Japan.


• 1607 - Flight of the Earls from Lough Swilly, Donegal, Ireland.


• 1682 - Bishop Gore School, one of the oldest schools in Wales, founded.


• 1752 - The British Empire adopts the Gregorian calendar, skipping eleven days (the previous day was September 2).


• 1812 - French grenadiers enter Moscow. The Fire of Moscow begins as soon as Russian troops leave the city.


• 1814 - Francis Scott Key writes "The Star-Spangled Banner."


• 1829 - Ottoman Empire signs the Treaty of Adrianople with Russia, thus ending the Russo-Turkish War.


• 1847 - Mexican-American War: Winfield Scott captures Mexico City.


• 1862 - Civil War Maryland Campaign Battle of South Mountain is fought.


• 1886 - Typewriter ribbon patented.


• 1901 - President of the United States William McKinley dies after an assassination attempt on September 6, and is succeeded by Theodore Roosevelt.


• 1917 - Russia is officially proclaimed a republic.


• 1923 - Miguel Primo de Rivera becomes dictator of Spain.


• 1944 - United States Marines land on the island of Peleliu.


• 1944 - Maastricht becomes the first Dutch city that is liberated by allied forces.


• 1948 - Groundbreaking for the United Nations headquarters in New York City.


• 1958 - Two rockets designed by the German engineer Ernst Mohr, the first German post-war rockets, reach the upper atmosphere.


• 1959 - The Soviet probe Luna 2 crashes onto the Moon, becoming the first man-made object to reach it.


• 1960 - The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is founded.


• 1964 - The opening of the third period of the Second Vatican Council.


• 1965 - The opening of the fourth and final period of Second Vatican Council.


• 1975 - The first American saint, Elizabeth Ann Seton, is canonized by Pope Paul VI.


• 1982 - President-elect of Lebanon, Bachir Gemayel, is assassinated.


• 1984 - Joe Kittinger becomes the first person to fly a hot air balloon alone across the Atlantic Ocean.


• 1987 - ITV Schools was broadcast on Channel 4 for the very first time.


• 1987 - The Toronto Blue Jays set a major league record for most home runs in a single game - 10 - versus the Baltimore Orioles at Exhibition Stadium, and the teams combined to tie the record for most homers by two teams - 11. The game also marked the end of Cal Ripken's streak of 8,243 consecutive innings played, which is believed to be the longest, although this is not a record officially kept by MLB.


• 1990 - Ken Griffey and his son Ken Jr. become the first father-son duo to hit back-to-back home runs.


• 1994 - The Major League Baseball season is canceled because of a strike.


• 1995 - Body Worlds opens in Tokyo, Japan


• 1998 - Telecommunications companies MCI Communications and WorldCom complete their $37 billion merger to form MCI WorldCom.


• 1999 - Kiribati, Nauru and Tonga join the United Nations.


• 2001 - Historic National Prayer Service held at Washington National Cathedral for victims of the September 11 attacks. A similar service is held in Canada on Parliament Hill, the largest vigil ever held in the nation's capital.


• 2003 - In a referendum Sweden rejects adopting the euro.


• 2003 - Estonia approves joining the European Union in a referendum.


• 2007 - Restrictions on the traditional Latin Mass are officially removed in the Roman Catholic Church as Pope Benedict XVI's motu proprio Summorum Pontificum takes effect.