Did you know
In 1608, John Smith is elected council president of Jamestown, Virginia. This featured entry focuses on the immediate decision and its direct historical impact.
September 10 in History
1608 — John Smith is elected council president of Jamestown, Virginia
September 10 spans 46 recorded events across recorded history, from 506 to 2025. Below is a curated digest of the most significant moments tied to this date.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Historical Events
46 events
506 – 2025
Today in history
More major events on September 10
The featured story and these ranked highlights form a quick summary. Every recorded event remains available in the chronology below.
- 2024 Polaris Dawn, the first private crewed spaceflight to involve a spacewalk, is launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Source
- 1939 World War II: The submarine HMS Oxley is mistakenly sunk by the submarine HMS Triton near Norway and becomes the Royal Navy's first loss of a submarine in the war. Source
- 1607 Edward Maria Wingfield is ousted as first president of the governing council of the Colony of Virginia; he is replaced by John Ratcliffe. Source
Did you know
John Smith was an English soldier, explorer, admiral of New England, and author. This helps explain why the event mattered beyond the initial announcement.
Did you know
He was knighted for his services to Sigismund Báthory, Prince of Transylvania, and his friend Mózes Székely. This clarifies the institutional and public response around the event.
Did you know
Following his return to England from a life as a soldier of fortune and as a slave, he played an important role in the establishment of the colony at Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in North America, in the early 17th century. This shows how the event shaped policy and public communication in the same period.
Did you know
He was a leader of the Virginia Colony between September 1608 and August 1609, and he led an exploration along the rivers of Virginia and the Chesapeake Bay, during which he became the first English explorer to map the Chesapeake Bay area. This helps explain why the event mattered beyond the initial announcement.
506
The bishops of Visigothic Gaul meet in the Council of Agde.
Synod held in the Septimania region of the Visigothic Kingdom (506 AD)
1089
The first synod of pope Urban II starts in Melfi, with seventy bishops and twelve abbots in attendance.
The synod issues several decrees about church law and deals with the relation with the Greek part of the Church.
1419
John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy is assassinated by adherents of the Dauphin, the future Charles VII of France.
1419 murder in Montereau, France
1509
An earthquake known as "The Lesser Judgment Day" hits Constantinople.
Earthquake in the Sea of Marmara
1515
Thomas Wolsey is invested as a Cardinal.
English statesman and cardinal (1473–1530)
1547
The Battle of Pinkie, the last full-scale military confrontation between England and Scotland, resulting in a decisive victory for the forces of Edward VI.
Part of the Rough Wooing (10 September 1547)
1561
Fourth Battle of Kawanakajima: Takeda Shingen defeats Uesugi Kenshin in the climax of their ongoing conflicts.
Clan conflicts in feudal Japan from 1553 to 1564
1570
Spanish Jesuit missionaries land in present-day Virginia to establish the short-lived Ajacán Mission.
1570 Spanish Jesuit mission in pre-colonial Virginia; massacred by natives in 1571
1573
German pirate Klein Henszlein and 33 of his crew are beheaded in Hamburg.
16th-century German pirate
1607
Edward Maria Wingfield is ousted as first president of the governing council of the Colony of Virginia; he is replaced by John Ratcliffe.
Early colonial governor in Virginia (1550–1631)
1622
Fifty-five Christians are executed in Nagasaki during the Great Genna Martyrdom.
Core city in Kyushu, Japan
1640
Reapers' War: Junta de Braços (Assembly of Estates) of the Principality of Catalonia summoned.
It assumes the sovereignty and enacts a series of revolutionary measures which will lead to the Catalan Republic.
1724
Johann Sebastian Bach leads the first performance of Jesu, der du meine Seele, BWV 78, a chorale cantata based on a passion hymn by Johann Rist.
German composer (1685–1750)
1776
American Revolutionary War: Nathan Hale volunteers to spy for the Continental Army.
1775–1783 conflict in North America
1798
1813
The United States defeats a British Fleet at the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812.
1813 battle of the War of 1812
1846
Elias Howe is granted a patent for the sewing machine.
American inventor (1819–1867)
1858
George Mary Searle discovers the asteroid 55 Pandora.
American astronomer (1839–1918)
1897
Lattimer massacre: A sheriff's posse kills 19 unarmed striking immigrant miners in Lattimer, Pennsylvania, United States.
1897 killing of unarmed striking miners
1898
Empress Elisabeth of Austria is assassinated by Luigi Lucheni.
Habsburg consort from 1854 to 1898
1918
Russian Civil War: The Red Army captures Kazan.
Multi-party war in the former Russian Empire (1917–1922)
1919
The Republic of German-Austria signs the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, ceding significant territories to Italy, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia.
De facto state in central Europe, 1918–1919
1932
The New York City Subway's third competing subway system, the municipally owned IND, is opened.
Defunct subway operator in New York City
1936
The first world individual Speedway World Championship was held at London's Wembley Stadium.
Motorcycle speedway competition
1937
Nine nations attend the Nyon Conference to address international piracy in the Mediterranean Sea.
1937 diplomatic conference in Switzerland
1939
World War II: The submarine HMS Oxley is mistakenly sunk by the submarine HMS Triton near Norway and becomes the Royal Navy's first loss of a submarine in the war.
Global conflict (1939–1945)
1939
World War II: The Canadian declaration of war on Germany receives royal assent.
1939 announcement
1942
World War II: The British Army carries out an amphibious landing on Madagascar to re-launch Allied offensive operations in the Madagascar Campaign.
Campaign during WWII
1943
World War II: In the course of Operation Achse, German troops begin their occupation of Rome.
1943 German campaign to disarm Italy following its armistice to the Allies during WWII
1960
At the Summer Olympics in Rome, Abebe Bikila becomes the first sub-Saharan African to win a gold medal, winning the marathon in bare feet.
Ethiopian marathon runner (1932–1973)
1961
In the Italian Grand Prix, a crash causes the death of German Formula One driver Wolfgang von Trips and 15 spectators who are hit by his Ferrari, the deadliest accident in F1 history.
Formula One motor race held in 1961
1961
A President Airlines Douglas DC-6 crashes just after takeoff from Shannon Airport, Ireland.
All 83 passengers and crew are killed.
1967
The people of Gibraltar vote to remain a British dependency rather than becoming part of Spain.
1976
A British Airways Hawker Siddeley Trident and an Inex-Adria DC-9 collide near Zagreb, Yugoslavia, killing 176.
Fatal collision of passenger flights over Yugoslavia (now Croatia)
1977
Hamida Djandoubi, convicted of torture and murder, is the last person to be executed by guillotine in France.
Tunisian murderer (1949–1977)
2000
Operation Barras successfully frees six British soldiers held captive for over two weeks and contributes to the end of the Sierra Leone Civil War.
2000 military operation in Sierra Leone led by the UK
2001
Antônio da Costa Santos, mayor of Campinas, Brazil is assassinated.
Brazilian architect and politician (1952–2001)
2001
During his appearance on the British TV game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, contestant Charles Ingram reaches the £1 million top prize, but it was later revealed that he had cheated to the top prize by listening to coughs from his wife and another contestant.
English fraudster (born 1963)
2002
Switzerland, traditionally a neutral country, becomes a full member of the United Nations.
2007
Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif returns to Pakistan after seven years in exile, following a military coup in October 1999.
Prime Minister of Pakistan (1990–1993; 1997–1999; 2013–2017)
2008
The Large Hadron Collider at CERN, described as the biggest scientific experiment in history, is powered up in Geneva, Switzerland.
Particle accelerator at CERN, Switzerland
2017
Hurricane Irma makes landfall on Cudjoe Key, Florida as a Category 4, after causing catastrophic damage throughout the Caribbean.
Irma resulted in 134 deaths and $77.2 billion (2017 USD) in damage.
2024
Polaris Dawn, the first private crewed spaceflight to involve a spacewalk, is launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
2024 private crewed spaceflight
2025
American right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk is assassinated while onstage at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.