# What happened on September 15 in history?

**Date:** September 15  
**Events recorded:** 57  
**Years spanned:** 994 – 2020  
**Full page:** https://thisday.info/events/september/15/

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## Featured Event

**2020** — Signing of the Bahrain–Israel normalization agreement occurs in Washington, D.C., normalizing relations between Israel and two Arab nations, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

[Read more on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahrain%E2%80%93Israel_normalization_agreement)

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## Events on this date

- **994** — Major Fatimid victory over the Byzantine Empire at the Battle of the Orontes. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatimid_Caliphate))
- **1440** — Gilles de Rais, one of the earliest known serial killers, is taken into custody upon an accusation brought against him by  Jean de Malestroit, Bishop of Nantes. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilles_de_Rais))
- **1530** — Appearance of the miraculous portrait of Saint Dominic in Soriano in Soriano Calabro, Calabria, Italy; commemorated as a feast day by the Roman Catholic Church 1644–1912. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Dominic_in_Soriano))
- **1556** — Departing from Vlissingen, ex-Holy Roman Emperor Charles V returns to Spain. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlissingen))
- **1762** — Seven Years' War: Battle of Signal Hill. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Years'_War))
- **1776** — American Revolutionary War: British forces land at Kip's Bay during the New York Campaign. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolutionary_War))
- **1789** — The United States "Department of Foreign Affairs", established by law in July, is renamed the Department of State and given a variety of domestic duties. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_State))
- **1794** — French Revolutionary Wars: Arthur Wellesley (later Duke of Wellington) sees his first combat at the Battle of Boxtel during the Flanders Campaign. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Revolutionary_Wars))
- **1795** — Britain seizes the Dutch Cape Colony in southern Africa to prevent its use by the Batavian Republic. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_the_Cape_Colony))
- **1812** — The Grande Armée under Napoleon reaches the Kremlin in Moscow during the failed French invasion of Russia. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grande_Arm%C3%A9e))
- **1812** — War of 1812: A second supply train sent to relieve Fort Harrison is ambushed in the Attack at the Narrows. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_1812))
- **1813** — Followers of the Eight Trigram Sect loyal to Lin Qing attack the Forbidden City in a failed attempt to oust the Jiaqing Emperor of the Qing dynasty. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baguadao))
- **1816** — HMS Whiting runs aground on the Doom Bar. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Whiting_(1812)))
- **1820** — Constitutionalist revolution in Lisbon, Portugal. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Portugal))
- **1821** — The Captaincy General of Guatemala declares independence from Spain. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captaincy_General_of_Guatemala))
- **1830** — The Liverpool to Manchester railway line opens; British MP William Huskisson becomes the first widely reported railway passenger fatality when he is struck and killed by the locomotive Rocket. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opening_of_the_Liverpool_and_Manchester_Railway))
- **1835** — HMS Beagle, with Charles Darwin aboard, reaches the Galápagos Islands. The ship lands at Chatham or San Cristobal, the easternmost of the archipelago. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Beagle))
- **1862** — American Civil War: Confederate forces capture Harpers Ferry, Virginia. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War))
- **1873** — Franco-Prussian War: The last Imperial German Army troops leave France upon completion of payment of indemnity. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco-Prussian_War))
- **1894** — First Sino-Japanese War: Japan defeats the Qing dynasty in the Battle of Pyongyang, causing the Qing army to withdraw to the Chinese border with Korea. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Sino-Japanese_War))
- **1915** — New Culture Movement: Chen Duxiu establishes the New Youth magazine in Shanghai. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Culture_Movement))
- **1916** — World War I: Tanks are used for the first time in battle, at the Battle of the Somme. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I))
- **1918** — World War I: Allied troops break through the Bulgarian defenses on the Macedonian front. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dobro_Pole))
- **1935** — Nazi Germany adopts a new national flag bearing the swastika. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_Germany))
- **1935** — Nazi Germany announces two new laws related to race and the rights of Jews.  These became known as the Nuremberg Race Laws. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuremberg_Laws))
- **1940** — World War II: The climax of the Battle of Britain, when the Luftwaffe launches its largest and most concentrated attack of the entire campaign. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II))
- **1942** — World War II: U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Wasp is sunk by Japanese torpedoes at Guadalcanal. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Navy))
- **1944** — Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill meet in Quebec as part of the Octagon Conference to discuss strategy. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_D._Roosevelt))
- **1944** — World War II:  The 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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Peleliu))
- **1945** — A hurricane strikes southern Florida and the Bahamas, destroying 366 airplanes and 25 blimps at Naval Air Station Richmond. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1945_Homestead_hurricane))
- **1947** — Typhoon Kathleen hits the Kantō region, in Japan killing around 1,000-2,000 people. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Kathleen))
- **1948** — The Indian Army captures the towns of Jalna, Latur, Mominabad, Surriapet and Narkatpalli as part of Operation Polo. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Army))
- **1948** — The F-86 Sabre sets the world aircraft speed record at 671 miles per hour (1,080 km/h). ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_F-86_Sabre))
- **1950** — Korean War: The U.S. X Corps lands at Inchon. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_War))
- **1952** — The United Nations cedes Eritrea to Ethiopia. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations))
- **1954** — Marilyn Monroe's iconic skirt scene is shot during filming for The Seven Year Itch. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marilyn_Monroe))
- **1958** — A Central Railroad of New Jersey commuter train runs through an open drawbridge at the Newark Bay, killing 48. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Railroad_of_New_Jersey))
- **1959** — Nikita Khrushchev becomes the first Soviet leader to visit the United States. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikita_Khrushchev))
- **1962** — The Soviet ship Poltava heads toward Cuba, one of the events that sets into motion the Cuban Missile Crisis. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union))
- **1963** — Baptist Church bombing: Four children are killed in the bombing of an African-American church in Birmingham, Alabama, United States. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/16th_Street_Baptist_Church_bombing))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyndon_B._Johnson))
- **1968** — The Soviet Zond 5 spaceship is launched, becoming the first spacecraft to fly around the Moon and re-enter the Earth's atmosphere. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union))
- **1971** — The first Greenpeace ship departs from Vancouver to protest against the upcoming Cannikin nuclear weapon test in Alaska. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenpeace))
- **1972** — A Scandinavian Airlines System domestic flight from Gothenburg to Stockholm is hijacked and flown to Malmö Bulltofta Airport. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scandinavian_Airlines))
- **1974** — Air Vietnam Flight 706 is hijacked, then crashes while attempting to land with 75 on board. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Vietnam_Flight_706))
- **1975** — The French department of "Corse" (the entire island of Corsica) is divided into two: Haute-Corse (Upper Corsica) and Corse-du-Sud (Southern Corsica). ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Departments_of_France))
- **1978** — At the Superdome in New Orleans, Muhammad Ali outpoints Leon Spinks in a rematch to become the first boxer to win the world heavyweight title three times. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesars_Superdome))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_Committee_on_the_Judiciary))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bull_(locomotive)))
- **1983** — Israeli premier Menachem Begin resigns. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel))
- **1995** — Malaysia Airlines Flight 2133 crashes at Tawau Airport in Malaysia, killing 34. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia_Airlines_Flight_2133))
- **2001** — During a CART race at the Lausitzring in Germany, former Formula One driver Alex Zanardi suffers a heavy accident resulting in him losing both his legs. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Championship_Auto_Racing_Teams))
- **2004** — National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman announces lockout of the players' union and cessation of operations by the NHL head office. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Hockey_League))
- **2008** — Lehman Brothers files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the largest bankruptcy filing in U.S. history. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lehman_Brothers))
- **2011** — Four miners are killed in the Gleision Colliery mining accident in the Swansea Valley, Wales. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gleision_Colliery_mining_accident))
- **2017** — The Parsons Green bombing takes place in London. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parsons_Green_train_bombing))
- **2020** — Signing of the Bahrain–Israel normalization agreement occurs in Washington, D.C., normalizing relations between Israel and two Arab nations, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahrain%E2%80%93Israel_normalization_agreement))

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## Notable births on September 15

- **2000** — **Felix** — Australian singer based in South Korea, member of Stray Kids ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_(rapper)))
- **1999** — **Jaren Jackson Jr.** — American basketball player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaren_Jackson_Jr.))
- **1997** — **Quin Houff** — American racing driver ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quin_Houff))
- **1995** — **Rafael Santos Borré** — Colombian footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafael_Santos_Borr%C3%A9))
- **1995** — **Terry McLaurin** — American football player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_McLaurin))
- **1995** — **Joe Ofahengaue** — New Zealand-Tongan rugby league player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Ofahengaue))
- **1995** — **David Raya** — Spanish footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Raya))
- **1993** — **Josh Richardson** — American basketball player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Richardson))
- **1993** — **Dennis Schröder** — German basketball player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Schr%C3%B6der))
- **1991** — **Lee Jung-shin** — South Korean musician and actor ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Jung-shin))

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## Notable deaths on September 15

- **2024** — **Tito Jackson** — American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1953) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tito_Jackson))
- **2024** — **Elias Khoury** — Lebanese intellectual, playwright and novelist (born 1948) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elias_Khoury))
- **2023** — **Fernando Botero** — Colombian painter and sculptor (born 1932) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_Botero))
- **2021** — **Lou Angotti** — Canadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1938) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Angotti))
- **2019** — **Ric Ocasek** — American musician (born 1944) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ric_Ocasek))
- **2018** — **Helen Clare** — British singer (born 1916) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Clare))
- **2017** — **Harry Dean Stanton** — American actor (born 1926) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Dean_Stanton))
- **2015** — **Harry J. Lipkin** — Israeli physicist and academic (born 1921) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_J._Lipkin))
- **2015** — **Meir Pa'il** — Israeli commander, historian, and politician (born 1926) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meir_Pa'il))
- **2015** — **Bernard Van de Kerckhove** — Belgian cyclist (born 1941) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Van_de_Kerckhove))

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## About this page

This is a machine-readable Markdown summary of [thisday.info/events/september/15/](https://thisday.info/events/september/15/).  
Historical data is sourced from [Wikipedia/Wikimedia](https://www.wikipedia.org) under [CC BY-SA](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).  
Editorial framing and site content © thisday.info.