September 15

Wednesday 15, 2004:

Davíð Oddsson the longest serving Prime Minister of Iceland, steps down after serving in office from 1991, and becomes minister for foreign affairs. At the time he was the longest serving PM in Europe

Saturday 15, 2001:

Alex Zanardi, driving in a CART race is injured in Germany, resulting in both legs being amputated below the knee.

Monday 15, 1997:

Norwegian parliamentary election, 1997

Thursday 15, 1994:

Muslim fundamentalists kidnap & behead 16 people in Algeria.

Wednesday 15, 1993:

Liechtenstein Prince Hans-Adam II disbands parliament.

Saturday 15, 1990:

France announces it will send 4,000 troops to the Persian Gulf.

Friday 15, 1989:

The U.S. Congress recognizes Terry Anderson's continued captivity in Beirut.

Thursday 15, 1988:

Lillehammer, Norway, beats Anchorage, Alaska, United States, to host the 1994 Winter Olympics.

Tuesday 15, 1987:

U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz and Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze sign a treaty to establish centers to reduce the risk of nuclear war.

Monday 15, 1986:

First broadcast of the TV show LA Law on NBC.

Sunday 15, 1985:

Willie Nelson's Farm Aid concert begins.

Thursday 15, 1983:

Israeli premier Menachem Begin resigns.

Wednesday 15, 1982:

The first issue of USA Today is published by Gannett.

Tuesday 15, 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, DC.

Monday 15, 1980:

Paul McCartney releases "Temporary Secretary".

Friday 15, 1978:

Muhammad Ali beats Leon Spinks for the world heavyweight boxing title.

Wednesday 15, 1976:

Soyuz 22 carries two cosmonauts into earth orbit for eight days.

Monday 15, 1975:

Pink Floyd releases the album Wish You Were Here in the US and UK.

Sunday 15, 1974:

Air Vietnam flight 727 is hijacked, then crashes while attempting to land with 75 on board.

Saturday 15, 1973:

Secretariat wins the Marlboro Cup in world record time.

Friday 15, 1972:

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake shakes Northern Illinois.

Wednesday 15, 1971:

Baseball: In a game against the Houston Astros, Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hit his 636th home run, tying Mickey Mantle for third spot on the career home runs list.

Monday 15, 1969:

Baseball: St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Steve Carlton sets a record by striking out 19 New York Mets in a single game.

Sunday 15, 1968:

The Soviet Zond 5 spaceship is launched, becoming the first spacecraft to fly around the Moon and re-enter the Earth's atmosphere.

Friday 15, 1967:

Former U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson, responding to a sniper attack at the University of Texas, writes a letter to the United States Congress urging the enactment of gun control legislation.

Thursday 15, 1966:

The spaceship Gemini XI, with astronauts Pete Conrad and Dick Gordon aboard, returns to earth.

Wednesday 15, 1965:

The television series Lost in Space premieres.

Tuesday 15, 1964:

The Sun newspaper launches, replacing the Daily Herald.

Sunday 15, 1963:

The 16th Street Baptist Church bombing kills four children at an African-American church in Birmingham, Alabama, United States.

Saturday 15, 1962:

The Soviet ship Poltava heads toward Cuba, one of the events that sets into motion the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Friday 15, 1961:

Hurricane Carla strikes Texas with winds of 175 miles per hour.

Tuesday 15, 1959:

Nikita Khrushchev becomes the first Soviet leader to visit the United States.

Monday 15, 1958:

A New Jersey commuter train crashes through a drawbridge, killing 48.

Sunday 15, 1957:

West Germany holds its third parliamentary election. Konrad Adenauer remains chancellor.

Thursday 15, 1955:

The I Love Lucy episode featuring John Wayne premieres.

Wednesday 15, 1954:

The U.S. Postal Service issues its 2¢ Thomas Jefferson Liberty Series stamp.

Monday 15, 1952:

United Nations gives Eritrea to Ethiopia.

Saturday 15, 1951:

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes closes on Broadway in New York City after 740 performances.

Friday 15, 1950:

Korean War: United States forces land at Incheon, Korea.

Thursday 15, 1949:

The television series The Lone Ranger premieres on the ABC.

Wednesday 15, 1948:

The F-86 Sabre sets the world aircraft speed record at 1080 km/h.

Monday 15, 1947:

RCA releases the 12AX7 vacuum tube.

Sunday 15, 1946:

Baseball: The Brooklyn Dodgers are beating the Chicago Cubs, 2-0, in the 5th inning when a swarm of gnats causes the game to be postponed.

Saturday 15, 1945:

A hurricane in southern Florida and the Bahamas destroys 366 planes and 25 blimps at NAS Richmond.

Friday 15, 1944:

Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill meet in Quebec as part of the Octagon Conference to discuss strategy.

Tuesday 15, 1942:

World War II: The U.S. aircraft carrier USS Wasp is torpedoed at Guadalcanal.

Monday 15, 1941:

The U.S. Attorney General rules that the Neutrality Act is not violated when U.S. ships carry war materiel to British territories, opening the door for the Lend-Lease Act.

Sunday 15, 1940:

World War II: The Battle of Britain ends with a Royal Air Force victory over the Luftwaffe.

Sunday 15, 1935:

Nazi Germany adopts a new national flag with the swastika.

Tuesday 15, 1931:

In Scotland, the two-day Invergordon Mutiny against Royal Navy pay cuts begins.

Saturday 15, 1928:

Tich Freeman becomes the only bowler to take 300 wickets in an English cricket season.

Friday 15, 1916:

World War I: Tanks are used for the first time in battle, at the Battle of the Somme.

Tuesday 15, 1914:

World War I: The Battle of Aisne begins between Germany and France.

Saturday 15, 1894:

First Sino-Japanese War: Japan defeats China in the Battle of Ping Yang.

Saturday 15, 1883:

The Bombay Natural History Society is founded in Bombay (now Mumbai), India.

Monday 15, 1873:

Franco-Prussian War: The last German troops leave France upon completion of payment of indemnity.

Monday 15, 1862:

American Civil War: Confederate forces capture Harpers Ferry, Virginia.

Tuesday 15, 1857:

Timothy Alder patents the typesetting machine.

Tuesday 15, 1835:

The HMS Beagle, with Charles Darwin aboard, reaches the Galápagos Islands.

Thursday 15, 1831:

The locomotive John Bull operates for the first time in New Jersey on the Camden and Amboy Railroad.

Wednesday 15, 1830:

The Liverpool to Manchester railway line opens (see also deaths, below).

Saturday 15, 1821:

Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua jointly declare independence from Spain.

Tuesday 15, 1812:

The French army under Napoleon reaches the Kremlin in Moscow.

Tuesday 15, 1789:

The United States Department of State is established (formerly known as Department of Foreign Affairs).

Sunday 15, 1776:

American Revolutionary War: British land at Kip's Bay during the New York Campaign.

Monday 15, 1749:

According to mathematical calculations, Pluto moved outside Neptune's orbit to remain the outermost planet until 1979.

Wednesday 15, 1683:

Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. is founded by 13 immigrant families.

Friday 15, 1656:

England & France sign peace treaty.

Thursday 15, 1644:

Giambattista Pamfili becomes Pope Innocent X, succeeding Pope Urban VIII.

Saturday 15, 1590:

Giambattista Catagna is elected as Pope Urban VII.

Saturday 15, 1584:

San Lorenzo del Escorial Palace in Madrid is finished.

Saturday 15, 1556:

Vlissingen ex-emperor Charles V returns to Spain.

Tuesday 15, 1514:

Thomas Wolsey is appointed Archbishop of York.

Monday 15, 921:

Saint Ludmila is murdered at the command of her daughter-in-law at Tetin.

Thursday 15, 608:

Saint Boniface IV becomes Pope.

More on September, 15

• People Born on September, 15
• They left us on September, 15