September 20
Activity of the day
Today is . . .
- Independence Day in South Ossetia
- Feast Day of St Eustace, patron saint of hunters
On this day . . .
- Ferdinand Magellan sails from Seville on his expedition around the world (1519)
- Samuel Johnson says “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life” (1777)
- The first Cannes Film festival opens (1946)
- In a speech to the U.N. General Assembly, President Kennedy proposes a joint U.S.-Soviet expedition to the moon (1963)
- The liner Queen Elizabeth II (QE2) is launched (1966)
- The English pop star Elton John releases the single Candle in the Wind ’97 as a tribute to Princess Diana (1997)
Births
- Alexander the Great (356BC)
- Leo Strauss, German-born American political philosopher (1899)
- Stevie Smith, English poet, novelist and short story writer (1902)
- John Dankworth, English jazz composer (1927)
- Sophia Loren, Italian film actress (1934)
- Feliciano López, Spanish tennis player (1981)
Deaths
- Robert Emmet, Irish nationalist, executed (1803)
- Jakob Grimm, German collector of folk tales (1863)
- Jean Sibelius, Finnish composer (1957)
- George Seferis, Greek poet-diplomat (1971)
- Jule Styne, English-born American composer of songs (1994)
- Brian Clough, English footballer and football manager (2004)