September 21
Activity of the day
Today is . . .
- International Day of Peace
- Independence Day in Malta
- Independence Day in Armenia
- Independence Day in Belize
- Feast Day of St Matthew, patron saint of accountants and tax collectors
On this day . . .
- Bonnie Prince Charles and his Jacobite army defeat the English at the Battle of Prestonpans in Scotland (1745)
- The first successful U.S. daily newspaper is published (1784)
- The first "western" film is released (1903)
- Stonehenge is sold at auction for £6,600 (1915)
- Latvia proclaims its independence (1917)
- The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien is published (1937)
- The first comprehensive school opens in the UK (1949)
- Perry Mason, starring Raymond Burr, premieres on CBS (1957)
- First showing of British quiz show University Challenge (1965)
- Over 8,000 people are killed by floods in Honduras (1974)
- Hurricane Hugo strikes the U.S. coastal states of Georgia and South Carolina (1989)
Births
- John Loudon McAdam, Scottish engineer (1756)
- HG Wells, English author (1866)
- Gustav Holst, composer (1874)
- Larry Hagman, US actor (1931)
- Leonard Cohen, Canadian singer-songwriter (1934)
- Stephen King, US author (1947)
- Bill Murray, US actor (1950)
Deaths
- Virgil, Roman poet (19BC)
- King Edward II of England, murdered (1327)
- Sir Walter Scott, Scottish novelist (1832)
- Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher (1860)
- Walter Brennan, US film actor (1974)
- Jaco Pastorius, US bass guitarist (1987)