TODAY IN HISTORY: SEPTEMBER 30

 

September 30

  September 30th is the 273rd day of the year (274th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. It is recognized as International Translation Day, celebrating the work of translators around the world.

On This Day in September 30: A Look Back at Some Historical Events

September 30 is a date that marks many significant events in world history, from politics and war to science and culture. In this blog post, we will take a look back at some of the historical events that happened on this day in different years, and how they shaped the world we live in today.

- 1520: Suleiman the Magnificent becomes Ottoman Sultan. He would rule until 1566 and oversee the expansion of the Ottoman Empire, as well as its cultural and artistic achievements. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest rulers in history.

- 1791: Mozart's opera "The Magic Flute" premieres in Vienna. The opera, with a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder, is a masterpiece of music and drama, combining elements of comedy, fantasy, and Freemasonry. It is one of Mozart's most popular and influential works.

- 1862: Otto von Bismarck delivers his famous "Blood and Iron" speech. The Prussian minister-president outlines his vision for the unification of Germany under Prussian leadership, through a policy of war and diplomacy. He would achieve his goal in 1871, after defeating France in the Franco-Prussian War.

- 1938: The Munich Agreement is signed by Hitler, Mussolini, Chamberlain, and Daladier. The agreement forces Czechoslovakia to cede its border regions to Nazi Germany, in exchange for peace. Chamberlain infamously declares "Peace for our time" on his return to London, but Hitler would soon violate the agreement and invade the rest of Czechoslovakia in 1939.

- 1946: The Nuremberg Trials conclude with the sentencing of 22 Nazi leaders. The trials, held by an international tribunal, are the first to prosecute war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during World War II. Twelve of the defendants are sentenced to death, seven to prison terms, and three are acquitted.

- 1960: "The Flintstones" premieres on ABC. The animated sitcom, created by Hanna-Barbera, depicts the life of a modern Stone Age family. It is the first animated series to air in prime time, and becomes a huge success and a cultural icon.

- 1980: Ethernet specifications are published by Xerox, Intel, and Digital Equipment Corporation. Ethernet is a technology that allows computers to communicate over a network using cables. It is still widely used today as the basis for local area networks (LANs) and internet connections.

Below are a few more events for this day:

489 – The Ostrogoths under Theoderic the Great defeat the forces of Odoacer for the second time.

737 – The Turgesh drive back an Umayyad invasion of Khuttal, follow them south of the Oxus, and capture their baggage train.

1139 – A magnitude 7.7 earthquake strikes the Caucasus mountains in the Seljuk Empire, causing mass destruction and killing up to 300,000 people.

1399 – Henry IV is proclaimed king of England.

1520 – Suleiman the Magnificent is proclaimed sultan of the Ottoman Empire.

1541 – Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto and his forces enter Tula territory in present-day western Arkansas, encountering fierce resistance.

1551 – A coup by the military establishment of Japan's Ōuchi clan forces their lord to commit suicide, and their city is burned.

1744 – War of the Austrian Succession: France and Spain defeat Sardinia at the Battle of Madonna dell'Olmo, but soon have to withdraw from Sardinia anyway.

1791 – The first performance of Mozart's opera The Magic Flute takes place two months before his death.

1791 – France's National Constituent Assembly is dissolved, to be replaced the next day by the National Legislative Assembly.

1863 – Georges Bizet's opera Les pêcheurs de perles, premiered in Paris.

1882 – Thomas Edison's first commercial hydroelectric power plant (later known as Appleton Edison Light Company) begins operation.

1888 – Jack the Ripper kills his third and fourth victims, Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes.

1906 – The Royal Galician Academy, the Galician language's biggest linguistic authority, starts working in La Coruña, Spain.

1907 – The McKinley National Memorial, the final resting place of assassinated U.S. President William McKinley and his family, is dedicated in Canton, Ohio.

1909 – The Cunard Line's RMS Mauretania makes a record-breaking westbound crossing of the Atlantic, that will not be bettered for 20 years.

1915 – World War I: Radoje Ljutovac becomes the first soldier in history to shoot down an enemy aircraft with ground-to-air fire.

1918 – Ukrainian War of Independence: Insurgent forces led by Nestor Makhno defeat the Central Powers at the battle of Dibrivka.

1935 – The Hoover Dam, astride the border between the U.S. states of Arizona and Nevada, is dedicated.

1938 – Britain, France, Germany and Italy sign the Munich Agreement, whereby Germany annexes the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia.

1938 – The League of Nations unanimously outlaws "intentional bombings of civilian populations".

1939 – World War II: General Władysław Sikorski becomes prime minister of the Polish government-in-exile.

1939 – NBC broadcasts the first televised American football game.

1941 – World War II: The Babi Yar massacre comes to an end.

1943 – The United States Merchant Marine Academy is dedicated by President Roosevelt.

1944 – The Germans commence a counter offensive to retake the Nijmegen salient, this having been captured by the allies during Operation Market Garden.

1945 – The Bourne End rail crash, in Hertfordshire, England, kills 43.

1947 – The 1947 World Series begins. It is the first to be televised, to include an African-American player, to exceed $2 million in receipts, to see a pinch-hit home run, and to have six umpires on the field.

1947 – Pakistan joins the United Nations.

1949 – The Berlin Airlift ends.

1954 – The U.S. Navy submarine USS Nautilus is commissioned as the world's first nuclear-powered vessel.

1965 – Six Indonesian Army generals were assassinated by the September 30 Movement. The PKI was blamed for the latter, resulting in mass killings of suspected leftists.

1966 – Bechuanaland declares its independence, and becomes the Republic of Botswana.

1968 – The Boeing 747 is rolled out and shown to the public for the first time.

1970 – Jordan makes a deal with the PFLP for the release of the remaining hostages from the Dawson's Field hijackings.

1975 – Malév Flight 240 crashes into the Mediterranean Sea while on approach to Beirut International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, killing 60.

1978 – Finnair Flight 405 is hijacked by Aarno Lamminparras in Oulu, Finland.

1980 – Ethernet specifications are published by Xerox working with Intel and Digital Equipment Corporation.

1993 – The 6.2 M_w  Latur earthquake shakes Maharashtra, India with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe) killing 9,748 and injuring 30,000.

1999 – The Tokaimura nuclear accident causes the deaths of two technicians in Japan's second-worst nuclear accident.

2000 – Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Twelve-year-old Muhammad al-Durrah is shot and killed on the second day of the Second Intifada.

2005 – Controversial drawings of Muhammad are printed in a Danish newspaper.

2009 – The 7.6 M_w  Sumatra earthquake leaves 1,115 people dead.

2016 – Hurricane Matthew becomes a Category 5 hurricane, making it the strongest hurricane to form in the Caribbean Sea since 2007.

2016 – Two paintings with a combined value of $100 million are recovered after having been stolen from the Van Gogh Museum in 2002.

What historical event on September 30 do you find most interesting or important? Let us know in the comments below!