Events on Sep 17
- 0335Church of Heilig Grave initiated in Jerusalem
- 0642Arabs conquer Alexandria, library destroyed
- 1156Markgraafschap Austria becomes a temple (Privilegium minus)
- 1394Jews are expelled from France by order of King Charles VI
- 1562Council of Trente takes ecclesiastical canon
- 1584Gent surrenders to Duke of Parma
- 1595Pope Clemens VIII recognizes Henri IV as King of France
- 1598Netherland sailors discover Mauritius
- 1631Battle of Breitenfeld: King Gustaaf Adolf defeats General Tilly
- 1644French troops occupy Mainz
- 1678France and Spain signs peace treaty
- 1683Antonie van Leeuwenhoek reports existence of bacteria
- 1691Colony Massachusetts Bay gets new charter
- 1697Battle at Zenta: Prince Eugen of Savoye beats Turks
- 1730Turkish coup under Mahmud I; Sultan Ahmed III flees
- 1745Edinburg occupied by Jacobites under Young Pretenders
- 1776Presidio of SF forms as a Spanish fort
- 17781st treaty between the US and Indian tribes signed (Fort Pitt)
- 1787Prussian troops conquer Gorinchem
- 1787US constitution adopted by Philadelphia convention
- 1789William Herschel discovers Mimas, satellite of Saturn
- 1796President George Washington delivers his farewell address
- 18191st whaling ship arrives in Hawaii
- 1835Charles Darwins lands on Chatham Galapagos-archipelago
- 1850Great fire in San Francisco
- 1859Man in SF claims himself Norton I, Emperor of America
- 18611st day school for freedmen forms at Fortress Monroe Virginia
- 1861Hampton Institute forms
- 1862Battle of Cumberland Gap, TN-evacuted by Federals
- 1862Battle of Mumfordville, KY-US Col J Wilder surrenders city
Born on Sep 17
- 0879Charles III [The Simple]: King of France (893-923)
- 1271Wenceslas II: King of Bohemia and Poland (1278-1305)
- 1552Paul V [Camillo Borghese]: Italy -- Pope (1605-21)
- 1580Charlotte Brabantia: Countess of Nassau / Daughter of Willem of Orange
- 1605Francesco Sacrati: Composer
- 1619John Lambert: English General Major / parliament leader
- 1643Gilbert Burnet: Bishop of Salisbury / author
- 1711Ignaz Jakob Holzbauer: Composer
- 1714Gottlieb W Rabener: German author (Vom Misbrauch of the Satire)
- 1743Jean-Marie Caritat: France -- Mathematician
- 1743Marquis de Condorcet: France -- Enlightenment philosopher
- 1748Robert Wainwright: Composer
- 1764John Goodricke: English astronomer / member Royal Society
- 1765Gregory XVI [Bartolomeo A Cappellari / Mauro]: Italy -- Pope
- 1767Henri-Montan Berton: Composer
- 1774Joseph Caspar Mezzofanti: Cardinal / linguist (understood 70 languages)
- 1783Samuel Prout: Water-color painter
- 1795Giuseppi Saverio Rafaele Mercadante: Composer
- 1798Antonia M B Antonucci: Italian Cardinal / diplomat
- 1800Franklin Buchanan: Admiral (Confederate Navy), died in 1874
- 1801Edward William Lane: Translator (Thousand & 1 Nights)
- 1814Stefano Ronchetti-Molnteviti: Composer
- 1818Halfdan Kjeruif: Composer (Kjerulf)
- 1819Marthinus Wessels Pretorius: 1st President (Republic South Africa)
- 1819Thomas Andrews Hendricks: (D) 21st US VP; died in office
- 1820Earle Van Dorn: Major General (Confederate Army), died in 1863
- 1821Charles Victor Arthur Saint-Leon: Composer
- 1825Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar: MC (Confederacy), died in 1893
- 1826G F Berhard Riemann: German mathematician (zeta-function)
- 1834Edouard Pailleron: French attorney / stage writer
Died on Sep 17
- 1179Hildegard van Bingen: Mystic / Composer (Ordo Virtutum), dies at 81
- 1574Pedro Menendez de Aviles: Soldier / navigator
- 1604Lucas Osiander: Composer, dies at 69
- 1652Bonaventura Elsevier: Book publisher / merchant, dies at about 69
- 1665Philip IV: King of Spain (1621-55)
- 1679Juan Jose of Austrian: Spanish General / gov of the Netherlands, dies at 50
- 1702Olof Rudbeck: Composer, dies at 71
- 1732Josef Antonin Planicky: Composer, dies at 40
- 1762Francesco Xaverio Geminiani: Composer, dies at 74
- 1771Tobias George Smollett: Novelist (Adventures of Roderick Random), dies at 50
- 1803Franz Xaver Sussmayr: Composer
- 1820Henri Hamal: Composer, dies at 76
- 1823Abraham L Breguet: French clock maker, dies at 76
- 1824Giacomo Tritto: Composer, dies at 91
- 1839Ethel Mary Dell [Mrs G T Savage]: Romantic Novelist
- 1846Francesco Giuseppi Pollini: Composer, dies at 84
- 1858Dred Scott: US slave (REV-decision Supreme court)
- 1862William Edwin Starke: Confederate Brigadier General, dies in battle at about 48
- 1863Albartus Telting: Fries Poet / 2nd-Member of parliament
- 1863Alfred Victor Comte de Vigny: Poet
- 1864Walter Savage Landor: Author
- 1868Roman Nose (Wiquini): Cheyenne indian leader
- 1877William Henry Fox Talbot: Photographic pioneer, dies at 77
- 1879Eugene Emmanuel Violletle-Duc: Gothic archetect
- 1884Louis Schubert: Composer, dies at 56
- 1892Ignaz V Zingerle Edler von Simmersberg: Austrian
- 1895Auguste Toulet: Belgian balloonist
- 1907Ignaz Brull: Composer, dies at 60
- 1908Thomas E Selfridge: Earlier US aviator, 1st to die in an air crash
- 1926August Sauer: Austria literature historian, dies at 70
Historical events on September 18
- 0324Chrysopolis Emperor Constantine beats Emperor Licinius
- 1437Farmer uprising in Transsylvania
- 1502Christopher Columbus lands at Costa Rica on his 4th and last voyage
- 1544Charles V of Germany and Francis I of France sign Peace of Crepy
- 1573Spanish attack Alkmaar
- 1635Emperor Ferdinand II declares war on France
- 1679New Hampshire becomes a county Massachusetts Bay Colony
- 1739Turkey and Austria sign peace treaty-Austria cedes Belgrade to Turks
- 1755Ft Ticonderoga, New York opens
- 1759Battle of Quebec ends, French surrender to British
- 1769John Harris builds 1st spinet piano (US)
- 17891st loan is made to pay salaries of the Presidents and Congress
- 1793President Washington lays cornerstone of Capitol Building
- 1809Royal Opera House in London opens
- 1810Chile declares independence from Spain (National Day)
- 1811English expeditionary army conquerors Dutch Indies
- 1812Fire in Moscow destroys 90% of houses and 1,000 churchs
- 1830Horse beats 1st US made locomotive (near Baltimore)
- 1838Anti-Corn Law League established by Richard Cobden
- 18421st edition of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, published
- 1846Elizabeth Barrett and R Browning exchange last letters before eloping
- 1848Baseball rules 1st baseman can tag base for out instead of runner
- 1850Congress passes Fugitive Slave Law as part of Compromise of 1850
- 1851New York Times starts publishing (2 cents a copy)
- 1862Confederate armies officially divide into corps
- 1862General Read army pulls out of Antietam Creek Virginia
- 1864Battle of Martinsburg, West Virginia
- 1873Government bond agent Jay Cooke and Co collapses, causing panic on Wall St
- 1881Chicago Tribune reports on a televideo experiment
- 1882Pacific Stock Exchange opens (as Local Security Board)
Born on September 18
- 1574Claudio Achillini: Italian lawyer / poet
- 1636Pietro Sanmartini: Composer
- 1684Johann Gottfried Walther: Erfurt, Germany -- Composer / Musicographer
- 1713Jean Allamand: French theologist / natural philosopher
- 1733George Read: US judge / signer (Declaration of Independence)
- 1750Tomas de Iriarte: Spanish writer (Fabulas Literarias)
- 1752Adrien-Marie Lagendre: Mathematician, worked on elliptic integrals
- 1752Johann Anton Sulzer: Composer
- 1765Oliver Holden: Composer
- 1772Martin-Pierre Dalvimare: Composer
- 1779Joseph Story: Massachusetts, United States -- 19th Supreme Court Justice (1812-45)
- 1786Justinus AC Kerner: German family doctor / poet / writer
- 1787Johann D Passavant: German historian / painter / graphic artist
- 1805Robert Cowdin: Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1874
- 1815Henry Constantine Wayne: Brigadier General (Confederate Army)
- 1818Marcellus Augustus Stovall: Brigadier General (Confederate Army)
- 1838Anton Mauve: Painter / graphic artist / Cousin of Vincent Van Gogh
- 1860Alberto Franchetti: Composer
- 1863Hermann Kutter: Switzerland -- Christ-social theologist
- 1870Clark Wissler: Anthropologist (American Indian)
- 1874Johannes Anker Larsen: Danish writer (Vises Sten)
- 1876Milan Rakic: Serbian poet (Pesme)
- 1877Jozef de Voght: Flemish priest / songwriter (Under the Snow)
- 1883Lord Berners [Gerald Tyrwhitt]: England, United Kingdom -- Composer (1st Childhood)
- 1885Abdul Muslim Mahomayev: Composer
- 1890Vladimir Ambros: Composer
- 1893Arthur Benjamin: Sydney, NSW -- Composer (Jamaican Rumba)
- 1893William March [Campbell]: United States -- Writer (Company K)
- 1895John G Diefenbaker: Neustadt, Ontario -- 13th Canadian Prime Minister (C) (1957-63)
- 1897John Mens: Writer (People Without Money)
Died on September 18
- 0031Sejanus: Roman head of praetorisch guard, executed
- 0096Domitian: Roman Emperor
- 0993Arnulf vanf Gent: Westfries Earl (988-93), dies in battle
- 1137Erik II Eimune [Onvergetelijke]: King of Denmark (1134-37), murdered
- 1261Koenraad van Hochstaden: Archbishop of Cologne
- 1426Hubert [Huybrecht] van Eyck: Painter
- 1684Jan A "Joannes" Antonides van der Goes: Poet (Ystroom), dies at 37
- 1721Matthew Prior: Poet / diplomat
- 1735Justus van Effen: Writer / founder (Holland Spectator), dies at 51
- 1775Andrew Foulis: Bookseller / printer
- 1792Gottlieb August Spangenberg: Founder (Moravian Church in America)
- 1797Louis-Lazare Hoche: French revolutionary General
- 1818Olaf Swaertz: Botanist
- 1827Robert Pollok: Poet
- 1830William Hazlitt: Critic / essayist
- 1831Peter Hansel: Composer, dies at 60
- 1857Karol Kazimierz Kurpinski: Composer, dies at 72
- 1860Casimiro de Abreu: Brazilians Poet (Primaveras)
- 1860Joseph Locke: Railway engineer
- 1872Charles XV Louis E: King of Sweden / Norway (1859-72)
- 1890Dion Boucicault: Irish / US actor / playwright (Octoroon), dies at 67
- 1896Armand-Hippolyte-Louis Fizeau: Physicist
- 1903Isidor Vorobchievici: Composer, dies at 67
- 1903Theodore Furchtegott Kirchner: Composer, dies at 79
- 1904Herbert von Bismarck: German politician / Son of Otto
- 1905George MacDonald: Sci-fi Author (Princess & Curdie), dies at 80
- 1918Ernest Bristow Farrar: Composer, dies at 33
- 1924Francis Herbert Bradley: British philosopher (neo-idealism)
- 1929Hermann Gradener: Composer, dies at 85
- 1934Marie Shotwell: Actress (Sally of the Sawdust), dies at 54
Events on Sep 19
- 1356English defeat French at Battle of Poitiers
- 1523Emperor Charles I and England sign anti-French covenant
- 15595 Spanish ships sinks in storm off Tampa, about 600 die
- 1580Treaty of Plessis-lez-Tours (Anjou / Dutch States-General)
- 1602Grave surrenders to Earl Mauritius
- 1642Perpignan surrenders to French troops
- 1656Treaty of Labiau: Sweden gives Prussia, Brandenburg
- 1657Brandenburg and Poland sign Treaty of Wehlau
- 1668Polish King John II Kazimierz resigns / goes to France
- 1676Rebels under Nathaniel Bacon set Jamestown Va on fire
- 1755England and Russia sign military agreement
- 1795Tula, leader of Curacao slave opposition, imprisoned
- 1799English and Russian invasion army conquerors Receiver
- 1833Charles Darwin visits Guardia del Monte, Argentina
- 1838Ephraim Morris patents railroad brake
- 1846Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning elopes
- 1848Hyperion, moon of Saturn, discovered by Bond (US) and Lassell (England)
- 18491st commercial laundry established, in Oakland, California
- 1854Henry Meyer patents sleeping rail car
- 1862Battle at Iuka Mississippi (1,700 casualties)
- 1863Battle of Chickamauga Georgia (near Chattanooga) begins; Union retreat
- 18643rd Battle of Winchester Virginia (Opequon, 3rd Winchester)
- 1865Atlanta University forms
- 1870Siege of Paris begins
- 1873Black Friday: Jay Cooke and Co fails, causing a securities panic
- 18761st carpet sweeper patented (Melville Bissell of Grand Rapids, Michigan)
- 1876Talks begin to set up a football club in Ottawa
- 1890Turkish frigate "Ertogrul" burns off of Japan, kills 540
- 1893New Zealand is 1st country to grant all its women the right to vote
- 190111 baseball games canceled due to funeral of President William McKinley
Born on Sep 19
- 0086Antoninus Pius: 15th Roman Emperor (138-161)
- 0866Leo VI Sophos: Byzantine Emperor (886-912) / writer (Problematica)
- 1551Henry III: Duke of Anjou / King of Poland / France (1573 / 4-89)
- 1655Jan Luyts: Netherlands -- Scholar / physicist / mathematician / astronomer
- 1705Henri-Jacques de Croes: Flemish composer / band master
- 1737Charles Carroll: Signed Declaration of Independence
- 1769Joseph Comb: Missionary to Molukkas
- 1770Johann G Repsold: German instrument maker
- 1800William Wister McKean: Commander (Union Navy), died in 1865
- 1802Louis Kossuth: Hungary -- President of Hungary (1849)
- 1822Joseph Rodman West: Bvt Major General (Union volunteers)
- 1824Carl Ignaz Franz Umlauf: Composer
- 1837Adolf Gustaw Sonnenfeld: Composer
- 1862Adeline De Walt Reynolds: Benton County, Iowa -- Actress (Son of Dracula)
- 1871Fritz Schaudinn: German animal expert (examined syphilis)
- 1882Paul-Marie Masson: Composer
- 1888Porter Hall: Cincinnati, Ohio -- Actor (Half-Breed, Double Indenity)
- 1889Ernest Truex: Kansas City, Missouri -- Actor (Pop-Pete & Gladys, Mr Peepers)
- 1889Ricardo Cortez [Jack Krantz]: Vienna, Austria -- Actor / dir (Blackmail)
- 1889Sarah Delany: Author / teacher
- 1894Cornelis Rijnsdorp: Writer (Kings Children)
- 1898Giuseppe Saragat: President of Italy (1964-71)
- 1900Solomon Pimsleur: Composer
- 1901Joseph Pasternak: Film producer (Anchors Aweigh, Date With Judy)
- 1902James Van Alen: Created Simplified Scoring System for tennis
- 1902Pieter John Bouman: Sociologist / historian
- 1904Bergen Evans: Ohio, United States -- English Professor ($64,000 Question)
- 1904Karen Aabye: Danish author (Less bedstemor there jomfru)
- 1905Betty Garde: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania -- Actress (Aggie-Real McCoys)
- 1905James Holland: Artist / exhibition organiser
Died on Sep 19
- 1356Gautier de Brienne: Duke of Athens / French Supreme Commander
- 1356Geoffroy de Charny: French nobleman, dies in battle
- 1356Jean de Clermont: French marshal, dies in battle
- 1719Frans Anneessens: Belgian Merchant / lord of the manor, executed at 59
- 1719Jan Weenix: Dutch painter, buried
- 1756Josef Antonin Sehling: Composer, dies at 46
- 1761Peter Musschenbroek: Physician / physicist (Leidse Bottle), dies at 69
- 1830Stanislas Champein: Composer, dies at 76
- 1836Carl Friedrich Ebers: Composer, dies at 66
- 1862[Lewis] Henry Little: US Confederate Brigadier General, dies in battle at 45
- 1863Preston Smith: US Confederate Brigadier General, dies in battle at 39
- 1864Archibald Campbell Godwin: Confederate Brigadier General, dies in battle
- 1864David Allen Russell: US Union General Major, dies in battle at 43
- 1864Robert Emmet Rodes: US Confederate General Major, dies in battle at 35
- 1881James A Garfield: 20th President (1881), dies of gunshot wound at 49
- 1882Andreas I Schaepman: Archbishop of Utrecht (1868-82), dies at 67
- 1902Maria Hendrika: Queen of the Belgians
- 1918Liza Nina Mary Frederica Lehmann: Composer, dies at 56
- 1935Jules M Cambron: French Governor-General to Algeria / ambassador
- 1944David Lord: British lieutenant / Dakota-pilot DFC / VC, dies in battle
- 1944Hilary Barlow: British Colonel
- 1944John AC Fitch: British Lieutenant Colonel, dies in battle in Arnhem
- 1952Giuseppe Zoppi: Swiss writer (Presento il mio Ticino)
- 1954Tibor Harsanyi: Composer, dies at 56
- 1961Helen Kimble: Fictional Wife of Dr Richard Kimble (Fugitive)
- 1961Pieter Tesch: Mine engineer / geology (Pedestal of the Netherlands)
- 1962Pogodin: Writer
- 1967Martin Block: TV announcer (Chesterfield Supper Club), dies at 64
- 1968Chester F Carlson: Inventor (photocopying), dies at 62
- 1968Red Foley: Country singer (Mr Smith Goes to Washington), dies at 58