14 September

23        Drusus Julius Caesar (died), Roman son of Tiberius (born 13 BC)

81        Domitian becomes Emperor of the Roman Empire upon the death of his brother Titus.

629     Emperor Heraclius enters Constantinople in triumph after his victory over the Persian Empire.

775      Constantine V (died), Byzantine emperor (born 718)

891      Pope Stephen V (died)

1388   Claudius Clavus (born), Danish geographer and cartographer (died 1438)

1486   Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa (born), German theologian, astrologer, and alchemist (died 1535)

1523    Pope Adrian VI (died) (born 1459)

1580   Francisco de Quevedo (born), Spanish poet and politician (died 1645)

1638   John Harvard (died), English-American minister (born 1607)

1656    Thomas Baker (born), English antiquarian (died 1746)

1712    Giovanni Domenico Cassini (died), Italian-French mathematician, astronomer, and engineer (born 1625)

1713    Johann Kies (born), German astronomer

1715     Dom Pérignon (died), French monk (born 1638)

1741    George Frideric Handel completes his oratorio Messiah

1743    Nicolas Lancret (died), French painter (born 1690)

1752    The British Empire adopts the Gregorian calendar, skipping eleven days (the previous day was September 2).

1763    Seneca warriors defeat British forces at the Battle of Devil’s Hole during Pontiac’s War.

1769    Alexander von Humboldt (born), German geographer and explorer (died 1859)

1791    Franz Bopp (born), German linguist (died 1867)

1804   John Gould (born), English ornithologist (died 1881)

1812    Napoleonic Wars: The French Grande Armée enters Moscow. The Fire of Moscow begins as soon as Russian troops leave the city.

1814    The poem Defence of Fort McHenry is written by Francis Scott Key. The poem is later used as the lyrics of The Star-Spangled Banner.

1836   Aaron Burr (died), American colonel and politician, 3rd Vice President of the United States (born 1756)

1847    Mexican–American War: Winfield Scott captures Mexico City.

1851    James Fenimore Cooper (died), American author (born 1789)

1865    Edgar Aabye (born), Danish tug of war competitor (died 1941)

1867    Charles Dana Gibson (born), American illustrator (died 1944)

1879    Bernhard von Cotta (died), German geologist (born 1808)

1879    Margaret Sanger (born), American nurse and activist (died 1966)

1891    Johannes Bosboom (died), Dutch painter (born 1817)

1898   Ernest Nash (born), German archaeologist (died 1974)

1898   William Seward Burroughs I (died), American businessman, founded the Burroughs Corporation (born 1857)

1901    William McKinley (died), American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 25th President of the United States dies after an assassination attempt on September 6, and is succeeded by Theodore Roosevelt (born 1843)

1902   Alice Tully (born), American soprano and philanthropist (died 1993)

1905    Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza (died), Italian-French explorer (born 1852)

1909   Peter Scott (born), English ornithologist, painter, and sailor (died 1989)

1915    John Dobson (born), Chinese-American astronomer (died 2014)

1916    Eric Bentley (born), English-American singer, playwright, and critic

1917    Russia is officially proclaimed a republic.

1920   Alberto Calderón (born), Argentinian-American mathematician (died 1998)

1920   Lawrence Klein (born), American economist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2013)

1927    Isadora Duncan (died), American-Russian dancer and choreographer (born 1877)

1937    Renzo Piano (born), Italian architect, designed The Shard and The New York Times Building

1944    Joey Heatherton (born), American actress, singer, and dancer

1944    World War II: Maastricht becomes the first Dutch city to be liberated by allied forces.

1947    Jon Bauman (born), American singer and actor (Sha Na Na)

1948   Marc Reisner (born), American environmentalist and author (died 2000)

1949    Ed King (born), American guitarist and songwriter (Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hunger, and Strawberry Alarm Clock)

1949    Steve Gaines (born), American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Lynyrd Skynyrd and Detroit) (died 1977)

1950    John Steptoe (born), American author and illustrator (died 1989)

1950    Paul Kossoff (born), English guitarist and songwriter (Free, Black Cat Bones, and Back Street Crawler) (died 1976)

1954    In a top secret nuclear test, a Soviet Tu-4 bomber drops a 40 kiloton atomic weapon just north of Totskoye village.

1955    Geraldine Brooks (born), Australian-American journalist and author

1955    Steve Berlin (born), American saxophonist, keyboard player, and producer (Los Lobos, The Flesh Eaters, and The Blasters)

1958    The first two German post-war rockets, designed by the German engineer Ernst Mohr, reach the upper atmosphere.

1959    The Soviet probe Luna 2 crashes onto the Moon, becoming the first man-made object to reach it.

1960   Congo Crisis: With CIA help, Mobutu Sese Seko seizes power in a military coup, suspending parliament and the constitution.

1960   The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is founded.

1965    Dmitry Medvedev (born), Russian politician, 3rd President of Russia

1966    Hiram Wesley Evans (died), American Ku Klux Klan leader (born 1881)

1969    The US Selective Service selects September 14 as the First Draft Lottery Date.

1975    The first American saint, Elizabeth Ann Seton, is canonized by Pope Paul VI.

1982   Grace Kelly (died), American-Monacan actress and singer (born 1929)

1983   Amy Winehouse (born), English singer-songwriter (died 2011)

1984   Janet Gaynor (died), American actress and singer (born 1906)

1984   Joe Kittinger becomes the first person to fly a gas balloon alone across the Atlantic Ocean.

1985    Penang Bridge, the longest bridge in Malaysia, connecting the island of Penang to the mainland, opens to traffic.

1987    The Toronto Blue Jays set a record for the most home runs in a single game, hitting 10 of them.

1989   Jesse James (born), American actor

1992    The Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina declares the breakaway Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia to be illegal.

1994    The Major League Baseball season is canceled because of a strike.

1995    Maurice K. Goddard (died), American politician (born 1912)

1996    Juliet Prowse (died), Indian-South African actress, singer, and dancer (born 1937)

1996    Rose Ouellette (died), Canadian actress (born 1903)

1998   Telecommunications companies MCI Communications and WorldCom complete their $37 billion merger to form MCI WorldCom.

1999    Kiribati, Nauru and Tonga join the United Nations.

2000  Microsoft releases Windows ME.

2001   Historic National Prayer Service held at Washington National Cathedral for victims of the September 11 attacks. A similar service is held in Canada on Parliament Hill, the largest vigil ever held in the nation’s capital.

2003   Garrett Hardin (died), American ecologist (born 1915)

2003   In a referendum, Estonia approves joining the European Union.

2008  Hyman Golden (died), American businessman, co-founded Snapple (born 1923)

2009   Elio Zagato (died), Italian automobile designer (born 1921)

2009   Henry Gibson (died), American actor and singer (born 1935)

2009   Jody Powell (died), American White House Press Secretary (born 1943)

2009   Patrick Swayze (died), American actor, singer, and dancer (born 1952)

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EO Smith

Interests include biological anthropology, evolution, social behavior, and human behavior. Conducted field research in the Tana River National Primate Reserve, Kenya and on Angaur, Palau, Micronesia, as well as research with captive nonhuman primates at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center and the Institute for Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya.
EO Smith
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