September 23 is the 266th day of the year (267th in leap years). There are 99 days remaining. Also an important date in pagan history celebrating fall.
Events 490 BC - Battle of Marathon; origin of marathon long-distance race (26.2 miles run by Phidippides) 1529 - Siege of Vienna begins as Suleiman II begins his attack on the city. 1459 - The Battle of Blore Heath. The first major battle of the English Wars of the Roses, fought at Blore Heath, in Staffordshire, England 1779 - USS Bonhomme Richard, commanded by John Paul Jones, wins a fight against the British ships of war Serapis and Countess of Scarborough off the coast of England 1780 - British Major John Andre arrested as a spy by Americann soldiers 1803 - Battle of Assaye 1806 - Lewis and Clark return 1846 - Discovery of Neptune by French astronomer Urbain Jean Joseph Le Verrier and British astronomer John Couch Adams; verified by German astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle 1875 - William Bonney ("Billy the Kid") is arrested for the first time 1868 - Puerto Rico declares its independence from Spain 1884 - Herman Hollerith patents his mechanical adding machine 1922 - Gdynia Seaport Construction Act passed by the Polish parliament 1932 - The Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd renamed Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 1941 - First gas experiments at Auschwitz 1952 - Richard Nixon makes his "Checkers" speech 1969 - The Chicago 8 trial opens in Chicago, Illinois 1973 - Juan Peron returns to power in Argentina 1981 - Jack Henry Abbott, best-selling author, is arrested for murder An equinox usually occurs on this date. 1993 - Sonic the Hedgehog CD is released for the Sega Mega-CD in Japan. Births 480 BC - Euripides, playwright († 406 BC) 62 BC - Roman Emperor Augustus Caesar 1713 - King Ferdinand VI of Spain 1800 - William McGuffy, educator (McGuffy's Readers) 1838 - Victoria Woodhull, suffragist 1852 - William Stewart Halsted, surgeon († 1922) 1865 - Baroness Emmuska Orczy, novelist (The Scarlet Pimpernel) († 1947) 1889 - Walter Lippmann, journalist 1897 - Walter Pidgeon, actor († 1984) 1911 - Frank Moss, U.S. Senator Utah 1916 - Aldo Moro, Italian politician 1920 - Mickey Rooney, actor 1926 - John Coltrane, saxophonist, composer 1931 - Pat Suzuki, actor 1931 - Gerald Stairs Merrithew, educator, statesman 1932 - Ray Charles, singer 1938 - Romy Schneider, actress († 1982) 1939 - Janusz Gajos, Polish actor 1942 - Sila Maria Calderon, Governor of Puerto Rico 1943 - Julio Iglesias, singer 1945 - Paul Petersen, actor 1949 - Bruce Springsteen, singer, songwriter 1959 - Jason Alexander, actor 1959 - Lita Ford, singer, guitarist 1959 - Elizabeth Peña, actress 1970 - Ani Difranco, musician Deaths 918 - King Conrad I of Germany 1241 - Snorri Sturluson, Icelandic historian, poet and politician 1835 - Vincenzo Bellini, composer (Norma) 1870 - Prosper Mérimée, author 1889 - Wilkie Collins, author (The Moonstone) 1900 - William Marsh Rice, philanthropist, university founder 1939 - Sigmund Freud, psychiatrist 1973 - Pablo Neruda, poet 1974 - Cliff Arquette, comedian, actor ("Charley Weaver") 1987 - Bob Fosse, dancer, choreographer, actor 1994 - Robert Bloch, author (Psycho) 1998 - Mary Frann, actress Sports 1983 - Gerrie Coetzee of South Africa becomes the first boxing world heavyweight champion ever to come from Africa when he knocks out defending WBA champion Michael Dokes in Akron, Ohio. Holidays Feast of Saint Adomnan of Iona In ancient Latvia, the second day of Mikeli September 22 · September 24 · August 23 · October 23 · more historical anniversaries
See Also: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December - more historical anniversaries