12 History Lessons + 7 Births & 7 Deaths for September 21, 2025
Today’s History:
- 1780 – Benedict Arnold secretly meets British Major John André to plot the surrender of West Point.
- 1792 – The French National Convention abolishes the monarchy and proclaims the First Republic.
- 1898 – Empress Dowager Cixi seizes power in a coup, ending the Qing dynasty’s “Hundred Days’ Reform.”
- 1937 – J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit is published.
- 1938 – The catastrophic New England Hurricane (“Long Island Express”) strikes the U.S. Northeast.
- 1942 – Boeing’s experimental XB-29 makes its first flight, precursor to the B-29 Superfortress.
- 1964 – Malta declares independence from the United Kingdom.
- 1970 – Monday Night Football debuts on ABC.
- 1981 – Belize gains independence from the United Kingdom.
- 1981 – Sandra Day O’Connor is confirmed as the first woman on the U.S. Supreme Court.
- 1991 – Armenia declares independence from the Soviet Union.
- 1999 – Taiwan’s 7.6 “921” (Chi-Chi) earthquake devastates central Taiwan.
Today’s Birthdays:
- 1947 – Stephen King, bestselling author (It; The Stand) (78)
- 1950 – Bill Murray, actor-comedian (Ghostbusters; Lost in Translation) (75)
- 1967 – Faith Hill, Grammy-winning country singer (58)
- 1972 – Liam Gallagher, singer-songwriter (Oasis) (53)
- 1980 – Kareena Kapoor Khan, Bollywood actor (45)
- 1981 – Nicole Richie, TV personality & entrepreneur (44)
- 1989 – Jason Derulo, singer-songwriter (“Want to Want Me”) (36)
Today’s Deaths:
- 19 BC – Virgil, Roman poet (Aeneid) (50)
- 1558 – Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain (58)
- 1832 – Sir Walter Scott, Scottish novelist & poet (Ivanhoe) (61)
- 1860 – Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher (72)
- 1987 – Jaco Pastorius, influential jazz bassist (35)
- 1998 – Florence Griffith-Joyner, Olympic sprint champion (38)
- 2021 – Willie Garson, actor (Sex and the City) (57)
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