September has witnessed a variety of notable historical events throughout time – some exciting, some tragic.
From the construction of Hadrian’s Wall to the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, keep reading to learn more about some of the most notable historical events that’ve happened in September.
22 historical events that happened in September
2nd September, 1666
The Great Fire of London began in a baker’s shop in Pudding Lane and raged on for five days. The fire destroyed 13,200 houses, 87 parish churches, The Royal Exchange, Guildhall, and St Paul’s Cathedral, and nine people died.
There was no organised fire brigade in 1666 and little knowledge of firefighting. Instead, leather buckets, axes, and water squirts (with little effect) were used to fight the fire.
Sir Christopher Wren planned for the rebuilding of the city of London, which took over 30 years to complete. Today, the site where the fire started is marked by a 202ft Monument to the Great Fire of London built between 1671 and 1677, which is simply called ‘Monument’ by most.
3rd September, 1189
Richard I (the Lion Heart) was crowned King of England at Westminster. He was the son of King Henry II and Queen Eleanor of Aquitane.
Richard earned the nickname ‘Lion Heart’ because he was a skilled soldier, brave crusader, and won many battles against Saladin – who was the Muslim leader occupying Jerusalem at the time.
Having spent most of his childhood at his mother’s court at Poitiers, Richard didn’t spend much time in England. In fact, historians are doubtful of whether he could actually speak the language at all.
3rd September, 1939
In response to Hitler’s invasion of Poland, Britain and France declared war on Germany, marking the start of World War II.
4th September, 1998
Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google while they were PhD students at Stanford University in California.
Google began as an online search engine only, but today it offers over 50 different internet products and services – from email to online document creation.
8th September, 2022
Queen Elizabeth II, the UK’s longest reigning monarch, died peacefully at Balmoral at the age of 96.
After becoming Queen in 1952 aged 25, Elizabeth II witnessed significant social change during her reign. She has been described by many as a constant, comforting, and reassuring presence in our ever-changing world.
The Queen’s funeral was held on 19th September, and, according to BBC News, was watched by 28 million viewers in the UK.
9th September, 2015
Queen Elizabeth II became Great Britain’s longest reigning monarch. Reigning for 63 years and seven months, Her Majesty surpassed the previous record set by her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria.
10th September, 1897
Twenty-five-year-old London taxi driver George Smith became the first person to be fined for drunk driving after crashing his car into a building. Smith pleaded guilty and was fined 25 shillings.
Despite the invention of equipment like the breathalyzer, it wasn’t until the late 1970s and early 1980s that public awareness of the dangers of drunk driving increased and police officers became tougher on offenders.
11th September, 1297
As a result of clever tactics, a small Scottish army led by rebel William Wallace and Andrew Murray defeated the much larger English army at the Battle of Stirling Bridge.
The battle marked the first major Scottish victory in the Scottish Wars of Independence and placed the country back under Scottish control.
11th September, 2001
Nineteen terrorists associated with the Islamic extremist group al Qaeda hijacked four passenger aeroplanes and carried out a series of suicide attacks against United States targets.
Two of the planes crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York, another was flown into the Pentagon just outside Washington DC, and the fourth crashed in a field in Shanksville Pennsylvania.
Just short of 3,000 people were killed during the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
12th September, 1624
The first practical submarine was publicly tested on the River Thames in London for King James I. Three thousand spectators, including King James I himself, stood to watch.
The power of the submarine depended entirely on human effort in the form of underwater rowers.
13th September, 122
The building of Hadrian’s Wall in Northern England began. The wall stretched from coast to coast across Northern England and took six years to complete.
The project, ordered by Emperor Hadrian, aimed to solidify the English border and protect Northern England against Scottish barbarian tribes.
13th September, 1788
New York City became the first capital of the United States after the Constitution was given formal consent.
The Residence Act of 16th July, 1790 moved the nation’s capital to current-day Washington DC. This was part of a plan to appease pro-slavery states who were fearful that a northern capital would be too sympathetic to abolitionists.
13th September, 1902
Harry Jackson became the first person in Britain to be convicted on fingerprint evidence. A burglary had occurred on 27 June 1902 in a house in Denmark Hill, London, where the investigating officer noticed some fingerprints on a freshly painted windowsill.
After confirming that the fingerprints hadn’t been left by members of the household, officers searched their files for known criminals who had a similar fingerprint pattern. Those of 41-year-old labourer Harry Jackson, who had recently served time in prison for burglary, matched and he was arrested.
15th September, 1830
Former cabinet minister and MP for Liverpool, William Huskisson became the first person to die in a railway accident at the age of 60 while attending the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway.
Huskisson got stuck in the way of a locomotive Rocket on the parallel track when the train stopped for observations, and had his left leg crushed by it. He died of his injuries a few hours later.
16th September, 1620
The Mayflower set off on its voyage from Plymouth to the United States with up to 30 crew members and 102 passengers.
The majority of passengers were after a new life. Some were Protestant Separatists seeking religious freedom from the Church of England, and others simply wanted a fresh start in a new place or a better future for their families.
The Protestant Separatists called themselves ‘Saints’, who planned to establish a new church in the New World. Today, we commonly refer to the colonists who crossed the Atlantic aboard the Mayflower as ‘Pilgrims’.
19th September, 1893
New Zealand became the first country to grant all women the right to vote.
Despite this victory, New Zealand women still had a long journey ahead of them to achieve political equality.
Women only gained the right to stand for Parliament in 1919, the first female Member of Parliament wasn’t elected until 1933, and the number of female MPs didn’t reach double figures until the mid-1980s. Even today, women are still under-underrepresented in Parliament.
22nd September, 1735
Sir Robert Walpole, often viewed today as Britain’s first Prime Minister, moved into 10 Downing Street. Walpole was First Lord of the Treasury for over 20 years, which is an unusually long period of time to be in office.
Walpole moved into 10 Downing Street after insisting that it became the residence of the First Lord of the Treasury, rather than it being given to him personally.
25th September, 1818
The first transfusion of human blood was performed by James Blundell at Guy’s Hospital in London.
Injecting a patient who had hemorrhaged with blood during an era that was still in the habit of draining blood away to cure illnesses, Blundell was way ahead of his time.
27th September, 1888
The name ‘Jack the Ripper’ was first used in an anonymous letter to the Central News agency.
Up until that point, the famous killer had been known by various names including ‘Red Fiend’, ‘The Whitechapel Murderer’, and ‘Leather Apron’.
Jack the Ripper terrorised London in 1888, murdering at least five women. The offender was never captured or identified, and today remains one of England’s most infamous criminals.
28th September, 1745
‘God Save the King’ was sung for the first time publicly at the Drury Lane Theatre in London. This was after news that Prince Charles Edward Stuart – who had defeated the army of King George at Prestonpans, near Edinburgh – had reached London.
‘God Save the King’ came to be known as the National Anthem at the beginning of the nineteenth century.
The words we use today are the same as those sung in 1745, simply substituting ‘Queen’ for ‘King’ where necessary.
29th September, 1916
Founder of the Standard Oil refinery, John D. Rockefeller, became the world’s first billionaire. Rockefeller’s fortune was worth nearly 2% of America’s entire national economy.
In October 1928, John D. Rockefeller leased land from Columbia University for the future site of what would become the Rockefeller Center, completed in 1939.
30th September, 1938
After meeting Adolf Hitler in Munich and signing a peace treaty with Nazi Germany, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain addressed the nation, mistakenly saying, “I believe it is peace for our time.”
Just under a year later, the Prime Minister spoke again to the nation, this time solemnly calling for a British declaration of war against Germany. Eight months later, Chamberlain was forced to resign and was replaced by Winston Churchill.
Final thoughts…
From the world’s first billionaire to the Great Fire of London and the creation of Google, September has witnessed many unforgettable historical events throughout time. And with the more recent passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, it’s a month of history we’re likely to never forget.
For more history-related content, you might like to visit the art and culture section of our website. Here you’ll find everything from history-inspired days out to unmissable history films.
You might also want to head over Rest Less Events where you can book onto upcoming history talks.
What period of history do you find most interesting? Did any of the events above surprise you? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.