September 6 is the 249th day of the year (250th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 116 days remain until the end of the year.
Events
Pre-1600
394 – Battle of the Frigidus: Roman emperor Theodosius I defeats and kills Eugenius the usurper. His Frankish magister militum Arbogast escapes but commits suicide two days later.
1492 – Christopher Columbus sails from La Gomera in the Canary Islands, his final port of call before crossing the Atlantic Ocean for the first time.
1522 – The Victoria returns to Sanlúcar de Barrameda in Spain, the only surviving ship of Ferdinand Magellan's expedition and the first known ship to circumnavigate the world.
1601–1900
1620 – The Pilgrims sail from Plymouth, England on the Mayflower to settle in North America. (Old Style date; September 16 per New Style date.)
1628 – Puritans settle Salem, which became part of Massachusetts Bay Colony.
1634 – Thirty Years' War: In the Battle of Nördlingen, the Catholic Imperial army defeats Swedish and German Protestant forces.
1781 – American Revolutionary War: The Battle of Groton Heights takes place, resulting in a British victory.
1803 – British scientist John Dalton begins using symbols to represent the atoms of different elements.
1861 – American Civil War: Forces under Union General Ulysses S. Grant bloodlessly capture Paducah, Kentucky, giving the Union control of the Tennessee River's mouth.
1863 – American Civil War: Confederate forces evacuate Battery Wagner and Morris Island in South Carolina.
1870 – Louisa Ann Swain of Laramie, Wyoming becomes the first woman in the United States to cast a vote legally after 1807.
1885 – Eastern Rumelia declares its union with Bulgaria, thus accomplishing Bulgarian unification.
1901–present
1901 – Leon Czolgosz, an unemployed anarchist, shoots and fatally wounds US President William McKinley at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York.
1914 – World War I: The First Battle of the Marne, which would halt the Imperial German Army's advance into France, begins.
1915 – World War I: The first tank prototype, developed by William Foster & Co. for the British army, was completed and given its first test drive.
1930 – Democratically elected Argentine president Hipólito Yrigoyen is deposed in a military coup.
1936 – Spanish Civil War: The Interprovincial Council of Asturias and León is established.
1939 – World War II: The British Royal Air Force suffers its first fighter pilot casualty of the Second World War at the Battle of Barking Creek as a result of friendly fire.
1939 – World War II: Union of South Africa declares war on Germany.
1940 – King Carol II of Romania abdicates and is succeeded by his son Michael. General Ion Antonescu becomes the Conducător of Romania.
1943 – The Monterrey Institute of Technology is founded in Monterrey, Mexico as one of the largest and most influential private universities in Latin America.
1943 – Pennsylvania Railroad's premier train derails at Frankford Junction in Philadelphia, killing 79 people and injuring 117 others.
1944 – World War II: The city of Ypres, Belgium is liberated by Allied forces.
1944 – World War II: Soviet forces capture the city of Tartu, Estonia.
1946 – United States Secretary of State James F. Byrnes announces that the U.S. will follow a policy of economic reconstruction in postwar Germany.
1952 – A prototype aircraft crashes at the Farnborough Airshow in Hampshire, England, killing 29 spectators and the two on board.
1955 – Istanbul's Greek, Jewish, and Armenian minorities are the target of a government-sponsored pogrom; dozens are killed in ensuing riots.
1962 – The United States government begins the Exercise Spade Fork nuclear readiness drill.
1962 – Archaeologist Peter Marsden discovers the first of the Blackfriars Ships dating back to the second century AD in the Blackfriars area of the banks of the River Thames in London.
1965 – India retaliates following Pakistan's Operation Grand Slam which results in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 that ends in a stalemate followed by the signing of the Tashkent Declaration.
1966 – Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd, the architect of apartheid, is stabbed to death in Cape Town, South Africa during a parliamentary meeting.
1968 – Swaziland becomes independent.
1970 – Two passenger jets bound from Europe to New York are simultaneously hijacked by Palestinian terrorist members of the PFLP and taken to Dawson's Field, Jordan.
1971 – Paninternational Flight 112 crashes on the Bundesautobahn 7 highway near Hamburg Airport, in Hamburg, Germany, killing 22.
1972 – Munich massacre: Nine Israeli athletes die (along with a German policeman) at the hands of the Palestinian "Black September" terrorist group after being taken hostage at the Munich Olympic Games. Two other Israeli athletes were slain in the initial attack the previous day.
1976 – Cold War: Soviet Air Defence Forces pilot Viktor Belenko lands a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 jet fighter at Hakodate in Japan and requests political asylum in the United States; his request is granted.
1983 – The Soviet Union admits to shooting down Korean Air Lines Flight 007, stating that its operatives did not know that it was a civilian aircraft when it reportedly violated Soviet airspace.
1985 – Midwest Express Airlines Flight 105 crashes near Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, killing all 31 people on board.
1986 – In Istanbul, two terrorists from Abu Nidal's organization kill 22 and wound six congregants inside the Neve Shalom Synagogue during Shabbat services.
1991 – The Soviet Union recognizes the independence of the Baltic states Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
1991 – The Russian parliament approves the name change of Leningrad back to Saint Petersburg. The change is effective October 1.
1992 – A group of hunters at the Stampede trail near Healy, Alaska came across a male corpse in abandoned bus, later identified as Christopher McCandless.
1995 – Cal Ripken Jr. of the Baltimore Orioles plays in his 2,131st consecutive game, breaking a record that had stood for 56 years.
1997 – The funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales takes place in London. Well over a million people line the streets and 21⁄2 billion watch around the world on television.
1997 – Royal Brunei Airlines Flight 238 crashes in the Lambir Hills National Park while on approach to Miri Airport in Malaysia, killing 10.
2003 – Mahmoud Abbas resigns from his position of Palestinian Prime Minister.
2007 – Israel executes the air strike Operation Orchard to destroy a nuclear reactor in Syria.
2009 – The ro-ro ferry SuperFerry 9 sinks off the Zamboanga Peninsula in the Philippines with 971 persons aboard; all but ten are rescued.
2012 – Sixty-one people die after a fishing boat capsizes off the İzmir Province coast of Turkey, near the Greek Aegean islands.
2013 – Forty-one elephants are poisoned with cyanide in salt pans, by poachers in Hwange National Park.
2018 – Supreme Court of India decriminalised all consensual sex among adults in private, making homosexuality legal on the Indian lands.
2022 – Boris Johnson resigns as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and is replaced by Liz Truss. Their meetings with Queen Elizabeth II at Balmoral Castle were the Queen's final official duties before her death two days later.
2022 – Russo-Ukrainian War: Ukraine begins its Kharkiv counteroffensive, surprising Russian forces and retaking over 3,000 square kilometers of land, recapturing the entire Kharkiv Oblast west of the Oskil River, within the next week.
Births
Pre-1600
1475 – Artus Gouffier, Lord of Boissy, French nobleman and politician (d. 1519)
1475 – Sebastiano Serlio, Italian Mannerist architect (d. 1554)
1601–1900
1610 – Francesco I d'Este, Duke of Modena, Italian noble (d. 1658)
1620 – Isabella Leonarda, Italian composer and educator (d. 1704)
1631 – Charles Porter, English-born judge (d. 1696)
1633 – Sebastian Knüpfer, German cantor and composer (d. 1676)
1656 – Guillaume Dubois, French cardinal and politician (d. 1723)
1666 – Ivan V of Russia, Russian tsar (d. 1696)
1711 – Henry Muhlenberg, German-American pastor and missionary (d. 1787)
1729 – Moses Mendelssohn, German philosopher and theologian (d. 1786)
1732 – Johan Wilcke, Swedish physicist and academic (d. 1796)
1757 – Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, French general (d. 1834)
1766 – John Dalton, English chemist, meteorologist, and physicist (d. 1844)
1781 – Vincent Novello, English composer and publisher (d. 1861)
1795 – Frances Wright, Scottish-American author and activist (d. 1852)
1800 – Catharine Beecher, American educator and activist (d. 1878)
1802 – Alcide d'Orbigny, French zoologist, palaeontologist, and geologist (d. 1857)
1808 – Emir Abdelkader, Algerian religious and military leader (d. 1883)
1814 – George-Étienne Cartier, Canadian lawyer and politician, 9th Premier of East Canada (d. 1873)
1815 – St. John Richardson Liddell, American general (d. 1870)
1817 – Alexander Tilloch Galt, English-Canadian businessman and politician, 1st Canadian Minister of Finance (d. 1893)
1819 – William Rosecrans, American general, politician, and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Mexico (d. 1898)
1838 – Samuel Arnold, American conspirator (d. 1906)
1852 – Schalk Willem Burger, South African commander, lawyer, and politician, 6th President of the South African Republic (d. 1918)
1855 – Ferdinand Hummel, German pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1928)
1857 – Zelia Nuttall, American archeologist and historian (d. 1933)
1859 – Macpherson Robertson, Australian businessman and philanthropist, founded MacRobertson's (d. 1945)
1860 – Jane Addams, American sociologist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1935)
1860 – May Jordan McConnel, Australian trade unionist and suffragist (d. 1929)
1861 – William Lane, English-Australian journalist, founded New Australia (d. 1917)
1863 – Jessie Willcox Smith, American illustrator (d. 1935)
1868 – Heinrich Häberlin, Swiss judge and politician, President of the Swiss National Council (d. 1947)
1869 – Walford Davies, English organist and composer (d. 1941)
1869 – Felix Salten, Austrian-Swiss author and critic (d. 1945)
1876 – John Macleod, Scottish physician and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1935)
1879 – Max Schreck, German actor (d. 1936)
1879 – Joseph Wirth, German educator and politician, Chancellor of Germany (d. 1956)
1885 – Otto Kruger, American actor (d. 1974)
1888 – Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., American businessman and diplomat, 44th United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom (d. 1969)
1889 – Louis Silvers, American composer (d. 1954)
1890 – Clara Kimball Young, American actress and producer (d. 1960)
1892 – Edward Victor Appleton, English-Scottish physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1965)
1893 – Claire Lee Chennault, American general and pilot (d. 1958)
1899 – Billy Rose, American composer and manager (d. 1966)
1900 – W. A. C. Bennett, Canadian businessman and politician, 25th Premier of British Columbia (d. 1979)
1900 – Julien Green, French-American author (d. 1998)
1900 – Nguyễn An Ninh, Vietnamese political journalist (d. 1943)
1901–present
1906 – Luis Federico Leloir, French-Argentinian physician and biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1987)
1908 – Anthony Wagner, English genealogist and academic (d. 1995)
1908 – Korczak Ziolkowski, American sculptor, designed the Crazy Horse Memorial (d. 1982)
1909 – Michael Gordon, American actor and director (d. 1993)
1910 – Walter Giesler, American soccer player, referee, and coach (d. 1976)
1911 – Harry Danning, American baseball player and coach (d. 2004)
1911 – Charles Deutsch, French aerodynamics engineer and automobile maker, co-founder of the brand "DB (d. 1980)
1912 – Wayne Barlow, American organist, composer, and director (d. 1996)
1913 – Julie Gibson, American actress and singer (d. 2019)
1913 – Leônidas, Brazilian footballer (d. 2004)
1915 – Ed Oliver, American golfer (d. 1961)
1915 – Franz Josef Strauss, German lieutenant and politician, Minister President of Bavaria (d. 1988)
1917 – John Berry, American-French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1999)
1917 – George Mann, English cricketer (d. 2001)
1917 – Philipp von Boeselager, German soldier and economist (d. 2008)
1919 – Wilson Greatbatch, American engineer and philanthropist (d. 2011)
1920 – Elvira Pagã, Brazilian actress, singer, and author (d. 2003)
1921 – Carmen Laforet, Spanish author (d. 2004)
1921 – Norman Joseph Woodland, American inventor, co-created the bar code (d. 2012)
1922 – Adriano Moreira, Portuguese politician, Minister of the Overseas Provinces, President of the CDS – People's Party (d. 2022)
1923 – Peter II of Yugoslavia (d. 1970)
1924 – John Melcher, American veterinarian and politician (d. 2018)
1925 – Andrea Camilleri, Italian author, screenwriter, and director (d. 2019)
1925 – Jimmy Reed, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1976)
1926 – Prince Claus of the Netherlands (d. 2002)
1926 – Jack English Hightower, American lawyer and politician (d. 2013)
1926 – Arthur Oldham, English composer and conductor (d. 2003)
1926 – Maurice Prather, American photographer and director (d. 2001)
1928 – Fumihiko Maki, Japanese architect and academic, designed the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium and Makuhari Messe
1928 – Robert M. Pirsig, American novelist and philosopher (d. 2017)
1928 – Yevgeny Svetlanov, Russian conductor and composer (d. 2002)
1928 – Sid Watkins, English neurosurgeon and academic (d. 2012)
1929 – Yash Johar, Indian film producer, founded Dharma Productions (d. 2005)
1929 – Ljubov Rebane, Estonian physicist and mathematician (d. 1991)
1930 – Charles Foley, American game designer, co-created Twister (d. 2013)
1930 – Helmut Piirimäe, Estonian historian and academic (d. 2017)
1931 – Bud Shrake, American journalist, author, and screenwriter (d. 2009)
1932 – Colin McColl, English intelligence officer
1932 – Gilles Tremblay, Canadian composer and educator (d. 2017)
1935 – Isabelle Collin Dufresne, French actress and author (d. 2014)
1935 – Jock Wallace Jr., Scottish footballer and coach (d. 1996)
1937 – Sergio Aragonés, Spanish-Mexican author and illustrator
1937 – Janusz Kurczab, Polish fencer and mountaineer (d. 2015)
1937 – Jo Anne Worley, American actress, comedian, and singer
1938 – Joan Tower, American pianist, composer, and conductor
1939 – Brigid Berlin, American actress, painter, and photographer (d. 2020)
1939 – David Allan Coe, American outlaw country music singer-songwriter and guitarist
1939 – Susumu Tonegawa, Japanese biologist and immunologist, Nobel Prize laureate
1940 – John M. Hayes, American scientist (d. 2017)
1940 – Elizabeth Murray, American painter and illustrator (d. 2007)
1940 – Jackie Trent, English-Spanish singer-songwriter and actress (d. 2015)
1941 – Roger Law, English illustrator
1941 – Monica Mason, South African ballerina and director
1942 – Dave Bargeron, American trombonist and tuba player
1942 – Richard Hutton, English cricketer
1942 – Mel McDaniel, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2011)
1943 – Gordon Birtwistle, English engineer and politician
1943 – Richard J. Roberts, English biochemist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate
1943 – Roger Waters, English singer-songwriter and bass player
1944 – Donna Haraway, American author, academic, and activist
1944 – Swoosie Kurtz, American actress
1946 – Ron Boone, American basketball player and commentator
1946 – Roger Knight, English cricketer and educator
1946 – Shirley M. Malcom, American scientist, academic and educator
1947 – Jane Curtin, American actress and comedian
1947 – Bruce Rioch, English footballer and manager
1947 – Jacob Rubinovitz, Polish-Israeli engineer and academic
1947 – Sylvester, American singer-songwriter (d. 1988)
1948 – Claydes Charles Smith, American guitarist (d. 2006)
1949 – Iris Robinson, Northern Irish politician
1951 – Melih Kibar, Turkish composer (d. 2005)
1952 – Simon Burns, English politician, Minister of State for Transport
1952 – Vladimir Kazachyonok, Russian footballer, coach, and manager (d. 2017)
1952 – Buddy Miller, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
1954 – Carly Fiorina, American businesswoman and activist
1954 – Demetris Kizas, Cypriot footballer
1954 – Patrick O'Hearn, American bassist and composer
1954 – John Sauven, English economist and environmentalist
1955 – Raymond Benson, American author and playwright
1956 – Bill Ritter, American lawyer and politician, 41st Governor of Colorado
1956 – Steven Yearley, English sociologist and academic
1957 – Ali Divandari, Iranian painter, sculptor, and journalist
1957 – Michaëlle Jean, Haitian-Canadian journalist and politician, 27th Governor-General of Canada
1957 – José Sócrates, Portuguese engineer and politician, 119th Prime Minister of Portugal
1958 – Buster Bloodvessel, English singer-songwriter
1958 – Jeff Foxworthy, American comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter
1958 – Nigel Westlake, Australian composer and conductor
1958 – Michael Winslow, American actor
1958 – The Barbarian, Tongan wrestler
1959 – Bill Root, Canadian ice hockey player
1961 – Simon Reeve, Australian journalist and game show host
1961 – Wendi Richter, American wrestler
1961 – Scott Travis, American rock drummer
1961 – Paul Waaktaar-Savoy, Norwegian musician and songwriter
1962 – Chris Christie, American lawyer and politician, 55th Governor of New Jersey
1962 – Marina Kaljurand, Estonian badminton player and diplomat, Estonia Ambassador to Russia
1962 – Elizabeth Vargas, American journalist
1962 – Kevin Willis, American basketball player and fashion designer
1963 – Mark Chesnutt, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1963 – Pat Nevin, Scottish footballer and sportscaster
1963 – Betsy Russell, American actress
1963 – Alice Sebold, American author
1963 – Bryan Simonaire, American engineer and politician
1963 – Geert Wilders, Dutch lawyer and politician
1964 – Rosie Perez, American actress, dancer, and director
1965 – Terry Bickers, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
1965 – Darren Clark, Australian sprinter
1965 – Tony Fleet, Australian darts player
1965 – Christopher Nolan, Irish author and poet (d. 2009)
1965 – Van Tiffin, American football player
1967 – William DuVall, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1967 – Macy Gray, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
1967 – Kalli Kalde, Estonian painter and illustrator
1967 – Milan Lukić, Bosnian Serb convicted of war crimes by the ICTY
1967 – Igor Štimac, Croatian footballer and manager
1968 – Saeed Anwar, Pakistani cricketer
1968 – Christopher Brookmyre, Scottish author
1968 – Paul Rea, American journalist
1969 – Tony DiTerlizzi, American author and illustrator
1969 – Ben Finegold, American chess player and educator