<p>Discover what happened on September 15 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.</p>


September 15

Discover what happened on September 15 with HISTORY&#8217;s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

What Happened on September 15 | HISTORY

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1978

1971

Barack Obama became the first Black American elected president in 2008, a year that also brought the release of “Iron Man,” the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As the Great Recession deepened, investment manager Bernard Madoff was arrested for perpetrating the largest Ponzi scheme in history and the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto wrote a white paper introducing Bitcoin cryptocurrency to the world. Meanwhile, a fuzzy blanket with sleeves called the “Snuggie” sold some 4 million units over the holidays while inspiring a slew of parody commercials.   

2008

1962

1940

1916

The first year of the 1950s marked the start of the Korean War. In America, Joseph McCarthy ignited Red Scare witch hunts, spreading fear and suspicion about almost anyone’s possible communist ties. In India, Mother Theresa founded her Missionaries of Charity order. President Harry Truman survived an assassination attempt and authorized the development of the hydrogen bomb. Diners Club introduced the first major charge card, Silly Putty bounced into toy stores and Charles Schulz’s “Peanuts” cartoon strip made its debut.

1950

1963

After a Bosnian Serb nationalist assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, launching World War I. Other nations began to choose sides in the conflict, but the U.S. remained initially neutral. In Central America, the Panama Canal opened after 11 years of construction and the loss of more than 25,000 workers’ lives. On Christmas Eve 1914, British and German soldiers paused their fighting for unofficial Christmas Truce, sharing carols and even a soccer game.

1914

1972

1857

1858

As the Cold War heated up in 1955, the U.S.S.R. and seven of its European satellite countries formed the Warsaw Pact defense alliance to counter NATO. In the U.S., the first McDonald’s restaurant opened in Des Plaines, Illinois, while Disneyland debuted in Anaheim, California and the Mickey Mouse Club premiered on TV. Rosa Parks refused to go to the back of the bus in Alabama, and the racially inspired murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till sparked national outrage.

1955

1890

In 1954, a year of breakthroughs, the first successful polio vaccine rolled out and the U.S. Supreme Court ruled school segregation unconstitutional. In England, Roger Bannister became the first man to run a mile in under four minutes. Two pop-culture titans, movie star Marilyn Monroe and baseball slugger Joe DiMaggio, tied the knot. And Bill Haley and His Comets released “Rock Around the Clock,” one of the earliest and most successful rock ‘n’ roll records.

1954

1990

1959

1862

1935

Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day in 1944, the largest amphibious invasion in history. Weeks later, the Allies liberated Paris from its Nazi occupiers. Meanwhile, Soviet forces battered the Nazis on WWII’s eastern front. In the U.S., Franklin Roosevelt won an unprecedented fourth presidential term and Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall starred in their first film together, “To Have and Have Not,” introducing the immortal line, “You know how to whistle, don’t you?” 

1944

<p>America’s Founding Fathers decided that one elected civilian—the U.S. president—would lead the executive branch of the federal government, a governmental structure that has remained in place for more than 200 years.</p>


U.S. Presidents

<p>World War I pitted Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire against Great Britain, the United States, France, Russia, Italy and Japan. New military technology resulted in unprecedented carnage. By the time the war was over and the Allied Powers claimed victory, more than 16 million people—soldiers and civilians alike—were dead.</p>


World War I

<p>The 21st century saw the dawn of the war on terrorism, as the 9/11 attacks and the Boston Marathon bombing dramatically changed society. Economic issues moved to the forefront during the Great Recession. The COVID-19 pandemic upended lives and economies around the world. Awareness of social inequality grew as the killings of Black Americans, including Trayvon Martin and George Floyd, spurred widespread protests.</p>


21st Century

<p>The continent of Asia, home to the majority of the world's population and countries as diverse as China, South Korea and India, has thousands of years of rich history.</p>


Asian History

<p>The 1970s was an era when the women's rights, gay rights and environmental movements gained momentum. The Vietnam War came to a close, the Watergate scandal led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon, the United States ended direct involvement in the Vietnam War and President Jimmy Carter grappled with an energy crisis, inflation and the Iran Hostage Crisis.</p>


1970s

<p>The Vietnam War pitted communist North Vietnam and the Viet Cong against South Vietnam and the United States. The war ended when U.S. forces withdrew in 1973 and Vietnam unified under Communist control two years later.</p>


Vietnam War

<p>The Holocaust, during which some 6 million Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals and other people were systematically exterminated by Nazi Germany during World War II, was one of the most horrific war crimes ever committed.</p>


Holocaust

<p>Crime has been a dark and powerful undercurrent in human society throughout history. Uncover the facts behind some of the most daring robberies, brazen scams and brutal murders ever committed.</p>


Crime

<p>The Civil War was America's bloodiest and most divisive conflict, pitting the Union Army against the Confederate States of America. The war resulted in the deaths of more than 620,000 people, with millions more injured and the South left in ruins.</p>


Civil War

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<p><a href="http://history.com/">HISTORY.com</a> works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. Articles with the “HISTORY.com Editors” byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including <a href="https://www.history.com/author/amanda-onion">Amanda Onion</a>, <a href="https://www.history.com/author/missy-sullivan">Missy Sullivan</a>, <a href="https://www.history.com/author/matt-mullen">Matt Mullen</a> and Christian Zapata.</p>


History.com Editors

<p>Art history tells the complex story of human civilization through art, literature and design. It ranges from prehistoric art of the Neolithic period through Renaissance masterpieces, Impressionism, Modernism, the Bauhaus and contemporary art.</p>


Art, Literature and Film History

<p>World War II was the biggest and deadliest war in history, involving more than 30 countries. Sparked by the 1939 Nazi invasion of Poland, the war dragged on for six bloody years until the Allies defeated the Axis powers of Nazi Germany, Japan and Italy in 1945. Explore the battles, leaders and atrocities from the war and its impact on geopolitics and humankind.</p>


World War II

<p>Though the 19th century saw the rise of populism, the labor movement and Jacksonian democracy, it also ushered in the Gilded Age, when men like Cornelius Vanderbilt and J. P. Morgan wielded vast control over politics and business.</p>


19th Century

<p>The Cold War rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union lasted for decades and resulted in anti-communist suspicions and international incidents that led two superpowers to the brink of nuclear disaster.</p>


Cold War

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<div class="p-rich_text_section">African Americans have played a central role in shaping U.S. history. From slavery and its abolition to the Great Migration, the civil rights movement and military, scientific, cultural and political achievements, explore key moments, milestones and figures in Black History.</div>
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This Day In History: September 15

Muhammad Ali wins world heavyweight championship

Also on This Day in History September | 15

Greenpeace is born

Lehman Brothers declares bankruptcy

This Day in History Video: What Happened on September 15

The Four Seasons earn their first #1 hit with “Sherry”

Tide turns in the Battle of Britain

Tanks introduced into warfare at the Somme

U.S. forces land at Inchon

Four Black schoolgirls killed in Birmingham church bombing

First trenches are dug on the Western Front

South Vietnamese forces retake Quang Tri City

Future President William Taft born

The first transcontinental mail service to San Francisco begins

Vladimir Nabokov’s “Lolita” is published

Agatha Christie is born

Famous Marilyn Monroe “skirt” scene filmed

A Bible school instructor abducts a teenage girl

Khrushchev arrives in Washington

Confederates capture Harpers Ferry

Nuremberg race laws imposed

Americans launch Operation Stalemate—at extraordinary cost

Also on This Day in History September | 15

Wake Up to This Day in History