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| September 21 in recent years |
| 2018 (Friday) |
| 2017 (Thursday) |
| 2016 (Wednesday) |
| 2015 (Monday) |
| 2014 (Sunday) |
| 2013 (Saturday) |
| 2012 (Friday) |
| 2011 (Wednesday) |
| 2010 (Tuesday) |
| 2009 (Monday) |
September 21 is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 101 days remaining until the end of the year.
Events
- 455 – Emperor Avitus enters Rome with a Gallic army and consolidates his power.
- 1170 – The Kingdom of Dublin falls to Norman invaders.
- 1217 – Livonian Crusade: The Estonian leader Lembitu and Livonian leader Kaupo the Accursed are killed in the Battle of St. Matthew's Day.
- 1435 – The Congress of Arras causes Burgundy to switch sides in the Hundred Years' War.
- 1745 – A Hanoverian army is defeated, in ten minutes, by the Jacobite forces of Prince Charles Edward Stuart
- 1776 – Part of New York City is burned shortly after being occupied by British forces.
- 1780 – American Revolutionary War: Benedict Arnold gives the British the plans to West Point.
- 1792 – French Revolution: The National Convention abolishes the monarchy.
- 1843 – John Williams Wilson takes possession of the Strait of Magellan on behalf of the Chilean government.
- 1860 – Second Opium War: An Anglo-French force defeats Chinese troops at the Battle of Palikao.
- 1896 – Anglo-Egyptian conquest of Sudan: British forces under the command of Horatio Kitchener take Dongola.
- 1898 – Empress Dowager Cixi seizes power and ends the Hundred Days' Reform in China.
- 1921 – A storage silo in Oppau, Germany, explodes, killing 500–600 people.
- 1933 – Salvador Lutteroth establishes Mexican professional wrestling.
- 1934 – A large typhoon hits western Honshū, Japan, killing more than three thousand people.
- 1937 – J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit is published.
- 1938 – The Great Hurricane of 1938 makes landfall on Long Island in New York. The death toll is estimated at 500–700 people.
- 1939 – Romanian Prime Minister Armand Călinescu is assassinated by the Iron Guard.
- 1942 – The Holocaust in Ukraine: On the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, Nazis send over 1,000 Jews of Pidhaitsi to Bełżec extermination camp.
- 1942 – The Holocaust in Ukraine: In Dunaivtsi, Ukraine, Nazis murder 2,588 Jews.
- 1942 – The Holocaust in Poland: At the end of Yom Kippur, Germans order Jews to permanently move from Konstantynów to Biała Podlaska.
- 1942 – The Boeing B-29 Superfortress makes its maiden flight.
- 1949 – The People's Republic of China is proclaimed.
- 1953 – Lieutenant No Kum-sok, a North Korean pilot, defects to South Korea with his jet fighter.
- 1964 – Malta gains independence from the United Kingdom, but remains in the Commonwealth.
- 1964 – The North American XB-70 Valkyrie, the world's fastest bomber, makes its maiden flight from Palmdale, California.
- 1965 – The Gambia, Maldives and Singapore are admitted as members of the United Nations.
- 1971 – Bahrain, Bhutan and Qatar join the United Nations.
- 1972 – Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos begins authoritarian rule by declaring martial law.
- 1976 – Orlando Letelier is assassinated in Washington, D.C. He had been a member of the former Chilean Marxist government.
- 1976 – Seychelles joins the United Nations.
- 1981 – Belize is granted full independence from the United Kingdom.
- 1981 – Sandra Day O'Connor is unanimously approved by the U.S. Senate as the first female Supreme Court justice.
- 1984 – Brunei joins the United Nations.
- 1991 – Armenia gains independence from the Soviet Union.
- 1993 – Russian President Boris Yeltsin triggers a constitutional crisis when he suspends parliament and scraps the constitution.
- 1996 – The Defense of Marriage Act is passed by the United States Congress.
- 1999 – The Chi-Chi earthquake occurs in central Taiwan, leaving about 2,400 people dead.
- 2001 – America: A Tribute to Heroes is broadcast by over 35 network and cable channels, raising over $200 million for the victims of the September 11 attacks.
- 2001 – Ross Parker is murdered in Peterborough, England, by a gang of ten British Pakistani youths
- 2003 – The Galileo spacecraft is terminated by sending it into Jupiter's atmosphere.
- 2013 – Al-Shabaab Islamic militants attack the Westgate shopping mall in Kenya, killing at least 67 people.
Births
- 580 – Pope Vitalian (d. 672)
- 953 – Abu Ishaq Ibrahim, Buyid prince
- 1051 – Bertha of Savoy (d. 1087)
- 1371 – Frederick I, Elector of Brandenburg (d. 1440)
- 1407 – Leonello d'Este, Marquis of Ferrara, Italian noble (d. 1450)
- 1411 – Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York, English politician, Lord Protector of England (d. 1460)
- 1415 – Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1493)
- 1428 – Jingtai Emperor of China (d. 1457)
- 1433 – Guillaume Fichet, French scholar and academic (d. 1480)
- 1452 – Girolamo Savonarola, Italian priest and philosopher (d. 1498)
- 1457 – Hedwig Jagiellon, Duchess of Bavaria, Polish princess (d. 1502)
- 1552 – Barbara Longhi, Italian painter (d. 1638)
- 1559 – Cigoli, Italian painter and architect (d. 1613)
- 1629 – Philip Howard, English cardinal (d. 1694)
- 1640 – Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, younger son of Louis XIII of France and his wife (d. 1701)
- 1645 – Louis Jolliet, Canadian explorer (d. 1700)
- 1706 – Polyxena of Hesse-Rotenburg (d. 1735)
- 1756 – John Loudon McAdam, Scottish engineer (d. 1836)
- 1758 – Christopher Gore, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 8th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1827)
- 1760 – Ivan Dmitriev, Russian poet and politician, Minister of Justice for Imperial Russia (d. 1837)
- 1819 – Princess Louise Marie Thérèse of Artois (d. 1864)
- 1840 – Murad V, Ottoman sultan (d. 1904)
- 1842 – Abdul Hamid II, 34th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (d. 1918)
- 1846 – Mihály Kolossa, Hungarian-Slovene author and poet (d. 1906)
- 1849 – Maurice Barrymore, American actor (d. 1905)
- 1853 – Heike Kamerlingh Onnes, Dutch physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1926)
- 1859 – Francesc Macià, Catalan colonel and politician, 122nd President of Catalonia (d. 1933)
- 1860 – Wilson Kettle, Canadian centenarian (d. 1963)
- 1862 – James E. Talmage, English-American religious leader and author (d. 1933)
- 1863 – John Bunny, American actor (d. 1915)
- 1866 – Charles Nicolle, French-Tunisian microbiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1936)
- 1866 – H. G. Wells, English novelist, historian, and critic (d. 1946)
- 1867 – Charles Bathurst, 1st Viscount Bledisloe, English politician, 4th Governor-General of New Zealand (d. 1958)
- 1867 – Henry L. Stimson, American colonel, lawyer, and politician, 46th United States Secretary of State (d. 1950)
- 1872 – Henry Tingle Wilde, English chief officer on the RMS Titanic (d. 1912)
- 1873 – Papa Jack Laine, American drummer and bandleader (d. 1966)
- 1874 – Gustav Holst, English composer and educator (d. 1934)
- 1878 – Peter McWilliam, Scottish-English footballer and manager (d. 1951)
- 1882 – Geevarghese Ivanios, Indian metropolitan (d. 1953)
- 1884 – Dénes Kőnig, Hungarian mathematician and theorist (d. 1944)
- 1890 – Max Immelmann, German lieutenant and pilot (d. 1916)
- 1890 – Charles William Train, English sergeant, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1965)
- 1894 – Anton Piëch, Austrian lawyer and businessman (d. 1952)
- 1899 – Frederick Coutts, Scottish 8th General of The Salvation Army (d. 1986)
- 1902 – Luis Cernuda, Spanish poet and critic (d. 1963)
- 1902 – Allen Lane, English publisher, founded Penguin Books (d. 1970)
- 1902 – Howie Morenz, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1937)
- 1903 – Preston Tucker, American engineer and businessman, designed the Tucker Sedan (d. 1956)
- 1904 – Hans Hartung, German-French painter (d. 1989)
- 1905 – Robert Lebel, Canadian businessman and politician (d. 1999)
- 1906 – Henry Beachell, American biologist and botanist (d. 2006)
- 1909 – Kwame Nkrumah, Ghanaian educator and politician, 1st President of Ghana (d. 1972)
- 1910 – Meinrad Schütter, Swiss composer (d. 2006)
- 1912 – Chuck Jones, American animator, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2002)
- 1912 – György Sándor, Hungarian pianist and composer (d. 2005)
- 1916 – Françoise Giroud, Swiss-French journalist and politician, French Minister of Culture (d. 2003)
- 1917 – Phyllis Nicolson, English mathematician and academic (d. 1968)
- 1918 – John Gofman, American physicist, chemist, and biologist (d. 2007)
- 1918 – Karl Slover, American actor (d. 2011)
- 1918 – Juan José Arreola, Mexican writer and academic (d. 2001)
- 1919 – Mario Bunge, Argentinian-Canadian physicist and philosopher
- 1919 – Herman Fowlkes, Jr., American trumpet player and educator (d. 1993)
- 1919 – Fazlur Rahman Malik, Pakistani philosopher and scholar (d. 1988)
- 1920 – Kenneth McAlpine, British racing driver
- 1921 – John McHale, American baseball player and manager (d. 2008)
- 1924 – Hermann Buhl, Austrian mountaineer (d. 1957)
- 1926 – Don Dunstan, Fijian-Australian lawyer and politician, 35th Premier of South Australia (d. 1999)
- 1926 – Donald A. Glaser, American physicist and neurobiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2013)
- 1926 – Fereydoon Moshiri, Iranian poet and critic (d. 2000)
- 1929 – Sándor Kocsis, Hungarian footballer and manager (d. 1979)
- 1929 – Edgar Valter, Estonian author and illustrator (d. 2006)
- 1929 – Bernard Williams, English-Italian philosopher and academic (d. 2003)
- 1930 – John Morgan, Welsh-Canadian actor and screenwriter (d. 2004)
- 1930 – Bob Stokoe, English footballer and manager (d. 2004)
- 1931 – Larry Hagman, American actor, director, and producer (d. 2012)
- 1932 – Shirley Conran, English journalist and author
- 1932 – Marjorie Fletcher, English Director of the Women's Royal Naval Service (d. 2008)
- 1932 – Don Preston, American keyboard player and composer
- 1933 – Allan Jeans, Australian footballer and coach (d. 2011)
- 1933 – Dick Simon, American race car driver
- 1934 – Leonard Cohen, Canadian singer-songwriter and poet (d. 2016)
- 1934 – María Rubio, Mexican actress (d. 2018)
- 1935 – Jimmy Armfield, English footballer and manager (d. 2018)
- 1935 – Henry Gibson, American actor (d. 2009)
- 1936 – Ian Albery, English manager and producer
- 1936 – Dickey Lee, American pop-country singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1936 – Yury Luzhkov, Russian soldier and politician, 2nd Mayor of Moscow
- 1936 – Diane Rehm, American journalist and radio host
- 1937 – John D'Amico, Canadian ice hockey player and referee (d. 2005)
- 1938 – Doug Moe, American basketball player and coach
- 1938 – Olu Falae, Nigerian politician and government official
- 1939 – Agnivesh, Indian philosopher, academic, and politician
- 1940 – Ron Fenton, English footballer, coach, and manager (d. 2013)
- 1940 – Hermann Knoflacher, Austrian engineer and academic
- 1940 – Bill Kurtis, American journalist and producer
- 1941 – Jack Brisco, American wrestler and manager (d. 2010)
- 1941 – R. James Woolsey, Jr., American scholar and diplomat, 16th Director of Central Intelligence
- 1942 – Sam McDowell, American baseball player
- 1943 – David Hood, American session bassist and trombone player (Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section)
- 1943 – Jerry Bruckheimer, American film and television producer
- 1944 – Steve Beshear, American lawyer and politician, 61st Governor of Kentucky
- 1944 – Marcus Binney, English historian and author
- 1944 – Fannie Flagg, American actress, comedian, and author
- 1944 – Hamilton Jordan, American politician, 8th White House Chief of Staff (d. 2008)
- 1944 – Bobby Tench, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1945 – Richard Childress, American race car driver and businessman
- 1945 – Shaw Clifton, Northern Irish 18th General of The Salvation Army
- 1945 – Kay Ryan, American poet and educator
- 1946 – Rose Garrard, English sculptor and author
- 1946 – Moritz Leuenberger, Swiss lawyer and politician, 87th President of the Swiss Confederation
- 1946 – Mart Siimann, Estonian psychologist and politician, 12th Prime Minister of Estonia
- 1947 – Don Felder, American musician and songwriter (Eagles)
- 1947 – Keith Harris, English ventriloquist and singer (d. 2015)
- 1947 – Rupert Hine, English musician, songwriter, and record producer
- 1947 – Stephen King, American author and screenwriter
- 1947 – Ed Nimmervoll, Austrian-Australian journalist, historian, and author (d. 2014)
- 1947 – Marsha Norman, American playwright and author
- 1948 – Jack Dromey, English union leader and politician
- 1948 – Mitsuo Momota, Japanese wrestler
- 1949 – Henry Butler, American pianist and photographer
- 1949 – Artis Gilmore, American basketball player and radio host
- 1949 – Odilo Scherer, Brazilian cardinal
- 1950 – Charles Clarke, English economist and politician, Secretary of State for Education
- 1950 – Bill Murray, American actor, comedian, producer, and screenwriter
- 1951 – Bruce Arena, American soccer player and manager
- 1951 – Aslan Maskhadov, Chechen general and politician, 3rd President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (d. 2005)
- 1952 – Dave Gregory, English guitarist and keyboard player
- 1952 – John Taylor, Baron Taylor of Warwick, English lawyer and politician
- 1953 – Arie Luyendyk, Dutch race car driver and sportscaster
- 1953 – Reinhard Marx, German cardinal
- 1954 – Shinzō Abe, Japanese lawyer and politician, 90th Prime Minister of Japan
- 1954 – Thomas S. Ray, American ecologist and academic
- 1954 – Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor, English rock drummer (Motörhead) (d. 2015)
- 1955 – Richard Hieb, American engineer and astronaut
- 1955 – Mika Kaurismäki, Finnish director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1956 – Jack Givens, American basketball player and sportscaster
- 1956 – Marta Kauffman, American screenwriter and producer
- 1956 – Ricky Morton, American wrestler
- 1957 – Ethan Coen, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1957 – Mark Levin, American lawyer, radio host, and author
- 1957 – Sidney Moncrief, American basketball player and coach
- 1957 – Kevin Rudd, Australian politician and diplomat, 26th Prime Minister of Australia
- 1958 – Rick Mahorn, American basketball player and coach
- 1958 – Simon Mayo, English radio host
- 1959 – Crin Antonescu, Romanian educator and politician, former Interim President of Romania
- 1959 – Andrzej Buncol, Polish footballer
- 1959 – Dave Coulier, American actor, comedian, producer, and screenwriter
- 1959 – Danny Cox, English-American baseball player and coach
- 1959 – Corinne Drewery, English singer-songwriter (Swing Out Sister) and fashion designer
- 1960 – David James Elliott, Canadian-American actor and director
- 1960 – Masoumeh Ebtekar, Iranian journalist, politician and scientist, first woman Vice President of Iran
- 1960 – Kelley Eskridge, American author and screenwriter
- 1960 – Musalia Mudavadi, Kenyan politician and Former Deputy Prime Minister
- 1960 – Graham Southern, English art dealer and gallery owner
- 1960 – Maurizio Cattelan, Italian sculptor
- 1961 – Billy Collins, Jr., American boxer (d. 1984)
- 1961 – Dan Borislow, American businessman, invented the magicJack (d. 2014)
- 1961 – Nancy Travis, American actress and producer
- 1962 – Rob Morrow, American actor
- 1963 – Curtly Ambrose, Antiguan cricketer and bass player
- 1963 – Cecil Fielder, American baseball player and manager
- 1963 – Angus Macfadyen, Scottish actor and screenwriter
- 1963 – Mamoru Samuragochi, Japanese composer
- 1963 – Trevor Steven, English footballer
- 1963 – David J. Wales, British academic and educator
- 1964 – Jorge Drexler, Uruguayan singer-songwriter
- 1964 – Lester Quitzau, Canadian guitarist
- 1965 – Frédéric Beigbeder, French author and critic
- 1965 – Cheryl Hines, American actress
- 1965 – Johanna Vuoksenmaa, Finnish director and screenwriter
- 1966 – Kerrin Lee-Gartner, Canadian skier and journalist
- 1967 – Faith Hill, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
- 1967 – Suman Pokhrel, Nepali poet, lyricist and playwright
- 1967 – Tyler Stewart, Canadian drummer
- 1968 – Kevin Buzzard, British mathematician
- 1968 – David Jude Jolicoeur, American rapper, songwriter, and producer (De La Soul)
- 1968 – Ricki Lake, American actress, producer, and talk show host
- 1969 – Anne Burrell, American chef and television host
- 1969 – Jason Christiansen, American baseball player
- 1969 – Curtis Leschyshyn, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
- 1970 – Melissa Ferrick, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1970 – Samantha Power, Irish-American journalist, academic, and diplomat, 28th United States Ambassador to the United Nations
- 1971 – John Crawley, English cricketer and academic
- 1971 – Alfonso Ribeiro, American actor and golf player
- 1971 – Luke Wilson, American actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1972 – Olivia Bonamy, French actress
- 1972 – Liam Gallagher, English singer-songwriter
- 1972 – Jon Kitna, American football player and coach
- 1973 – Vanessa Grigoriadis, American journalist and author
- 1973 – Virginia Ruano Pascual, Spanish tennis player
- 1973 – Oswaldo Sánchez, Mexican footballer
- 1974 – Bryce Drew, American basketball player and coach
- 1974 – Jana Kandarr, German tennis player
- 1974 – Andy Todd, English footballer and manager
- 1975 – Doug Davis, American baseball player
- 1976 – Jonas Bjerre, Danish singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1976 – Poul Hübertz, Danish footballer and manager
- 1977 – Kārlis Lācis, Latvian pianist and composer
- 1977 – Andre Pärn, Estonian basketball player
- 1977 – Kohei Sato, Japanese wrestler
- 1977 – Brian Tallet, American baseball player
- 1978 – Paulo Costanzo, Canadian actor, director, and producer
- 1978 – Luke Godden, Australian footballer
- 1978 – Doug Howlett, New Zealand rugby player
- 1979 – James Allan, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1979 – Richard Dunne, Irish footballer
- 1979 – Chris Gayle, Jamaican cricketer
- 1979 – Julian Gray, English footballer
- 1979 – Monika Merl, German runner
- 1980 – Nyree Kindred, Welsh swimmer
- 1980 – Tomas Scheckter, South African race car driver
- 1980 – Autumn Reeser, American actress
- 1980 – Kareena Kapoor, Indian actress
- 1981 – Nicole Richie, American actress, fashion designer, and author
- 1981 – Sarah Whatmore, English singer-songwriter[1]
- 1982 – Eduardo Azevedo, Brazilian race car driver
- 1982 – Christos Tapoutos, Greek basketball player
- 1982 – Rowan Vine, English footballer
- 1983 – Ndiss Kaba Badji, Senegalese athlete
- 1983 – Alex Bailey, British footballer
- 1983 – Dwayne Barker, English rugby league player
- 1983 – Sarah Rees Brennan, Irish writer
- 1983 – Stipe Buljan, Croatian footballer
- 1983 – John Castillo, Colombian footballer
- 1983 – Fernando Cavenaghi, Argentine footballer
- 1983 – Wagner Diniz, Brazilian footballer
- 1983 – Moustapha Djallit, Algerian footballer
- 1983 – Francesco Dracone, Italian race car driver
- 1983 – Scott Evans, American actor
- 1983 – Anna Favella, Italian actress
- 1983 – Éder Monteiro Fernandes, Brazilian footballer
- 1983 – Kristian Gidlund, Swedish drummer and journalist (d. 2013)
- 1983 – Maggie Grace, American actress
- 1983 – Bryan Willis Hamilton, American musician
- 1983 – Liam Harrison, British rugby league player
- 1983 – Cristian Hidalgo, Spanish footballer
- 1983 – Greg Jennings, American football player
- 1983 – Dorothea Kalpakidou, Greek discus thrower
- 1983 – Derek Landri, American footballer
- 1983 – C. S. Magaoay, American researcher and activist
- 1983 – Joseph Mazzello, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1983 – Anna Meares, Italian track cyclist
- 1983 – Reggie Nelson, American footballer
- 1983 – Mark Nerkowski, American soccer player
- 1983 – Dênis Oliveira de Souza, Brazilian footballer
- 1983 – Rasmus Persson, Swedish radio personality
- 1983 – Marcin Piekarski, Polish luger
- 1983 – Rafael Marques Pinto, Brazilian footballer
- 1983 – Tori Polk, American athlete
- 1983 – Miguel Potes Mina, Colombian footballer
- 1983 – Javier Alejandro Rabbia, Argentine footballer
- 1983 – Wakakirin Shinichi, Japanese sumo wrestler and mixed martial artist
- 1983 – Joana Solnado, Portuguese actress
- 1983 – Ben Richardson, British cinematographer
- 1983 – Asa Taccone, American musician
- 1983 – Ronny Toma, Italian footballer
- 1983 – Sanka Wijegunaratne, Sri Lankan cricketer
- 1983 – Ycare, French singer songwriter
- 1984 – Ben Wildman-Tobriner, American swimmer
- 1985 – Justin Durant, American football player
- 1986 – Faris Badwan, English singer-songwriter
- 1986 – Lindsey Stirling, American violinist and composer
- 1987 – Jimmy Clausen, American football player
- 1987 – Anthony Don, Australian rugby league player
- 1987 – Marcelo Estigarribia, Paraguayan footballer
- 1987 – Murilo Maccari, Brazilian footballer
- 1987 – Ashley Paris, American basketball player
- 1987 – Courtney Paris, American basketball player
- 1987 – Michał Pazdan, Polish footballer
- 1987 – Ivelisse Vélez, Puerto Rican wrestler
- 1988 – Doug Baldwin, American football player
- 1988 – Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Pakistani politician
- 1989 – Jason Derulo, American singer-songwriter
- 1989 – Sandor Earl, Australian rugby league player
- 1989 – Emma Watkins, Australian singer and actress
- 1990 – Al-Farouq Aminu, American basketball player
- 1990 – Danny Batth, English footballer
- 1990 – Rob Cross, English darts player
- 1990 – Ivan Dorschner, American-Filipino model and actor
- 1990 – Sam Kasiano, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1991 – Anastassia Kovalenko, Estonian motorcycle racer
- 1992 – Kim Jong-dae, Korean singer, Band Exo
- 1992 – Rodrigo Godínez, Mexican footballer
- 1993 – Kwon Mina, South Korean singer and actress
- 1993 – Derik Osede, Spanish footballer
- 1993 – Ante Rebić, Croatian footballer
- 1998 – Máscara de Bronce, Mexican wrestler
Deaths
- 19 BC – Virgil, Roman poet (b. 70 BC)
- 454 – Flavius Aetius, Roman general and politician (b. 396)
- 687 – Pope Conon (b. 630)
- 1026 – Otto-William, Count of Burgundy
- 1217 – Lembitu, Estonian king and military leader
- 1217 – Caupo of Turaida
- 1235 – Andrew II of Hungary (b. 1175)
- 1256 – William of Kilkenny, Lord Chancellor of England
- 1327 – Edward II of England (b. 1284)
- 1397 – Richard FitzAlan, 11th Earl of Arundel, English admiral (b. 1346)
- 1558 – Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1500)
- 1576 – Gerolamo Cardano, Italian mathematician, physician, and astrologer (b. 1501)
- 1586 – Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle, French cardinal and diplomat (b. 1517)
- 1629 – Jan Pieterszoon Coen, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (b. 1587)
- 1637 – William V, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel (b. 1602)
- 1643 – Emperor Hong Taiji of China (b. 1592)
- 1709 – Ivan Mazepa, Ukrainian statesman, Hetman of Zaporizhian Host (b. 1639)
- 1719 – Johann Heinrich Acker, German historian and academic (b. 1647)
- 1743 – Jai Singh II, Indian king (b. 1688)
- 1748 – John Balguy, English philosopher and author (b. 1686)
- 1796 – François Séverin Marceau-Desgraviers, French general (b. 1769)
- 1798 – George Read, American lawyer and politician, 3rd Governor of Delaware (b. 1733)
- 1812 – Emanuel Schikaneder, German actor and playwright (b. 1751)
- 1832 – Walter Scott, Scottish novelist, playwright, and poet (b. 1771)
- 1860 – Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher and author (b. 1788)
- 1874 – Jean-Baptiste Élie de Beaumont, French geologist and engineer (b. 1798)
- 1880 – Manuel Montt, Chilean scholar and politician, 6th President of Chile (b. 1809)
- 1904 – Chief Joseph, American tribal leader (b. 1840)
- 1905 – Nikolay Benardos, Ukrainian inventor (b. 1842)
- 1906 – Samuel Arnold, American conspirator (b. 1838)
- 1926 – Léon Charles Thévenin, French engineer (b. 1857)
- 1933 – Kenji Miyazawa, Japanese author and poet (b. 1896)
- 1938 – Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić, Croatian author and poet (b. 1874)
- 1939 – Armand Călinescu, Romanian economist and politician, 39th Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1893)
- 1942 – John Symes, English cricketer (b. 1879)
- 1944 – Alexander Koshetz, Ukrainian choral conductor, arranger, composer (b. 1875)
- 1944 – Artur Phleps, Romanian general (b. 1881)
- 1947 – Harry Carey, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1878)
- 1953 – Necmettin Sadak, Turkish publisher and politician, 10th Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1890)
- 1954 – Mikimoto Kōkichi, Japanese businessman (b. 1858)
- 1956 – Bill Struth, Scottish footballer and manager (b. 1875)
- 1957 – Haakon VII of Norway (b. 1872)
- 1958 – Peter Whitehead, English race car driver (b. 1914)
- 1961 – Ed Oliver, American golfer (b. 1915)
- 1962 – Bo Carter, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1892)
- 1963 – Paulino Masip, Spanish author, playwright, and screenwriter (b. 1899)
- 1964 – Josef Müller, Croatian entomologist (b. 1880)
- 1966 – Paul Reynaud, French lawyer and politician, 118th Prime Minister of France (b. 1878)
- 1971 – Bernardo Houssay, Argentinian physiologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1887)
- 1972 – Henry de Montherlant, French essayist, novelist, and dramatist (b. 1896)
- 1974 – Walter Brennan, American actor (b. 1894)
- 1974 – Jacqueline Susann, American author and actress (b. 1918)
- 1975 – Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu, Turkish painter and poet (b. 1911)
- 1976 – Orlando Letelier, Chilean economist and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs for Chile (b. 1932)
- 1982 – Ivan Bagramyan, Russian general (b. 1897)
- 1983 – Andrew Brewin, Canadian politician (b. 1907)
- 1983 – Bob Donham, American basketball player (b. 1926)
- 1983 – Bada Rajan, Indian mobster (b. unknown)
- 1983 – Birgit Tengroth, Swedish actor (b. 1915)
- 1983 – Willy Trenk-Trebitsch, Austrian actor (b. 1902)
- 1983 – Xavier Zubiri, Basque philosopher (b. 1898)
- 1985 – Gu Long, Chinese author and screenwriter (b. 1937)
- 1987 – Jaco Pastorius, American bass player, composer, and producer (b. 1951)
- 1988 – Glenn Robert Davis, American lieutenant and politician (b. 1914)
- 1989 – Rajini Thiranagama, Sri Lankan physician and academic (b. 1954)
- 1990 – Takis Kanellopoulos, Greek director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1933)
- 1991 – Gordon Bashford, English engineer (b. 1916)
- 1992 – Tarachand Barjatya, Indian film producer, founded Rajshri Productions (b. 1914)
- 1995 – Rudy Perpich, American dentist and politician, 34th Governor of Minnesota (b. 1928)
- 1998 – Florence Griffith Joyner, American sprinter (b. 1959)
- 2000 – Jacques Flynn, Canadian lawyer and politician, 35th Canadian Minister of Justice (b. 1915)
- 2000 – Leonid Rogozov, Russian physician and surgeon (b. 1934)
- 2002 – Robert L. Forward, American physicist and engineer (b. 1932)
- 2004 – Bob Mason, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1952)
- 2006 – Tasos Athanasiadis, Greek author (b. 1913)
- 2007 – Hallgeir Brenden, Norwegian skier (b. 1929)
- 2007 – Alice Ghostley, American actress (b. 1923)
- 2007 – Rex Humbard, American evangelist and television host (b. 1919)
- 2009 – Robert Ginty, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1948)
- 2011 – John Du Cann, English guitarist (b. 1946)
- 2011 – Jun Henmi, Japanese author and poet (b. 1939)
- 2011 – Pamela Ann Rymer, American lawyer and judge (b. 1941)
- 2012 – José Curbelo, Cuban-American pianist and manager (b. 1917)
- 2012 – Yehuda Elkana, Israeli historian and philosopher (b. 1934)
- 2012 – Sven Hassel, Danish-German soldier and author (b. 1917)
- 2012 – Bill King, English commander, sailor, and author (b. 1910)
- 2012 – Tom Umphlett, American baseball player and manager (b. 1930)
- 2013 – Kofi Awoonor, Ghanaian author, poet, and diplomat (b. 1935)
- 2013 – Michel Brault, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1928)
- 2013 – Harl H. Haas, Jr., American lawyer, jurist, and politician (b. 1932)
- 2013 – Walter Wallmann, German lawyer and politician, Minister-President of Hesse (b. 1932)
- 2013 – Ko Wierenga, Dutch lawyer and politician (b. 1933)
- 2014 – Michael Harari, Israeli intelligence officer (b. 1927)
- 2014 – Caldwell Jones, American basketball player and coach (b. 1950)
- 2014 – Sheldon Patinkin, American director and playwright (b. 1935)
- 2015 – Yoram Gross, Polish-Australian director and producer (b. 1926)
- 2015 – Ray Warleigh, Australian-English saxophonist and flute player (b. 1938)
- 2015 – Richard Williamson, American footballer and coach (b. 1941)
- 2018 – Trần Đại Quang, President of Vietnam (b. 1956)
- 2018 – Vitaliy Masol, Ukrainian Former Prime Minister (b.1928)[2]
Other
- In the popular 1978 song "September" by Earth, Wind & Fire, the date of September 21 is mentioned in the lyric "Do you remember the 21st night of September?" This reference has gained a lot of attention throughout the internet and some people reference the song on the date of September 21, most likely due to the song's spread as an internet meme.
