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What happened on September 11
Every September 11 carries a layer of history: wars that began or ended, inventions, premieres, treaties, and people born or lost on this day across the centuries. We gathered 12 of the most striking events recorded on September 11, plus notable births and deaths, each with its year and a link to the Wikipedia article where the story continues. It is a fast way to answer "what happened on September 11" without digging through many sources: the list arrives ranked by relevance and dated.
Notable events
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years in prison for his involvement in a coup plot. Jair Bolsonaro |
| 2012 | The American consulate and CIA annex in Libya were attacked by a heavily armed group, resulting in the deaths of U.S. ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three others. Central Intelligence Agency |
| 2001 | al-Qaeda hijacked four passenger airliners to carry out a series of terrorist attacks (one pictured) against targets in New York City and the area of Washington, D.C., killing 2,977 people. Al-Qaeda |
| 1995 | Mir EO-19, the first expedition to the Russian space station Mir launched on an American Space Shuttle, returned to Earth after approximately 75 days in space. Mir EO-19 |
| 1992 | Hurricane Iniki, the most powerful hurricane on record to strike the Hawaiian Islands, passed directly over the island of Kauai, killing six people and causing around US$1.8 billion dollars in damage. Hurricane Iniki |
| 1978 | British medical photographer Janet Parker became the last recorded person to die from smallpox, leading to a debate on whether the virus should be preserved. 1978 smallpox outbreak in the United Kingdom |
| 1945 | The Japanese-run camp at Batu Lintang in Borneo was liberated by the Australian 9th Division, averting the planned massacre of its 2,000-plus Allied POWs and civilian internees by four days. Imperial Japanese Army |
| 1941 | In Des Moines, Iowa, American aviator Charles Lindbergh delivered an antisemitic speech (reporting pictured) accusing Jews of controlling the media and manipulating the United States into joining World War II. Des Moines, Iowa |
| 1914 | First World War: The Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force invaded German New Guinea, winning the Battle of Bita Paka. World War I |
| 1897 | Gaki Sherocho was captured by the forces of Ethiopian emperor Menelik II, bringing an end to the Kingdom of Kaffa. Gaki Sherocho |
| 1893 | Swami Vivekananda gave a speech introducing Hinduism on the opening day of the first Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago. Swami Vivekananda |
| 1857 | A legion of Mormon militiamen completed a massacre of at least 120 California-bound Arkansas pioneers at Mountain Meadow, Utah. Nauvoo Legion |
Births
| Year | Who |
|---|---|
| 2006 | Oliver Peake, Australian cricketer Oliver Peake |
| 2001 | Joseph Fahnbulleh, Liberian-American sprinter Joseph Fahnbulleh |
| 2000 | Leandro Bolmaro, Argentine-Italian basketball player Leandro Bolmaro |
| 2000 | Zay Flowers, American football player Zay Flowers |
Deaths
| Year | Who |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Kenneth Cope, British actor (born 1931) Kenneth Cope |
| 2024 | Alberto Fujimori, Peruvian politician, professor, and engineer, President of Peru (born 1938) Alberto Fujimori |
| 2024 | Chad McQueen, American actor and race car driver (born 1960) Chad McQueen |
| 2024 | Joe Schmidt, American football player and coach (born 1932) Joe Schmidt (American football) |
A single anniversary does not explain on its own why a day matters: one September 11 can hold a scientific milestone, a tragedy and the birth of an artist, centuries apart. That is why we date every row and link the source, so you can follow what interests you. The selection mixes 12 events, 4 births and 4 deaths; the full list, with every reference, lives on Wikipedia.
Source, license and method
This page curates the day's anniversaries for September 11 from Wikipedia, delivered through the Wikimedia "On this day" feed (the encyclopedia's own open dataset). It is not original research: the facts, years and wording come from Wikipedia and are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike (CC BY-SA 4.0), which requires crediting the source and keeping the same license. We pick each day's most relevant items, favouring the editors' own selection and the most prominent articles, and every row links back to the matching entry. For the full list and primary references, see the day's article on Wikipedia (September 11).
Continue in the dates cluster
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Last updated: · Methodology and sources