Local
1981: Bidhannagar police station and staff quarters are inaugurated in DF Block on September 23. Chief minister Jyoti Basu inaugurates the facility in presence of minister Jatin Chakraborty. As the township grows, jurisdictions are divided and this thana becomes Bidhannagar north police station.
National
1730: A king in Rajasthan, Abhay Singh, orders the felling of Khejri trees, that is sacred to the Bishnoi community. A woman named Amrita Devi stands up against it and offers her head instead. Soldiers behead her and more than 300 other people who protest. When the king hears of the incident, he stops the killings, honours their courage and issues a decree to never fell Khejri trees around Bishnoi villages again. The day of the massacre, September 11, is now celebrated as National Forest Martyrs Day.
1920: Satish Dhawan is born in Srinagar on September 25. The mathematician and aerospace engineer becomes an eminent researcher in the field of turbulence and boundary layers, that helps India’s space programme.
Satish Dhawan
He becomes the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in 1972 and ISRO’s primary spaceport in Sriharikota is later named Satish Dhawan Space Centre. The Chandrayaan, Mars Orbiter Mission and solar research mission Aditya-L1 are all launched from this port.
1977: Gangubai Kathiawadi dies on September 8. Hailing from a highly educated family, Gangubai was tricked by a suitor and sold into prostitution.
She is forced to become a prostitute in Mumbai’s Kamathipura but later starts running her own brothel and becomes an influential social activist, working for the rights of sex workers and the welfare of their children. In 2022, her life is depicted in an eponymous film, starring Alia Bhatt.
Global
63 BC: Caesar Augustus is born in Rome on September 23. The heir of general Julius Caesar assumes power when the latter is assassinated. Augustus becomes the founder of the Roman Empire and reigns as its first emperor until his death. He expands territory and is credited with reforming the tax system, building roads, establishing police and fire-fighting services etc.
1939: Germany invades Poland on September 1; the United Kingdom and France declare war on Germany on September 3. These mark the beginning of World War II in Europe. The global conflict divides a vast number of countries into two opposing military alliances – the Allies and Axis. The war — the deadliest conflict in history — results in more than 70 million deaths. It lasts till September 2, 1945.
2013: On September 21 masked gunmen storm Westgate, an upmarket mall in Kenya’s capital Nairobi. The extremist group al-Shabaab takes responsibility for the incident, which it claims is retribution for Kenya’s military deployment in the group’s home country, Somalia. Despite rescue attempts, the siege lasts two days, part of the mall collapses due to fire and 71 people are killed.
Sports
1923: Sukumar Ray’s Abol Tabol is published on September 19. The compilation of 46 titled and seven untitled children’s rhymes and poems introduces readers to a “nonsense fantasy” world. Although not understood at the time of publication, the poems go on to become classics with immortal characters like Kumro Potash and Hnukumukho Hyangla.
1976: Armenian finswimmer Shavarsh Karapetyan witnesses an accident on September 16 where a bus with 92 passengers crashes into a lake. He jumps in, breaks the rear window and starts rescuing victims. But he gets deep cuts and lung infection, prematurely ending his career. In 1985, the 10-time world record-breaker would again be near a burning building and rush to help people, getting severely burnt himself. Karapetyan wins laurels for his bravery and becomes a household name in his country.
2007: Italian opera singer Luciano Pavarotti succumbs to pancreatic cancer on September 6. Known for his powerful voice, vocal range and charismatic stage presence, Pavarotti was one of the greatest tenors of all time. He performed in opera houses all over the world, sold over 100 million records and was also a popular crossover artist having collaborated with artistes such as Elton John and the Spice Girls.