September 1 is the 244th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 121 days remain until the end of the year.
We have some interesting facts & historic events all about September 1st, including areas in religion, crime, health and more.
Keep reading for more interesting facts about September 1st in history!
Table of Contents
Global Celebrations
- Building and Code Staff Appreciation Day
- Emma M Nutt Day
- No Rhyme or Reason Day
- Letter Writing Day
Historic Events
What Happened On This Day – September 1
2004: 350 people and children are killed in a massacre in Beslan, North Ossetia
Armed Chechen rebels took over 1000 people including school children at a school. The rebels demanded international recognition of an independent Chechnya. The hostage crisis lasted for 3 days and ended after Russian troops stormed the school.
1985: The Wreck of the sunk ship Titanic is found in the North Atlantic Ocean
A French-American expedition group found the wreck, which sunk on 14 April 1912 on her first voyage from Southampton, UK, to New York City, U.S.
1979: Pioneer 11 makes its closest approach to Saturn
The NASA built space probe was the first probe to encounter Saturn – it flew by the planet at a distance of 13,000 miles (21,000 km). After its flyby, the probe went on a trajectory to go outside the Solar System. All contacts with it were lost a few weeks later.
1952: Life magazine publishes parts of the Old Man And The Sea
One of American author Ernest Hemingway’s best-known works, the novel tells the story of an old man and his fishing misadventures. Within a few days of the publication of the excerpt, 5 million copies of the magazine had been sold.
1914: Passenger Pigeons become extinct
Martha, the last Passenger Pigeon known to man, died at the Cincinnati Zoo, Cincinnati, Ohio effectively making Passenger Pigeons extinct.
1939: The German battleship “Schleswig-Holstein” fires into the Polish city of Westerplatte on 1 Sept 1939, the first shots of WWII.

1930: Ballooning pioneers Auguste Piccard and Paul Kipfer, wearing improvised crash helmets, Belgium, September 1930

1918: “The Boy Scout delivering a pair of crutches to the wounded soldier.” – September 1918. World War I did not end until November 1918. Lewis Wickes Hine, photographer, 1874-1940.

1864: Ruins of CSA General Hood’s 28-car ammunition train and the Schofield Rolling Mill, near Atlanta, Ga., September 1864.

Famous Birthdays
Births On This Day, September 1
1975: Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Australian singer-songwriter, actress
1970: Padma Lakshmi, Indian actress
1964: Nabeel Rajab, Bahraini activist
1957: Gloria Estefan, Cuban/American singer-songwriter, actress
1946: Roh Moo-hyun, South Korean politician, 16th President of South Korea
Heartbreaking Deaths
Deaths On This Day, September 1
2013: Tommy Morrison, American boxer
1983: Larry McDonald, American politician
1981: Albert Speer, German architect
1947: Frederick Russell Burnham, American soldier, adventurer
1715: Louis XIV of France