Here are 30 newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries in September 2024 (listed six months in advance so you have time to write about them)
Historical anniversaries are great for ‘On This Day in History’ features, articles, biographies and other anniversary tie-ins. They’re popular with newspaper and magazine readers and radio stations, and editors, producers and presenters love them. They’re easy to research too. You can also turn them into movies, documentaries, novels, use them to plan events and exhibitions, and much more. (Find out more at the end of this article.)
We’ve randomly picked one anniversary for each day of the month from The Date-A-Base Book 2024, which lists more than 3,000 anniversaries (an average of eight newsworthy anniversaries for every day of the year).
This month is a TV Special with several iconic shows appearing for the first time.
1 Sep 1949 – 75 years ago
The Christmas song Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was released.
It was sung by Gene Autry.
2 Sep 1949 – 75 years ago
The Chongqing fire, China.
A fire swept through the city. 1,700 people were killed and more than 10,000 homes were destroyed. The fire began in the slum district but the cause is unknown. The Nationalists suspected that the Communists started it, and executed one of them for arson.
3 Sep 1964 – 60 years ago
The Wilderness Act was signed into law by U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson.
It established a national wilderness-preservation system and protected 9.1 million acres of land.
4 Sep 1774 – 250 years ago
British explorer Captain James Cook became the first European to discover New Caledonia in the south-west Pacific, during his second voyage. It was annexed by France in 1853.
5 Sep 1959 – 65 years ago
The UK’s first trunk phone call from a public call-box was made in Bristol.
6 Sep 1899 – 125 years ago
Carnation, best known for its evaporated milk products, was established in Washington, USA (as the Pacific Coast Condensed Milk Company).
7 Sep 1984 – 40 years ago
American Express launched its exclusive platinum credit card.
8 Sep 1944 – 80 years ago
World War II: the first German V-2 rockets hit Britain, landing in Kent.
9 Sep 1774 – 250 years ago
Intolerable Acts – the Suffolk Resolves.
The leaders of Suffolk County, Massachusetts voted to boycott imported British goods unless the Intolerable Acts were repealed. The Resolves were endorsed by the First Continental Congress.
10 Sep 1624 – 400 years ago
Birth of Thomas Sydenham, English physician who became known as the ‘father of English medicine’ and ‘the English Hippocrates’ after his death. Best known for his book Observationes Medicae (Observations of Medicine), which was the standard medical textbook in England for 200 years. He also discovered Sydenham’s chorea (also known as St Vitus’ Dance).
11 Sep 1974 – 50 years ago
The first episode of the television series Little House On The Prairie was broadcast on NBC in the USA. It ran for nine seasons until 1983.
12 Sep 1954 – 70 years ago
The first episode of the television series Lassie was broadcast on CBS in the USA. It ran until 1971.
13 Sep 1899 – 125 years ago
The first person to be killed by a car in the USA: Henry Bliss stepped off a streetcar in New York City and was hit by a taxi that was passing a parked truck. Bliss died in hospital the following morning, 14th September.
14 Sep 1949 – 75 years ago
Birth of Steve Gaines, American rock guitarist and songwriter (Lynyrd Skynyrd). (Died 1977.)
15 Sep 1964 – 60 years ago
The Sun newspaper was first published.
It is Britain’s biggest-selling daily newspaper. It replaced the socialist newspaper the Daily Herald.
16 Sep 1984 – 40 years ago
The first episode of the crime drama television series Miami Vice was broadcast on NBC in the USA. It ran for five seasons until 1990.
17 Sep 1964 – 60 years ago
The first episode of the television sitcom Bewitched was broadcast on ABC in the USA. It ran for eight seasons until 1972.
18 Sep 1964 – 60 years ago
The first episode of the television comedy series The Addams Family was broadcast on ABC in the USA. It ran for two seasons until 1966.
19 Sep 1964 – 60 years ago
The first episode of the television series Flipper was broadcast on NBC in the USA. It ran for three seasons until 1967.
20 Sep 1964 – 60 years ago
The song Leader of the Pack by The Shangri-Las was released.
It became a #1 hit in the USA in November. It was banned from BBC radio in the UK because of its theme of gang violence and death, but reached #11 on the UK chart. The ban was lifted in 1972 and it was re-released, reaching #3.
21 Sep 1999 – 25 years ago
Google officially launched its search engine, removing the ‘beta’ label.
22 Sep 1964 – 60 years ago
The first episode of the television spy series The Man From U.N.C.L.E. was broadcast on NBC in the USA. It ran for four seasons until 1968.
23 Sep 1974 – 50 years ago
Ceefax, the world’s first teletext service, was launched by the BBC in the UK. It operated until October 2012 when the switchover to digital television was completed.
24 Sep 1964 – 60 years ago
The first episode of the television sitcom The Munsters was broadcast on CBS in the USA. It ran for two seasons until 1966.
25 Sep 1964 to 8 Sep 1974 – 60 years ago
The Mozambican War of Independence.
The result was a military stalemate, but it led to independence negotiations, and Mozambique gained its independence from Portugal in June 1975. This led to the Mozambican Civil War (1976/77 – 1992).
26 Sep 1774 – 250 years ago
Birth of Johnny Appleseed, American folk legend and missionary who planted apple trees in large parts of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia in the USA and Ontario in Canada.
27 Sep 1954 – 70 years ago
The first episode of the television series The Tonight Show was broadcast on NBC in the USA. Steve Allen was the first host.
28 Sep 1924 – 100 years ago
The first successful flight around the world was completed.
A team of aviators from the U.S. Army Air Service landed in Seattle, Washington after a 175-day trip around the world. They had set off on 6th April.
29 Sep 1899 – 125 years ago
Birth of Laszlo Biro, Hungarian inventor of the first commercially successful ballpoint pen.
30 Sep 1949 – 75 years ago
The Berlin Airlift ended after 14 months.
More than 270,000 flights had delivered over 2 million tons of food and supplies to West Berlin, which was blockaded by the Soviet Union.
More anniversaries:
You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries for this month in The Date-A-Base Book 2024. The 2025, 2026, 2027 and 2028 editions are also available if you work further ahead. The anniversaries are available as PDF ebooks, Excel spreadsheets, and printed paperback books.
How to use the anniversaries:
If you’d like to know more about how to turn the anniversaries listed here and in The Date-A-Base Books into articles for magazines and newspapers, take a look at our free 68-page guide, Ditch Your Day Job: the easiest way to make a living (or earn some extra cash) as a writer.