September 21

Science fiction author HG Wells born (1866); "The Hobbit" is published (1937); Actor Bill Murray born (1950); Senate confirms Sandra Day O’Connor as first female Supreme Court justice (1981); Track and field legend Florence Griffith Joyner dies (1998).

September 20

American author Upton Sinclair born (1878); Legendary basketball coach Red Auerbach born (1917); Actress Sophia Loren born (1934); Billie Jean King beats Bobby Riggs in "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match (1973); Hurricane Maria makes landfall in Puerto Rico, resulting in 3,000 deaths and $90B in damage (2017).

September 19

President James Garfield dies from gunshot wounds (1881); British cultural icon and model Twiggy born (1949); First fully contained underground nuclear test takes place in Nevada (1957); Jimmy Fallon born (1974); Deepwater Horizon oil spill is sealed after five-month oil leak (2010).

September 19

"Frankenstein" author Mary Shelley is born (1797); Thurgood Marshall is confirmed as Supreme Court justice (1967); Actress Cameron Diaz is born (1972); John Lennon performs his last full-scale concert (1972); Guion S. Bluford becomes the first African American to travel to space (1983)

September 18

George Washington lays first cornerstone for the US Capitol (1793); New York Times founded (1851); Baseball Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg born (1959); Jimi Hendrix dies (1970); Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg dies (2020).

September 17

US Constitution is signed (1787); Harriet Tubman escapes from slavery for the first time (1849); Actress Anne Bancroft born (1931); Camp David Accords signed providing framework for Egypt-Israel peace treaty (1978); Vanessa Williams becomes first Black woman crowned Miss America (1983).

September 16

Pilgrims depart from England on the Mayflower (1620); Actress Lauren Bacall born (1924); American musician BB King born (1925); Historian and author Henry Louis Gates Jr. born (1950); Golfer Bryson DeChambeau born (1993).