September 16
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1810
A cry for independence for Mexico
On this day, Mexican priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla rang his church bell and issued an impassioned call to arms against Spanish rule. Known as the Grito de Dolores, his cry helped ignite the Mexican War of Independence. Hidalgo was captured and executed the following year, but the struggle continued, and Mexico secured its independence in 1821.
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Caroline and Erwin Swann/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (LC-DIG-ppmsc-04595); Photo Illustration EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, Inc.
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On this date in 1620, English colonists aboard the Mayflower set sail for America, where they founded Plymouth, Massachusetts, after 41 men, including William Bradford and Myles Standish, signed the Mayflower Compact.
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Featured Biography
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Born this day in 1925, B.B. King helped to mainstream the Mississippi Delta blues legacy and was one of the most influential electric guitarists of his generation.
Famous Birthdays
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2022
The death of Jina Mahsa Aminiâan Iranian woman in her early 20s who was in the custody of Iranâs âmorality policyâ for âimproper clothingââignited a sustained and widespread protest movement, which adopted the slogan âWoman, Life, Freedom.â
© Vytas Valaitis/PixâMichael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
2016
American dramatist Edward Albee, an innovative writer of raw, stringent plays who was perhaps best known for Whoâs Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1962), died at age 88. [Test your knowledge of theatrical history.]
© Javier EchezarretaâEPA/REX/Shutterstock.com
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1993
The sitcom Frasierâa spin-off of Cheers, starring Kelsey Grammerâdebuted on NBC and became one of the most popular American television shows of the late 20th century.
NASA Ozone Watch
1987
The Montreal Protocol, aimed to regulate the production and use of chemicals that contribute to the depletion of Earthâs ozone layer, was adopted by 46 countries. [Is the ozone layer finally healing itself?]
EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, Inc.
1978
Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq was proclaimed president of Pakistan. [How much do you know about world governments and their leaders?]
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1977
American-born Greek operatic soprano Maria Callas, who revived classical coloratura roles in the mid-20th century with her lyrical and dramatic versatility, died in Paris at age 53. [Listen to Maria Callas and Milanâs Orchestra della Scala perform Normaâs cavatina,âCasta diva,â in Act I of Vincenzo Belliniâs Norma.]
EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, Inc.
1975
Papua New Guinea achieved full independence from Australia. [Sort fact from fiction in our islands of the world quiz.]
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1973
Chilean singer, songwriter, and activist VĂctor Jara was tortured and killed following the military coup by Augusto Pinochet that overthrew Salvador Allende, becoming an international symbol of resistance to dictatorship.
Gamma Liaison
1970
King កussein of Jordan declared martial law following the hijacking of four international airliners by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about the Middle East.]
EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, Inc.
1919
The U.S. Congress granted a national charter to the American Legion, an organization of U.S. war veterans.
Archives Photographiques, Paris
1380
Charles V, who was king of France from 1364 and led the country in a miraculous recovery from the devastation of the first phase of the Hundred Yearsâ War (1337â1453), died at age 42. [Take our quiz about French history.]