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    September 30 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    It is the last day of the third quarter, the midway point of the second half of the year.

    • 489 – The Ostrogoths under Theoderic the Great defeat the forces of Odoacer for the second time.
    • 737 – The Turgesh drive back an Umayyad invasion of Khuttal, follow them south of the Oxus, and capture their baggage train.
    • 1399 – Henry IV is proclaimed king of England.
    • 1520 – Suleiman the Magnificent is proclaimed sultan of the Ottoman Empire.
    • 1541 – Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto and his forces enter Tula territory in present-day western Arkansas, encountering fierce resistance.
    • 1551 – A coup by the military establishment of Japan’s Ōuchi clan forces their lord to commit suicide, and their city is burned.
    • 1744 – War of the Austrian Succession: France and Spain defeat Sardinia at the Battle of Madonna dell’Olmo, but soon have to withdraw from Sardinia anyway.
    • 1791 – The first performance of Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute takes place two months before his death.
    • 1791 – France’s National Constituent Assembly is dissolved, to be replaced the next day by the National Legislative Assembly
    • 1882 – Thomas Edison’s first commercial hydroelectric power plant (later known as Appleton Edison Light Company) begins operation.
    • 1888 – Jack the Ripper kills his third and fourth victims, Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes.
    • 1906 – The Royal Galician Academy, the Galician language’s biggest linguistic authority, starts working in La Coruña, Spain.
    • 1907 – The McKinley National Memorial, the final resting place of assassinated U.S. President William McKinley and his family, is dedicated in Canton, Ohio.
    • 1909 – The Cunard Line’s RMS Mauretania makes a record-breaking westbound crossing of the Atlantic, that will not be bettered for 20 years.
    • 1915 – World War I: Radoje Ljutovac becomes the first soldier in history to shoot down an enemy aircraft with ground-to-air fire.
    • 1922 – The University of Alabama opens the American football season with a 110–0 victory over the Marion Military Institute, which still stands as Alabama’s record for largest margin of victory and as their only 100 point game.
    • 1927 – Babe Ruth becomes the first baseball player to hit 60 home runs in a season.
    • 1931 – Start of “Die Voortrekkers” youth movement for Afrikaners in Bloemfontein, South Africa.
    • 1935 – The Hoover Dam, astride the border between the U.S. states of Arizona and Nevada, is dedicated.
    • 1938 – Britain, France, Germany and Italy sign the Munich Agreement, whereby Germany annexes the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia.
    • 1938 – The League of Nations unanimously outlaws “intentional bombings of civilian populations”.
    • 1939 – World War II: General Władysław Sikorski becomes prime minister of the Polish government-in-exile.
    • 1939 – NBC broadcasts the first televised American football game.
    • 1941 – World War II: The Babi Yar massacre comes to an end.
    • 1943 – The United States Merchant Marine Academy is dedicated by President Roosevelt.
    • 1945 – The Bourne End rail crash, in Hertfordshire, England, kills 43
    • 1947 – The 1947 World Series is the first to be televised, to include an African-American player, to exceed $2 million in receipts, to see a pinch-hit home run, and to have six umpires on the field.
    • 1947 – Pakistan joins the United Nations.
    • 1949 – The Berlin Airlift ends.
    • 1954 – The U.S. Navy submarine USS Nautilus is commissioned as the world’s first nuclear-powered vessel.
    • 1962 – Mexican-American labor leader César Chávez founds the National Farm Workers Association.
    • 1962 – James Meredith enters the University of Mississippi, defying racial segregation rules.
    • 1965 – The Lockheed L-100, the civilian version of the C-130 Hercules, is introduced.
    • 1965 – In Indonesia, a coup by the 30 September Movement is crushed, leading to a mass anti-communist purge, with over 500,000 people killed.
    • 1966 – Bechuanaland declares its independence, and becomes the Republic of Botswana.
    • 1967 – The BBC Light Programme, Third Programme and Home Service are replaced with BBC Radio 2, 3 and 4 Respectively, BBC Radio 1 is also launched.
    • 1968 – The Boeing 747 is rolled out and shown to the public for the first time.
    • 1970 – Jordan makes a deal with the PFLP for the release of the remaining hostages from the Dawson’s Field hijackings.
    • 1972 – Roberto Clemente records the 3,000th and final hit of his career.
    • 1975 – The AH-64 Apache makes its first flight. Eight years later, the first production model rolled out of the assembly line.
    • 1977 – Because of NASA budget cuts and dwindling power reserves, the Apollo program’s ALSEP experiment packages left on the Moon are shut down.
    • 1980 – Ethernet specifications are published by Xerox working with Intel and Digital Equipment Corporation.
    • 1990 – The Dalai Lama unveils the Canadian Tribute to Human Rights in Canada’s capital city of Ottawa.
    • 1993 – The 6.2 Mw  Latur earthquake shakes Maharashtra, India with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe) killing 9,748 and injuring 30,000.
    • 1994 – Aldwych tube station (originally Strand Station) of the London Underground closes after eighty-eight years in service.
    • 1994 – Ongar railway station, the furthest London Underground from central London, closes.
    • 1999 – The Tokaimura nuclear accident causes the deaths of two technicians in Japan’s second-worst nuclear accident.
    • 2000 – Israeli-Palestinian conflict: 12-year-old Muhammad al-Durrah is shot and killed on the second day of the Second Intifada.
    • 2004 – The AIM-54 Phoenix, the primary missile for the F-14 Tomcat, is retired from service. Almost two years later, the Tomcat itself is retired.
    • 2005 – Controversial drawings of Muhammad are printed in a Danish newspaper.
    • 2009 – The 7.6 Mw  Sumatra earthquake leaves 1,115 people dead.
    • 2016 – Hurricane Matthew becomes a Category 5 hurricane, making it the strongest hurricane to form in the Caribbean Sea since 2007.
    • 2016 – Two paintings with a combined value of $100 million are recovered after having been stolen from the Van Gogh Museum in 2002.

    Births on September 30

    • 1207 – Rumi, Persian mystic and poet (d. 1273)
    • 1227 – Pope Nicholas IV (d. 1292)
    • 1530 – Girolamo Mercuriale, Italian philologist and physician (d. 1606)
    • 1550 – Michael Maestlin, German astronomer and mathematician (d. 1631)
    • 1622 – Johann Sebastiani, German composer (d. 1683)
    • 1689 – Jacques Aubert, French violinist and composer (d. 1753)
    • 1700 – Stanisław Konarski, Polish monk, poet, and playwright (d. 1773)
    • 1710 – John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford, English politician, Lord President of the Council (d. 1771)
    • 1714 – Étienne Bonnot de Condillac, French epistemologist and philosopher (d. 1780)
    • 1732 – Jacques Necker, Swiss-French politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1804)
    • 1743 – Christian Ehregott Weinlig, German cantor and composer (d. 1813)
    • 1765 – José María Morelos, Mexican priest and general (d. 1815)
    • 1800 – Decimus Burton, English architect, designed the Pharos Lighthouse (d. 1881)
    • 1813 – John Rae, Scottish physician and explorer (d. 1893)
    • 1814 – Lucinda Hinsdale Stone, American feminist, educator, and philanthropist (d. 1900)
    • 1827 – Ellis H. Roberts, American journalist and politician, 20th Treasurer of the United States (d. 1918)
    • 1832 – Ann Jarvis, American activist, co-founded Mother’s Day (d. 1905)
    • 1836 – Remigio Morales Bermúdez, Peruvian politician, 56th President of Peru (d. 1894)
    • 1852 – Charles Villiers Stanford, Irish composer, conductor, and educator (d. 1924)
    • 1861 – William Wrigley, Jr., American businessman, founded Wrigley Company (d. 1932)
    • 1863 – Reinhard Scheer, German admiral (d. 1928)
    • 1870 – Thomas W. Lamont, American banker and philanthropist (d. 1948)
    • 1870 – Jean Baptiste Perrin, French-American physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1942)
    • 1882 – Hans Geiger, German physicist and academic (d. 1945)
    • 1883 – Bernhard Rust, German educator and politician (d. 1945)
    • 1883 – Nora Stanton Blatch Barney, American civil engineer, architect, and suffragist (d. 1971)
    • 1887 – Lil Dagover, Indonesian-German actress (d. 1980)
    • 1893 – Lansdale Ghiselin Sasscer, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician (d. 1964)
    • 1895 – Lewis Milestone, Moldovan-American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1980)
    • 1897 – Gaspar Cassadó, Spanish cellist and composer (d. 1966)
    • 1897 – Alfred Wintle, Russian-English soldier and politician (d. 1966)
    • 1897 – Charlotte Wolff, German-English physician and psychotherapist (d. 1986)
    • 1898 – Renée Adorée, French-American actress (d. 1933)
    • 1898 – Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois (d. 1977)
    • 1898 – Edgar Parin d’Aulaire, German-American author and illustrator (d. 1986)
    • 1901 – Thelma Terry, American bassist and bandleader (d. 1966)
    • 1904 – Waldo Williams, Welsh poet and academic (d. 1971)
    • 1905 – Nevill Francis Mott, English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1996)
    • 1905 – Michael Powell, English director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1990)
    • 1906 – Mireille Hartuch, French singer-songwriter and actress (d. 1996)
    • 1908 – David Oistrakh, Ukrainian-Russian violinist and educator (d. 1974)
    • 1910 – Jussi Kekkonen, Finnish captain (d. 1962)
    • 1911 – Gustave Gilbert, American psychologist (d. 1977)
    • 1912 – Kenny Baker, American singer and actor (d. 1985)
    • 1913 – Bill Walsh, American screenwriter and producer (d. 1975)
    • 1915 – Lester Maddox, American businessman and politician, 75th Governor of Georgia (d. 2003)
    • 1917 – Yuri Lyubimov, Russian actor and director (d. 2014)
    • 1917 – Buddy Rich, American drummer, bandleader, and actor (d. 1987)
    • 1918 – Lewis Nixon, U.S. Army captain (d. 1995)
    • 1918 – René Rémond, French historian and economist (d. 2007)
    • 1919 – Roberto Bonomi, Argentinian race car driver (d. 1992)
    • 1919 – Elizabeth Gilels, Ukrainian-Russian violinist and educator (d. 2008)
    • 1919 – William L. Guy, American lieutenant and politician, 26th Governor of North Dakota (d. 2013)
    • 1919 – Patricia Neway, American soprano and actress (d. 2012)
    • 1921 – Deborah Kerr, Scottish-English actress (d. 2007)
    • 1921 – Aldo Parisot, Brazilian-American cellist and educator (d. 2018)
    • 1922 – Lamont Johnson, American actor, director, and producer (d. 2010)
    • 1922 – Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2006)
    • 1923 – Donald Swann, Welsh-English pianist and composer (d. 1994)
    • 1924 – Truman Capote, American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 1984)
    • 1925 – Arkady Ostashev, Russian engineer and educator (d. 1998)
    • 1926 – Heino Kruus, Estonian basketball player and coach (d. 2012)
    • 1926 – Robin Roberts, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster (d. 2010)
    • 1927 – W. S. Merwin, American poet and translator (d. 2019)
    • 1928 – Elie Wiesel, Romanian-American author, academic, and activist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2016)
    • 1928 – Ray Willsey, Canadian-American football player and coach (d. 2013)
    • 1929 – Carol Fenner, American author and illustrator (d. 2002)
    • 1929 – Vassilis Papazachos, Greek seismologist and academic
    • 1929 – Leticia Ramos-Shahani, Filipino politician, diplomat and writer (d. 2017)
    • 1929 – Dorothee Sölle, German theologian and author (d. 2003)
    • 1931 – Angie Dickinson, American actress
    • 1931 – Teresa Gorman, English educator and politician (d. 2015)
    • 1932 – Shintaro Ishihara, Japanese author, playwright, and politician, Governor of Tokyo
    • 1932 – Johnny Podres, American baseball player and coach (d. 2008)
    • 1933 – Michel Aoun, Lebanese general and politician, President of Lebanon
    • 1933 – Cissy Houston, American singer
    • 1934 – Alan A’Court, English footballer and manager (d. 2009)
    • 1934 – Udo Jürgens, Austrian-Swiss singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2014)
    • 1934 – Anna Kashfi, Indian-American actress (d. 2015)
    • 1935 – Johnny Mathis, American singer and actor
    • 1936 – Jim Sasser, American lawyer and politician, 6th United States Ambassador to China
    • 1936 – Sevgi Soysal, Turkish author (d. 1976)
    • 1937 – Jurek Becker, Polish-German author (d. 1997)
    • 1937 – Valentyn Sylvestrov, Ukrainian pianist and composer
    • 1937 – Gary Hocking, Rhodesian motorcycle racer (d. 1962)
    • 1938 – Alan Hacker, English clarinet player and educator (d. 2012)
    • 1939 – Len Cariou, Canadian actor
    • 1939 – Anthony Green, English painter and academic
    • 1939 – Jean-Marie Lehn, French chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1940 – Claudia Card, American philosopher and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1940 – Harry Jerome, Canadian sprinter (d. 1982)
    • 1940 – Dewey Martin, Canadian-American drummer (d. 2009)
    • 1941 – Samuel F. Pickering, Jr., American author and educator
    • 1941 – Kamalesh Sharma, Indian academic and diplomat, 5th Commonwealth Secretary General
    • 1941 – Reine Wisell, Swedish race car driver
    • 1942 – Gus Dudgeon, English record producer (d. 2002)
    • 1942 – Frankie Lymon, American singer-songwriter (d. 1968)
    • 1943 – Johann Deisenhofer, German-American biochemist and biophysicist, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1943 – Marilyn McCoo, American singer
    • 1943 – Philip Moore, English organist and composer
    • 1943 – Ian Ogilvy, English-American actor, playwright, and author
    • 1944 – Diane Dufresne, Canadian singer and painter
    • 1944 – Jimmy Johnstone, Scottish footballer (d. 2006)
    • 1944 – Red Robbins, American basketball player (d. 2009)
    • 1945 – Richard Edwin Hills, English astronomer and academic
    • 1945 – Ehud Olmert, Israeli lawyer and politician, 12th Prime Minister of Israel
    • 1946 – Fran Brill, American actress, singer, and puppeteer
    • 1946 – Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 7th Marquess of Salisbury, English academic and politician, Leader of the House of Lords
    • 1946 – Héctor Lavoe, Puerto Rican-American singer-songwriter (d. 1993)
    • 1946 – Jochen Mass, German race car driver
    • 1946 – Paul Sheahan, Australian cricketer and educator
    • 1946 – Claude Vorilhon, French journalist, founded Raëlism
    • 1947 – Marc Bolan, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1977)
    • 1947 – Rula Lenska, English actress
    • 1948 – Craig Kusick, American baseball player and coach (d. 2006)
    • 1950 – Laura Esquivel, Mexican author and screenwriter
    • 1950 – Victoria Tennant, English actress and dancer
    • 1951 – John Lloyd, English screenwriter and producer
    • 1951 – Barry Marshall, Australian physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1951 – Simon White, English astrophysicist and academic
    • 1952 – John Lombardo, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1953 – Matt Abts, American drummer
    • 1953 – Deborah Allen, American country music singer-songwriter, author, and actress
    • 1954 – Basia, Polish singer-songwriter and record producer
    • 1954 – Scott Fields, American guitarist and composer
    • 1954 – Patrice Rushen, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1955 – Andy Bechtolsheim, German engineer, co-founded Sun Microsystems
    • 1955 – Frankie Kennedy, Northern Irish flute player (d. 1994)
    • 1956 – Trevor Morgan, English footballer and manager
    • 1957 – Fran Drescher, American actress, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1958 – Marty Stuart, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1959 – Ettore Messina, Italian basketball player and coach
    • 1960 – Julia Adamson, Canadian-English keyboard player, composer, and producer
    • 1960 – Nicola Griffith, English-American author
    • 1960 – Miki Howard, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
    • 1960 – Blanche Lincoln, American politician
    • 1961 – Gary Coyne, Australian rugby league player
    • 1961 – Eric Stoltz, American actor, director, and producer
    • 1961 – Mel Stride, English politician
    • 1961 – Eric van de Poele, Belgian race car driver
    • 1963 – David Barbe, American bass player and producer
    • 1964 – Trey Anastasio, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and composer
    • 1964 – Monica Bellucci, Italian actress and fashion model
    • 1965 – Omid Djalili, English comedian, actor, and producer
    • 1966 – Gary Armstrong, Scottish rugby player
    • 1966 – Markus Burger, German pianist, composer, and educator
    • 1967 – Emmanuelle Houdart, Swiss-French author and illustrator
    • 1969 – Gintaras Einikis, Lithuanian basketball player
    • 1969 – Chris von Erich, American wrestler (d. 1991)
    • 1970 – Tony Hale, American actor and producer
    • 1970 – Damian Mori, Australian footballer and manager
    • 1971 – Jenna Elfman, American actress and producer
    • 1972 – Jamal Anderson, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1972 – Ari Behn, Danish-Norwegian author and playwright (d. 2019)
    • 1972 – John Campbell, American bass player and songwriter
    • 1972 – Mayumi Kojima, Japanese singer-songwriter
    • 1972 – José Lima, Dominican-American baseball player (d. 2010)
    • 1974 – Jeremy Giambi, American baseball player
    • 1974 – Tom Greatrex, English politician
    • 1974 – Ben Phillips, English cricketer
    • 1974 – Daniel Wu, American–born Hong Kong actor, director, and producer
    • 1975 – Jay Asher, American author
    • 1975 – Marion Cotillard, French-American actress and singer
    • 1975 – Carlos Guillén, Venezuelan baseball player
    • 1975 – Laure Pequegnot, French skier
    • 1975 – Christopher Jackson, American actor, singer, musician, and composer
    • 1976 – Georgie Bingham, British radio and television presenter
    • 1977 – Roy Carroll, Northern Irish goalkeeper and manager
    • 1977 – Nick Curran, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 2012)
    • 1978 – Małgorzata Glinka-Mogentale, Polish female volleyball player
    • 1979 – Cameron Bruce, Australian footballer and coach
    • 1979 – Andy van der Meyde, Dutch footballer
    • 1980 – Martina Hingis, Czechoslovakia-born Swiss tennis player
    • 1980 – Milagros Sequera, Venezuelan tennis player
    • 1981 – Cecelia Ahern, Irish author
    • 1981 – Dominique Moceanu, American gymnast
    • 1982 – Lacey Chabert, American actress
    • 1982 – Ryane Clowe, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1982 – Yan Stastny, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1982 – Dmytro Boyko, Ukrainian footballer
    • 1983 – Boniek Forbes, Guinea-Bissau footballer
    • 1983 – Andreea Răducan, Romanian gymnast
    • 1984 – Georgios Eleftheriou, Greek footballer
    • 1985 – Adam Cooney, Australian footballer
    • 1985 – David Gower, Australian rugby league player
    • 1985 – Téa Obreht, Serbian-American author
    • 1985 – Cristian Rodríguez, Uruguayan footballer
    • 1985 – T-Pain, American rapper, producer, and actor
    • 1986 – Olivier Giroud, French footballer
    • 1986 – Martin Guptill, New Zealand cricketer
    • 1986 – Ben Lovett, Welsh musician and songwriter
    • 1986 – Cristián Zapata, Colombian footballer
    • 1987 – Aida Garifullina, Russian operatic soprano
    • 1988 – Eglė Staišiūnaitė, Lithuanian hurdler
    • 1989 – André Weis, German footballer
    • 1991 – Thomas Röhler, German javelin thrower
    • 1992 – Ezra Miller, American actor and singer
    • 1994 – Aliya Mustafina, Russian gymnast
    • 1996 – Jacob Host, Australian rugby league player
    • 1997 – Yana Kudryavtseva, Russian gymnast
    • 1997 – Max Verstappen, Dutch Formula One driver
    • 1998 – Trevor Moran, American youtuber and singer
    • 2002 – Maddie Ziegler, American dancer and actress
    • 2002 – Levi Miller, Australian actor and model

    Deaths on September 30

    • 420 – Jerome, Roman priest, theologian, and saint (b. 347)
    • 653 – Honorius of Canterbury, Italian archbishop and saint
    • 940 – Fan Yanguang, Chinese general
    • 954 – Louis IV of France (b. 920)
    • 1101 – Anselm IV, Italian archbishop
    • 1246 – Yaroslav II of Vladimir (b. 1191)
    • 1288 – Leszek II the Black, Polish prince, Duke of Łęczyca, Sieradz, Kraków, Sandomierz (b. 1241)
    • 1440 – Reginald Grey, 3rd Baron Grey de Ruthyn, Welsh soldier and politician (b. 1362)
    • 1487 – John Sutton, 1st Baron Dudley, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1400)
    • 1551 – Ōuchi Yoshitaka, Japanese daimyō (b. 1507)
    • 1560 – Melchior Cano, Spanish theologian (b. 1525)
    • 1572 – Francis Borgia, 4th Duke of Gandía, Spanish priest and saint, 3rd Superior General of the Society of Jesus (b. 1510)
    • 1581 – Hubert Languet, French diplomat and reformer (b. 1518)
    • 1626 – Nurhaci, Chinese emperor (b. 1559)
    • 1628 – Fulke Greville, 1st Baron Brooke, English poet and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1554)
    • 1770 – Thomas Robinson, 1st Baron Grantham, English politician and diplomat, Secretary of State for the Southern Department (b. 1695)
    • 1770 – George Whitefield, English-American priest and theologian (b. 1714)
    • 1865 – Samuel David Luzzatto, Italian poet and scholar (b. 1800)
    • 1891 – Georges Ernest Boulanger, French general and politician, French Minister of War (b. 1837)
    • 1897 – Thérèse of Lisieux, French nun and saint (b. 1873)
    • 1910 – Maurice Lévy, French mathematician and engineer (b. 1838)
    • 1942 – Hans-Joachim Marseille, German captain and pilot (b. 1919)
    • 1943 – Franz Oppenheimer, German-American sociologist and economist (b. 1864)
    • 1946 – Takashi Sakai, Japanese general and politician, Governor of Hong Kong (b. 1887)
    • 1955 – James Dean, American actor (b. 1931)
    • 1959 – Henry Barwell, Australian politician, 28th Premier of South Australia (b. 1877)
    • 1961 – Onésime Gagnon, Canadian scholar and politician, 20th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (b. 1888)
    • 1973 – Peter Pitseolak, Canadian photographer and author (b. 1902)
    • 1974 – Carlos Prats, Chilean general and politician, Chilean Minister of Defense (b. 1915)
    • 1977 – Mary Ford, American singer and guitarist (b. 1924)
    • 1978 – Edgar Bergen, American actor and ventriloquist (b. 1903)
    • 1985 – Charles Francis Richter, American seismologist and physicist (b. 1900)
    • 1985 – Simone Signoret, French actress (b. 1921)
    • 1986 – Nicholas Kaldor, Hungarian-British economist (b. 1908)
    • 1987 – Alfred Bester, American author and screenwriter (b. 1913)
    • 1988 – Al Holbert, American race car driver (b. 1946)
    • 1989 – Virgil Thomson, American composer and critic (b. 1896)
    • 1990 – Rob Moroso, American race car driver (b. 1968)
    • 1990 – Alice Parizeau, Polish-Canadian journalist and author (b. 1930)
    • 1990 – Patrick White, Australian novelist, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1912)
    • 1991 – Toma Zdravković, Serbian singer-songwriter (b. 1938)
    • 1994 – André Michel Lwoff, French microbiologist and virologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902)
    • 1998 – Marius Goring, English actor (b. 1912)
    • 1998 – Dan Quisenberry, American baseball player and poet (b. 1953)
    • 1998 – Robert Lewis Taylor, American soldier and author (b. 1912)
    • 2002 – Göran Kropp, Swedish race car driver and mountaineer (b. 1966)
    • 2002 – Hans-Peter Tschudi, Swiss lawyer and politician, 63rd President of the Swiss Confederation (b. 1913)
    • 2003 – Yusuf Bey, American activist, founded Your Black Muslim Bakery (b. 1935)
    • 2003 – Ronnie Dawson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1939)
    • 2003 – Robert Kardashian, American lawyer and businessman (b. 1944)
    • 2004 – Gamini Fonseka, Sri Lankan actor, director, and politician (b. 1936)
    • 2004 – Jacques Levy, American director and songwriter (b. 1935)
    • 2004 – Michael Relph, English director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1915)
    • 2008 – J. B. Jeyaretnam, Singaporean lawyer and politician (b. 1926)
    • 2010 – Stephen J. Cannell, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1941)
    • 2011 – Anwar al-Awlaki, American-Yemeni terrorist (b. 1971)
    • 2011 – Ralph M. Steinman, Canadian-American immunologist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1943)
    • 2012 – Turhan Bey, Austrian actor and producer (b. 1922)
    • 2012 – Barry Commoner, American biologist, academic, and politician (b. 1917)
    • 2012 – Bobby Jaggers, American wrestler and engineer (b. 1948)
    • 2012 – Clara Stanton Jones, American librarian (b. 1913)
    • 2012 – Barbara Ann Scott, Canadian-American figure skater (b. 1928)
    • 2012 – Boris Šprem, Croatian lawyer and politician, 8th Speaker of the Croatian Parliament (b. 1956)
    • 2013 – Janet Powell, Australian educator and politician (b. 1942)
    • 2014 – Molvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, Indian cleric and politician (b. 1940)
    • 2014 – Martin Lewis Perl, American physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1927)
    • 2015 – Guido Altarelli, Italian-Swiss physicist and academic (b. 1941)
    • 2015 – Claude Dauphin, French businessman (b. 1951)
    • 2015 – Göran Hägg, Swedish author and critic (b. 1947)
    • 2017 – Monty Hall, American game show host (b. 1921)
    • 2018 – Kim Larsen, Danish rock musician (b. 1945)
    • 2018 – Geoffrey Hayes, British television presenter and actor (b. 1942)
    • 2018 – Sonia Orbuch, Polish resistance fighter during the Second World War and Holocaust educator. (b. 1925)
    • 2019 – Victoria Braithwaite, British research scientist who proved fish feel pain (b. 1967)

    Holidays and observances on September 30

    • Agricultural Reform (Nationalization) Day (São Tomé and Príncipe)
    • Birth of Morelos (Mexico)
    • Boy’s Day (Poland)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Gregory the Illuminator
      • Honorius of Canterbury
      • Jerome
      • September 30 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Independence Day (Botswana) or Botswana Day, celebrates the independence of Botswana from United Kingdom in 1966.
    • International Translation Day (International Federation of Translators)
    • Orange Shirt Day (Canada)
  • | |

    Unique 100 General Knowledge Questions & Answers

    Unique 100 General Knowledge Questions & Answers

    1. Which British actor who starred as Jimmy in the film Quadrophenia later appeared in Blur’s video for the single Parklife? – Phil Daniels


    2. Which Argentinian striker is Barcelona’s all-time leading goalscorer? – Lionel Messi


    3. In the video game Dark Souls, one of the locations in the game, Anor Londo is heavily based on which Milan landmark? – Milan Cathedral


    4. Planned and begun in 1850 by King Maximilian II of Bavaria, Maximilianstrasse is a major shopping district in which German city? – Munich


    5. Wise, methodical detective Lester Freamon is a fictional character in which TV series? – The Wire


    6. Which Europe’s most southerly capital city? – Nicosia, Cyprus


    7. Clark Kent is the real name of which superhero? – Superman


    8. The film Grease was mostly filmed in which US state? – California


    9. Which Irish writer and clergyman wrote Gulliver’s Travels? – Jonathan Swift


    10. The largest tower located OUTSIDE of London in the United Kingdom is found in which English city? – Portsmouth(Spinnaker Tower)


    11. Which Hollywood, California born actor is known for starring in films including Inception, The Wolf of Wall Street and The Departed, amongst others? – Leonardo DiCaprio


    12. Who was the Greek god of the Sea? – Poseidon


    13. Which soul singer enjoyed fleeting success in the UK as the first winner of the TV series X-Factor? – Steve Brookstein


    14. Which is the only country to have taken part in every football World Cup finals? – Brazil


    15. Charles Darwin features on which British bank note? – Ten pound note


    16. How old was Frodo when he came of age in the book Fellowship of the Rings? – 33 years old


    17. Which former American Footballer when on to play Apollo Creed in the Rocky film series? – Carl Weathers


    18. What is the relationship between Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Beatrice of York? – Grandmother-granddaughter


    19. What is the name of the founder of the company Amazon who later went on to purchase The Washington Post newspaper? – Jeff Bezos


    20. Which Spanish region is known for the Tempranillo black grape wine variety? – Rioja


    21. Which actress won the 1981 Academy Award for Best Actress aged seventy-four for her role in the film On a Golden Pond? – Katharine Hepburn


    22. Which is the only inanimate sign of the zodiac? – Libra


    23. What was the name of The Jam’s debut album, released in 1977, that shared its name with a hit single on the album? – In The City


    24. Since 1987, which Tennis Grand Slam tournament has been the fourth and final in the tennis calendar? – US Open


    25. Nelson’s Column is a monument in which London square? – Trafalgar Square


    26. Which Oasis song opens with the lyrics ‘Today is gonna be the day’? – Wonderwall


    27. Where was playwright Oscar Wilde born in October 1854? – Dublin, Ireland


    28. Which is the largest moon of the planet Saturn, by diameter? – Titan


    29. Bella Swan (later Bella Cullan) is a character in which film series? – The Twilight Saga


    30. At 119 miles long, what is the name of Scotland’s longest river? – River Tay


    31. The Bolshoi Ballet is based in which city? – Moscow


    32. Charleroi is a city in which northern European county? – Belgium


    33. What colour is the distinctive King of the Mountains jersey in cycling’s Tour de France? –Red polka dots on white


    34. Sharon Osbourne, wife of aging rocker Ozzy, was a judge on which TV music program? – X-Factor


    35. In a game of cricket, how many runs are awarded for hitting the ball over the boundary rope without bouncing? – Six runs


    36. What is the name of the branch of medicine that focuses on eyesight? – Optometry


    37. Which silent film starring Jean Dujardin won the Best Film Oscar in 2011? – The Artist


    38. William Shakespeare was born in which English market town? – Stratford-upon-Avon


    39. The Baggies is the nickname of which English football club? – West Bromwich Albion


    40. Prior to join the Euro and taking it’s name from the Greek verb ‘to grasp’, what was the former currency of Greece? – Drachma


    41. Which country has the most football clubs? – South Africa


    42. Where was the first nuclear reactor built? – The USA


    43. Which brewery invented the widget for the beer can? – Guinness


    44. Which is the only mammal that able to kneel on all fours? – Elephant


    45. Who designed the Statue of Liberty? – Bartholdi


    46. Which country is Santiago the capital of? – Chile

    47. What is the name of the dog in the ‘Back to the Future’ films? – Einstein


    48. Who was the first female governor of India? – Sarojini Naidu


    49. Who wrote the music for West Side Story? – Bernstein


    50. Which is the largest species of crocodile? – Saltwater


    51. During which year did the Apple iPhone first go on sale? – 2007


    52. What was the nationality of the famous 18th century poet Robert Burns? – Scottish


    53. Where did King Arthur hold court? – Camelot


    54. In which year was Michael Jackson’s song Thriller released? – 1982


    55. Which sign of the zodiac is represented by the scales? – Libra


    56. Which country was Arnold Schwarzenegger born in? – Austria


    57. What is the name of Washington’s active stratovolcano? – Mount St. Helen


    58. Which nuts are used to make marzipan? – Almonds


    59. What is the name given to a skydiver’s canopy? – A parachute


    60. What type of shark was Jaws? – A great white


    61. How many consonants are there in the English Alphabet? – 21 consonants


    62. In which country were ‘The Lord of the Rings’ movies filmed? – New Zealand


    63. What do the stripes of the US flag represent? – The 13 original colonies of the United States (sign of uniting as one)


    64. True or false: the diameter is half of the radius? – False: the radius is half of the diameter


    65. Which is the only English football team to play in the Scottish league? – Berwick Rangers


    66. Which character did Clark Gable play in Gone With The Wind? – Rhett Butler


    67. Which Roman numerals represent the number 40? – XL


    68. Which word can come before: moon, house and time? – Full


    69. What religion does a Rabi belong too? – Jewish


    70. How many hours are there in one full week? – 168 hours


    71. Which English actor starred in Gangs of New York and Lincoln? – Daniel Day Lewis


    72. Who was the president of the United States in 2000? – Bill Clinton


    73. What is the largest country in Great Britain? – England


    74. What theory did the scientist Charles Darwin help to develop? – The theory of evolution


    75. What ‘M’ is a popular egg white dessert? – Meringue


    76. How many known planets are there in our solar system? – Eight


    77. Canberra is the capital city of which country? – Australia

    78. What is an obtuse angle? – An angle measuring between 90 and 180 degrees


    79. What was the name of Moses’ brother? – Aaron


    80. Who sang the 2015 hit song ‘All About That Bass’? – Meghan Trainor


    81. Three countries of the world begin with the letter J, can you name them all? – Jamaica, Japan, Jordan


    82. Which 2015 movie features a song called ‘Writing’s on the Wall’ by Sam Smith? – Spectre (James Bond)


    83. Beginning with the fastest first, put the following body features in order of growth rate: finger nails, toe nails, hair? – Hair, finger nails, toe nails


    84. In medieval legend, what name was given to the cup from which Jesus drank from at the Last Supper? – Grail (The Holy Grail)


    85. Does the British noble title Viscount rank above or below a Baron? – Above


    86. Which solar system planet experiences the hottest surface temperature? – Venus


    87. Which George Michael song begins with the lyrics, ‘I feel so unsure, As I take your hand and lead you to the dance floor’? – Careless Whisper


    88. In 1912, which ocean did RMS Titanic sink in? – Atlantic Ocean (North Atlantic)


    89. What film series stars Marlon Brando and Al Pacino as leaders of a New York Mafia family? – The Godfather


    90. What traditional Easter cake is toasted and decorated with 11 to 12 marzipan balls? – Simnel Cake


    91. What type of animals make up the biggest group of amphibians? – Frogs


    92. Which naturalist wrote ‘The Voyage of the Beagle’? – Charles Darwin


    93. The inauguration of which American President took place on January 20, 2009? – Barack Obama


    94. Can you unscramble the following word to reveal the name of a hormone produced by the pancreas: NNLUSII? – Insulin


    95. What was the first fully animated feature film released by Walt Disney? – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)


    96. Which Asian country was formerly named Ceylon? – Sri Lanka


    97. What type of gas primarily forms the Earth’s atmosphere? – Nitrogen


    98. What is the opposite of nocturnal? – Diurnal


    99. Which Winter Olympic event combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting? – The biathlon


    100. Who plays Jack Bauer in the American television series 24? – Kiefer Sutherland

  • |

    US Open 2013 MCQs

    Questions

    1. Who won men’s doubles championship in US Open 2013?

    a) Coling Fleming, Jonathan Marray
    b) Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, Jean Julien Rojer
    c) Leander Paes, Radek Stepanek
    d) Michael Bryan, Robert Bryan

    2. Who were runners-up in men’s doubles championship in US Open 2013?
    a) Alexander Peya, Bruno Soares
    b) Divij Sharan, Yen-Hsun Lu
    c) Rohan Bopanna, Edourad Roger-Vasselin
    d) Michael Llodra, Nicholas Mahut

    3. Who won women’s doubles championship in US Open 2013?
    a) Su-Wei Hsieh, Shuai Peng
    b) Sara Errani, Roberta Vinci
    c) Andrea Hlavackova, Lucie Hradecka
    d) Sania Mirza, Jie Zheng

    4. Who were runners up in women’s doubles championship in US Open 2013?
    a) Serena Williams, Venus Williams
    b) Chia-Jung Chuang, Shuai Zhang
    c) Kveta Peschke, Anna-Lena Groenfeld
    d) Ashleigh Barty, Casey Dellacqua

    6. Who were runners up in mixed doubles championship in US Open 2013?5. Who won mixed doubles championship in US Open 2013?
    a) Horia Tecau, Sania Mirza
    b) Max Mirnyi, Andrea Hlavackova
    c) Rohan Bopanna, Julia Goerges
    d) Marcelo Melo, Liezel Huber

    a) Mahesh Bhupati, Martina Hingis
    b) Daniel Nestor, Kristina Mladenovic
    c) Santiago Gonzales, Abigail Spears
    d) Marcin Matkowski, Kveta Peschke

    7. Who won women’s singles championship in US Open 2013?
    a) Serena Williams
    b) Lin Na
    c) Carla Suarez
    d) Ekaterina Makarova

     

    8. Who was runner up in women’s singles championship in US Open 2013?

    a) Flavia Pennetta
    b) Victoria Azarenka
    c) Roberta Vinci
    d) Daniela Hantuchova

    9. Who won men’s singles championship in US Open 2013?
    a) Richard Gasquet
    b) Tommy Robredo
    c) David Ferrer
    d) Rafael Nadal

    10. Who was runner up in men’s singles championship in US Open 2013?
    a) Andrew Murray
    b) Mikhail Youzhny
    c) Novak Djokovic
    d) Stanislas Wawrinka

    Questions and Answers

     

    1. Who won men’s doubles championship in US Open 2013?

    c) Leander Paes, Radek Stepanek

    2. Who were runners-up in men’s doubles championship in US Open 2013?
    a) Alexander Peya, Bruno Soares

    3. Who won women’s doubles championship in US Open 2013?
    c) Andrea Hlavackova, Lucie Hradecka

    4. Who were runners-up in women’s doubles championship in US Open 2013?
    d) Ashleigh Barty, Casey Dellacqua

    5. Who won mixed doubles championship in US Open 2013?
    b) Max Mirnyi, Andrea Hlavackova

    6. Who were runners-up in mixed doubles championship in US Open 2013?
    c) Santiago Gonzales, Abigail Spears

    7. Who won women’s singles championship in US Open 2013?
    a) Serena Williams

    8. Who was runner-up in women’s singles championship in US Open 2013?
    b) Victoria Azarenka

    9. Who won men’s singles championship in US Open 2013?
    d) Rafael Nadal

    10. Who was runner-up in men’s singles championship in US Open 2013?
    c) Novak Djokovic