September 16

Pre-1600

• 681 – Pope Honorius I is posthumously excommunicated by the Sixth Ecumenical Council.
• 1400 – Owain Glyndŵr is declared Prince of Wales by his followers.

1601–1900

• 1620 – Pilgrims set sail for Virginia from Plymouth, England in the Mayflower.^[1]
• 1701 – James Francis Edward Stuart, sometimes called the "Old Pretender", becomes the Jacobite claimant to the thrones of England and Scotland.
• 1732 – In Campo Maior, Portugal, a storm hits the Armory and a violent explosion ensues, killing two-thirds of its inhabitants.
• 1776 – American Revolutionary War: The Battle of Harlem Heights is fought.
• 1779 – American Revolutionary War: The Franco-American Siege of Savannah begins.
• 1810 – With the Grito de Dolores, Father Miguel Hidalgo begins Mexico's fight for independence from Spain.
• 1822 – French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel, in a "note" read to the Academy of Sciences, reports a direct refraction experiment verifying David Brewster's hypothesis that photoelasticity (as it is now known) is stress-induced birefringence.^[2]
• 1863 – Robert College, in Istanbul, the first American educational institution outside the United States, is founded by Christopher Robert, an American philanthropist.
• 1880 – The Cornell Daily Sun prints its first issue in Ithaca, New York.
• 1893 – Settlers make a land run for prime land in the Cherokee Strip in Oklahoma.

1901–present

• 1908 – The General Motors Corporation is founded.
• 1914 – World War I: The Siege of Przemyśl (present-day Poland) begins.
• 1920 – The Wall Street bombing: A bomb in a horse wagon explodes in front of the J. P. Morgan building in New York City killing 38 and injuring 400.
• 1940 – World War II: Italian troops conquer Sidi Barrani.
• 1943 – World War II: The German Tenth Army reports that it can no longer contain the Allied bridgehead around Salerno.
• 1945 – World War II: The Japanese occupation of Hong Kong comes to an end.
• 1953 – American Airlines Flight 723 crashes in Colonie, New York, killing 28 people.^[3]
• 1955 – The military coup to unseat President Juan Perón of Argentina is launched at midnight.
• 1955 – A Soviet Zulu-class submarine becomes the first to launch a ballistic missile.
• 1956 – TCN-9 Sydney is the first Australian television station to commence regular broadcasts.
• 1959 – The first successful photocopier, the Xerox 914, is introduced in a demonstration on live television from New York City.
• 1961 – The United States National Hurricane Research Project drops eight cylinders of silver iodide into the eyewall of Hurricane Esther. Wind speed reduces by 10%, giving rise to Project Stormfury.
• 1961 – Typhoon Nancy, with possibly the strongest winds ever measured in a tropical cyclone, makes landfall in Osaka, Japan, killing 173 people.
• 1961 – Pakistan establishes its Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission with Abdus Salam as its head.
• 1963 – Malaysia is formed from the Federation of Malaya, Singapore, North Borneo (Sabah) and Sarawak. However, Singapore is soon expelled from this new country.
• 1966 – The Metropolitan Opera House opens at Lincoln Center in New York City with the world premiere of Samuel Barber's opera Antony and Cleopatra.
• 1970 – King Hussein of Jordan declares war against the Palestine Liberation Organization, the conflict came to be known as Black September.
• 1975 – Papua New Guinea gains independence from Australia.
• 1975 – Cape Verde, Mozambique, and São Tomé and Príncipe join the United Nations.
• 1975 – The first prototype of the Mikoyan MiG-31 interceptor makes its maiden flight.
• 1976 – Armenian champion swimmer Shavarsh Karapetyan saves 20 people from a trolleybus that had fallen into a Yerevan reservoir.
• 1978 – The 7.4 M_w  Tabas earthquake affects the city of Tabas, Iran with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). At least 15,000 people are killed.
• 1979 – Eight people escape from East Germany to the west in a homemade hot air balloon.
• 1982 – Lebanon War: The Sabra and Shatila massacre in Lebanon takes place.
• 1987 – The Montreal Protocol is signed to protect the ozone layer from depletion.
• 1990 – The railroad between the People's Republic of China and Kazakhstan is completed at Dostyk, adding a sizable link to the concept of the Eurasian Land Bridge.
• 1992 – The trial of the deposed Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega ends in the United States with a 40-year sentence for drug trafficking and money laundering.
• 1992 – Black Wednesday: The British pound is forced out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism by currency speculators and is forced to devalue against the German mark.
• 1994 – The British government lifts the broadcasting ban imposed against members of Sinn Féin and Irish paramilitary groups in 1988.
• 2004 – Hurricane Ivan makes landfall in Gulf Shores, Alabama as a Category 3 hurricane.
• 2005 – The Camorra organized crime boss Paolo Di Lauro is arrested in Naples, Italy.
• 2007 – One-Two-GO Airlines Flight 269 carrying 130 crew and passengers crashes in Thailand, killing 90 people.
• 2007 – Security guards working for Blackwater Worldwide shoot and kill 17 Iraqis in Nisour Square, Baghdad.
• 2013 – A gunman kills twelve people at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C.^[4]
• 2014 – The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant launches its Kobani offensive against Syrian–Kurdish forces.
• 2015 – A 8.3 M_w  earthquake strikes the Chilean city of Illapel, killing 15 people, injuring at least 34, leaving at least six missing, and causing extensive damage. One person also dies in Argentina.^[5]
• 2019 – Five months before the COVID-19 stock market crash, an overnight spike in lending rates in the United States prompts the Federal Reserve to conduct operations in the repo market.
• 2021 – A 6.0 M_w  earthquake strikes Lu County, Sichuan, China, killing three and injuring more than 88.^[6]
• 2022 – During the Let Yet Kone massacre, the Burmese military kills 13 villagers, including eight children, after attacking a school in Sagaing Region, Myanmar.^[7]
• 2022 – The death of Mahsa Amini occurred, which sparked worldwide protests.^[8]

Pre-1600

• AD 16 – Julia Drusilla, Roman daughter of Germanicus (d. 38)
• 508 – Yuan Di, emperor of the Liang dynasty (d. 555)
• 1295 – Elizabeth de Clare, English noblewoman (d. 1360)^[9]
• 1386 – Henry V of England (d. 1422)^[10]
• 1462 – Pietro Pomponazzi, Italian philosopher (d. 1525)^[11]
• 1507 – Jiajing Emperor of China (d. 1567)
• 1541 – Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex, English nobleman (d. 1576)
• 1557 – Jacques Mauduit, French composer (d. 1627)

1601–1900

• 1615 – Heinrich Bach, German organist and composer (d. 1692)
• 1625 – Gregorio Barbarigo, Roman Catholic saint (d. 1697)
• 1651 – Engelbert Kaempfer, German physician and botanist (d. 1716)
• 1666 – Antoine Parent, French mathematician and theorist (d. 1716)
• 1678 – Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke, English philosopher and politician, Secretary of State for the Southern Department (d. 1751)
• 1716 – Angelo Maria Amorevoli, Italian tenor and actor (d. 1798)
• 1722 – Gabriel Christie, Scottish-Canadian general (d. 1799)
• 1725 – Nicolas Desmarest, French geologist, zoologist, and author (d. 1815)
• 1745 – Mikhail Kutuzov, Russian field marshal (d. 1813)^[12]
• 1777 – Nathan Mayer Rothschild, German-English banker and financier (d. 1836)
• 1782 – Daoguang Emperor of China (d. 1850)
• 1812 – Anna Louisa Geertruida Bosboom-Toussaint, Dutch novelist (d. 1886)^[13]
• 1822 – Charles Crocker, American businessman (d. 1888)^[14]
• 1823 – Francis Parkman, American historian and author (d. 1893)
• 1823 – Ludwik Teichmann, Polish anatomist (d. 1895)^[15]
• 1827 – Jean Albert Gaudry, French geologist and paleontologist (d. 1908)
• 1828 – Per Pålsson, Swedish murderer (d. 1914)
• 1830 – Patrick Francis Moran, Irish-Australian cardinal (d. 1911)
• 1837 – Pedro V of Portugal (d. 1861)
• 1838 – James J. Hill, Canadian-American railroad executive (d. 1916)
• 1844 – Paul Taffanel, French flute player and conductor (d. 1908)
• 1846 – Anna Kingsford, English author, poet, and activist (d. 1888)
• 1853 – Albrecht Kossel, German physician and biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1927)
• 1858 – Edward Marshall Hall, English lawyer and politician (d. 1927)
• 1858 – Bonar Law, Canadian-Scottish banker and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1923)
• 1859 – Yuan Shikai, Chinese general and politician, President of the Republic of China (d. 1916)
• 1861 – Miriam Benjamin, African-American educator and inventor (d. 1947)
• 1866 – Georg Voigt, German lawyer and politician, Mayor of Marburg (d. 1927)
• 1870 – John Pius Boland, Irish tennis player and politician (d. 1958)
• 1875 – James Cash Penney, American businessman and philanthropist, founded J. C. Penney (d. 1971)
• 1876 – Marvin Hart, American boxer (d. 1931)
• 1877 – Jacob Schick, American-Canadian inventor and businessman, founded Schick Razors (d. 1937)
• 1878 – Karl Albiker, German sculptor, lithographer, and educator (d. 1961)
• 1880 – Clara Ayres, American nurse (d. 1917)
• 1880 – Alfred Noyes, English author, poet, and playwright (d. 1958)
• 1881 – Clive Bell, English philosopher and critic (d. 1964)
• 1883 – T. E. Hulme, English poet and critic (d. 1917)
• 1886 – Jean Arp, Alsatian sculptor and painter (d. 1966)
• 1887 – Nadia Boulanger, French composer and educator (d. 1979)^[16]
• 1888 – W. O. Bentley, English race car driver and engineer, founded Bentley Motors Limited (d. 1971)
• 1888 – Frans Eemil Sillanpää, Finnish author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1964)
• 1890 – Avigdor Hameiri, Israeli author (d. 1970)
• 1891 – Karl Dönitz, German admiral and politician, President of Germany (d. 1980)
• 1891 – Stephanie von Hohenlohe, Austrian-German spy (d. 1972)
• 1893 – Alexander Korda, Hungarian-English director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1956)
• 1893 – Albert Szent-Györgyi, Hungarian-American physiologist and biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1986)
• 1895 – Zainal Abidin Ahmad, Malaysian author and scholar (d. 1973)
• 1897 – Milt Franklyn, American composer (d. 1962)
• 1898 – H. A. Rey, American author and illustrator, co-created Curious George (d. 1977)
• 1899 – Hans Swarowsky, Hungarian-Austrian conductor and educator (d. 1975)

1901–present

• 1901 – Josef Schächter, Austrian rabbi and philosopher from the Vienna Circle (d. 1994)
• 1905 – Vladimír Holan, Czech poet and author (d. 1980)
• 1906 – Jack Churchill, Sri Lankan-British colonel (d. 1996)
• 1910 – Erich Kempka, German colonel and chauffeur (d. 1975)
• 1910 – Karl Kling, German race car driver and manager (d. 2003)
• 1911 – Wilfred Burchett, Australian journalist and author (d. 1983)
• 1911 – Paul Henning, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2005)
• 1914 – Allen Funt, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1999)
• 1915 – Cy Walter, American pianist (d. 1968)
• 1916 – Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw, Caribbean politician, 1st Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis (d. 1978)
• 1916 – Frank Farrell, Australian rugby league player and policeman (d. 1985)
• 1916 – M. S. Subbulakshmi, Indian Carnatic vocalist (d. 2004)
• 1916 – Frank Leslie Walcott, Barbadian cricketer, umpire, and politician (d. 1999)
• 1916 – Marie Vieux-Chauvet, Haitian writer (d. 1973)^[17]
• 1916 – Raosaheb Gogte, Indian industrialist (d. 2000)^[18]
• 1918 – Władysław Kędra, Polish pianist (d. 1968)
• 1919 – Bill Daley, American football player and sportscaster (d. 2015)
• 1919 – Laurence J. Peter, Canadian-American hierarchiologist and educator (d. 1990)
• 1919 – Andy Russell, American singer and actor (d. 1992)
• 1920 – Staryl C. Austin, American air force general (d. 2015)
• 1920 – Sheila Quinn, English nurse and educator (d. 2016)
• 1920 – Art Sansom, American cartoonist (d. 1991)
• 1921 – Ursula Franklin, German-Canadian metallurgist (d. 2016)
• 1921 – Jon Hendricks, American singer-songwriter (d. 2017)
• 1921 – Korla Pandit, American pianist and composer (d. 1998)
• 1922 – Guy Hamilton, French-English director and screenwriter (d. 2016)
• 1922 – Janis Paige, American actress and singer^[19]
• 1923 – Lee Kuan Yew, Singaporean lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Singapore (d. 2015)
• 1924 – Lauren Bacall, American actress (d. 2014)^[20]
• 1924 – Raoul Coutard, French cinematographer and director (d. 2016)^[21]
• 1925 – Charlie Byrd, American singer and guitarist (d. 1999)
• 1925 – Charles Haughey, Irish accountant, lawyer, and politician, 7th Taoiseach of Ireland (d. 2006)
• 1925 – B.B. King, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 2015)^[20]
• 1926 – Eric Gross, Austrian-Australian pianist and composer (d. 2011)
• 1926 – John Knowles, American novelist (d. 2001)
• 1926 – Roger McKee, American baseball player (d. 2014)
• 1926 – Robert H. Schuller, American pastor and author (d. 2015)
• 1927 – Peter Falk, American actor (d. 2011)^[20]
• 1927 – Jack Kelly, American actor and politician (d. 1992)^[20]
• 1927 – Sadako Ogata, Japanese academic and diplomat, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (d. 2019)
• 1928 – Rex Trailer, American television host, actor, and singer (d. 2013)
• 1928 – Lady Gwen Thompson, English author and educator (d. 1986)
• 1928 – Patricia Wald, American judge (d. 2019)
• 1929 – Jamshid bin Abdullah of Zanzibar, last sultan of Zanzibar
• 1929 – Stan Stephens, Canadian-American politician, 20th Governor of Montana (d. 2021)
• 1930 – Anne Francis, American actress (d. 2011)^[20]
• 1931 – K. D. Arulpragasam, Sri Lankan zoologist and academic (d. 2003)
• 1931 – Little Willie Littlefield, American-Dutch singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2013)
• 1932 – George Chakiris, American actor^[19]
• 1932 – Micky Stewart, English cricketer and coach
• 1933 – Steve Shirley, German-English businesswoman and philanthropist, founded Xansa
• 1934 – Elgin Baylor, American basketball player and coach (d. 2021)^[20]
• 1934 – Ronnie Drew, Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2008)
• 1935 – Carl Andre, American sculptor (d. 2024)
• 1935 – Billy Boy Arnold, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1935 – Jules Bass, American director, producer, composer, and author (d. 2022)^[22]
• 1935 – Lilia Cuntapay, Filipino actress (d. 2016)^[23][24]
• 1935 – Bob Kiley, American-English businessman (d. 2016)
• 1935 – Esther Vilar, Argentinian-German author and playwright^[25]
• 1935 – Helen Williams, American fashion model (d. 2023)^[26]
• 1937 – Aleksandr Medved, Russian wrestler
• 1937 – Vince Naimoli, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 2019)
• 1939 – Breyten Breytenbach, South African-French poet and painter
• 1939 – Bill McGill, American basketball player (d. 2014)
• 1940 – Hamiet Bluiett, American jazz saxophonist and composer (d. 2018)
• 1940 – Butch Buchholz, American tennis player
• 1941 – Joe Butler, American singer, autoharp player, and drummer
• 1941 – Richard Perle, American political scientist and politician
• 1942 – Bernie Calvert, English bass player and keyboard player
• 1942 – Susan L. Graham, American computer scientist and academic
• 1943 – Wang Houjun, Chinese footballer and manager (d. 2012)
• 1943 – James Alan McPherson, American short story writer and essayist (d. 2016)
• 1944 – Linda Kaye Henning, American actress
• 1944 – Betty Kelly, American soul/R&B singer^[19]
• 1946 – Sonny LeMaire, American country music singer-songwriter and bass player
• 1946 – Mike Reynolds, Australian lawyer and politician
• 1946 – Camilo Sesto, Spanish singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2019)
• 1947 – Dusty Hughes, English director and playwright
• 1948 – Ron Blair, American bass player
• 1948 – Rosemary Casals, American tennis player and sportscaster
• 1948 – Julia Donaldson, English author and playwright
• 1948 – Kenney Jones, English drummer^[19]
• 1948 – Susan Ruttan, American actress^[19]
• 1949 – Ed Begley Jr., American actor and environmental activist^[19]
• 1950 – David Bellamy, American singer-songwriter and guitarist^[19]
• 1950 – Henry Louis Gates Jr., American historian, scholar, and journalist
• 1950 – Loyd Grossman, American-English singer, guitarist, and television host
• 1951 – Vince Bell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1951 – Andy Irvine, Scottish rugby player and coach
• 1951 – Cornelius Sim, Bruneian cardinal^[27]
• 1952 – Tony Cunningham, English educator and politician
• 1952 – Česlovas Laurinavičius, Lithuanian historian
• 1952 – Karen Muir, South African swimmer and physician (d. 2013)
• 1952 – Mickey Rourke, American boxer and actor^[19]
• 1953 – Kurt Fuller, American character actor
• 1953 – Alan Barton, English singer and guitarist (d. 1995)
• 1953 – Nancy Huston, Canadian-American author and translator
• 1953 – Earl Klugh, American musician^[19]
• 1953 – Mark Malloch Brown, Baron Malloch-Brown, English journalist and politician, 2nd Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations
• 1953 – Jerry Pate, American golfer and sportscaster
• 1953 – Manuel Pellegrini, Chilean footballer and manager
• 1953 – Christopher Rich, American actor^[19]
• 1953 – Eric Vail, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
• 1954 – Sanjoy Bandopadhyay, Indian sitar player and composer
• 1954 – William McKeen, American author and academic
• 1954 – Colin Newman, English singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer
• 1954 – Frank Reed, American singer-songwriter (d. 2014)
• 1954 – Roger Woolley, Australian cricketer
• 1955 – Ron Brewer, American basketball player
• 1955 – Robin Yount, American baseball player and coach^[20]
• 1956 – Maggie Atkinson, English educator and civil servant
• 1956 – David Copperfield, American magician and actor^[19]
• 1956 – Ross Greenberg, American journalist and antivirus pioneer (d. 2017)
• 1956 – Dave Schulthise, American bass player (d. 2004)
• 1956 – Kazuharu Sonoda, Japanese wrestler (d. 1987)
• 1957 – D. C. Drake, American wrestler
• 1957 – Clara Furse, English businesswoman
• 1957 – Norman Lamb, English lawyer and politician
• 1957 – David McCreery, Northern Irish footballer and manager
• 1957 – Anca Parghel, Romanian singer and pianist (d. 2008)
• 1958 – Orel Hershiser, American baseball player and coach
• 1958 – Neville Southall, Welsh footballer and manager
• 1958 – Jennifer Tilly, American actress and poker player^[19]
• 1959 – Peter Keleghan, Canadian actor and screenwriter
• 1959 – Tim Raines, American baseball player, coach, and manager
• 1959 – Dave Richardson, South African cricketer, manager, and lawyer
• 1959 – Victory Tischler-Blue, American bass player, director, and producer
• 1960 – Jayne Brook, American actress^[19]
• 1960 – Graham Haynes, American trumpet player and composer
• 1960 – Mike Mignola, American author and illustrator
• 1961 – Bilinda Butcher, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1961 – Philip Lafon, Canadian wrestler
• 1961 – Annamária Szalai, Hungarian journalist, economist, and politician (d. 2013)
• 1962 – Seth, Canadian author and illustrator
• 1963 – Richard Marx, American singer-songwriter and producer^[19]
• 1964 – Mary Coustas, Australian actress and screenwriter
• 1964 – Rossy de Palma, Spanish-French model and actress
• 1964 – Dave Sabo, American guitarist and songwriter
• 1964 – Molly Shannon, American actress, comedian and producer^[19]
• 1965 – Katy Kurtzman, American actress and producer
• 1965 – Karl-Heinz Riedle, German footballer and manager
• 1965 – Stephen Shareaux, American singer-songwriter
• 1966 – John Bel Edwards, American attorney and politician
• 1966 – Wil McCarthy, American author and playwright
• 1966 – Kevin Young, American hurdler
• 1967 – Hiroya Oku, Japanese author and illustrator
• 1967 – Damon Thayer, Kentucky State Senate Majority Leader^[28]
• 1968 – Marc Anthony, American singer-songwriter, actor, and producer^[19]
• 1968 – Walt Becker, American director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1968 – Tommy Keane, Irish footballer (d. 2012)
• 1969 – Justine Frischmann, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1969 – Janno Gibbs, Filipino singer-songwriter and actor
• 1970 – Mark Schultz, American singer-songwriter
• 1971 – Joel Heyman, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1971 – Charlie Jacobs, American businessman
• 1971 – Amy Poehler, American actress, comedian, and producer^[19]
• 1971 – Richard Slinger, American wrestler
• 1971 – Shawntel Smith, American beauty pageant contestant
• 1972 – Mark Bruener, American football player
• 1972 – Mike Doyle, American actor and producer
• 1972 – Alessandro Nunziati, Italian singer-songwriter and producer
• 1973 – George Corrie, English footballer
• 1973 – Camiel Eurlings, Dutch businessman and member of the International Olympic Committee
• 1973 – Justin Haythe, American author and screenwriter
• 1973 – Alexander Vinokourov, Kazakh cyclist and manager
• 1974 – Loona, Dutch singer-songwriter and dancer
• 1974 – Monique Brumby, Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1974 – Joaquin Castro, American lawyer and politician
• 1974 – Julian Castro, American lawyer and politician, 16th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
• 1975 – Jason Leffler, American race car driver (d. 2013)
• 1975 – Shannon Noll, Australian singer-songwriter
• 1975 – Toks Olagundoye, Nigerian actress^[19]
• 1976 – Elīna Garanča, Latvian soprano
• 1976 – Tina Barrett, English singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
• 1976 – Greg Buckner, American basketball player and coach
• 1977 – Gregory Ball, American captain and politician
• 1977 – Musiq Soulchild, American singer-songwriter^[19]
• 1978 – Dan Dickau, American basketball player and coach
• 1978 – Claudia Marx, German runner
• 1978 – Sensei, Mexican wrestler
• 1978 – Brian Sims, American lawyer, politician, and LGBT activist
• 1979 – Fanny, French singer
• 1979 – Bobby Korecky, American baseball player
• 1979 – Flo Rida, American rapper, singer, and songwriter^[19]
• 1980 – Patrik Štefan, Czech ice hockey player
• 1980 – Kenny van Weeghel, Dutch wheelchair racer
• 1981 – Fan Bingbing, Chinese actress, singer, and producer^[20]
• 1981 – Alexis Bledel, American actress^[19]
• 1981 – LaVerne Jones-Ferrette, Virgin Islander sprinter
• 1982 – Leon Knight, English footballer
• 1982 – Michele Rizzo, Italian rugby player
• 1982 – Fiete Sykora, German footballer
• 1982 – Ryan Thomson, Scottish footballer
• 1983 – John Afoa, New Zealand rugby player
• 1983 – Katerine Avgoustakis, Belgian singer and pianist
• 1983 – Jennifer Blake, Canadian wrestler
• 1983 – Kirsty Coventry, Zimbabwean swimmer
• 1983 – Brandon Moss, American baseball player
• 1983 – Legedu Naanee, American football player
• 1984 – Sabrina Bryan, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress^[19]
• 1984 – Serginho Catarinense, Brazilian footballer
• 1984 – Katie Melua, Georgian-English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1985 – Matt Harrison, American baseball player^[29]
• 1985 – Max Minghella, English actor
• 1985 – Madeline Zima, American actress^[19]
• 1986 – Gordon Beckham, American baseball player
• 1986 – Ian Harding, American actor^[19]
• 1986 – Kyla Pratt, American actress and singer^[19]
• 1987 – Merve Boluğur, Turkish actress
• 1987 – Kyle Lafferty, Irish footballer
• 1987 – Louis Ngwat-Mahop, Cameroonian footballer
• 1987 – Burry Stander, South African cyclist (d. 2013)
• 1987 – Travis Wall, American dancer and choreographer
• 1988 – Teddy Geiger, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress^[19]
• 1989 – Lancelot Bravado, American wrestler
• 1989 – Bailey De Young, American actress^[19]
• 1989 – Robbie Grossman, American baseball player^[30]
• 1989 – Braden Holtby, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1989 – Salomón Rondón, Venezuelan footballer
• 1989 – Dustin Tokarski, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1991 – Diāna Bukājeva, Latvian tennis player
• 1991 – Alexandra Paul, Canadian figure skater (d. 2023)
• 1991 – Kyle Smith, English motorcycle racer
• 1992 – Vytenis Čižauskas, Lithuanian basketball player
• 1992 – Nick Jonas, American singer-songwriter and guitarist^[19]
• 1992 – Jake Roche, English singer-songwriter and actor
• 1992 – Chase Stokes, American actor^[20]
• 1993 – Sam Byram, English footballer
• 1994 – Anthony Mantha, Canadian ice hockey player^[31]
• 1994 – Mitchell Moses, Australian rugby league player
• 1995 – Aaron Gordon, American basketball player^[32]
• 1997 – Jackie Young, American basketball player^[33]
• 1999 – Brady Tkachuk, American ice hockey player^[34]
• 2000 – Sam Howell, American football player^[35]
• 2001 – Avishag Semberg, Israeli Olympic taekwondo bronze medalist^[36]
• 2003 – Ryan Couchman, Australian rugby league player^[37]
• 2003 – Toby Couchman, Australian rugby league player^[38]

Pre-1600

• 307 – Flavius Valerius Severus, Roman emperor
• 655 – Pope Martin I
• 1087 – Pope Victor III (b. 1026)
• 1100 – Bernold of Constance, German priest and historian (b. 1054)
• 1122 – Vitalis of Savigny, Catholic French saint and itinerant preacher (b. 1060)^[39]
• 1226 – Pandulf Verraccio, Roman ecclesiastical politician
• 1343 – Philip III of Navarre (b. 1306)
• 1345 – John IV, Duke of Brittany (b. 1295)
• 1360 – William de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton (b. 1319)
• 1380 – Charles V of France (b. 1338)
• 1394 – Antipope Clement VII (b. 1342)
• 1406 – Cyprian, Metropolitan of Moscow (b. 1336)
• 1498 – Tomás de Torquemada, Spanish friar (b. 1420)
• 1581 – Peter Niers, notorious German bandit (date of birth unknown)
• 1583 – Catherine Jagiellon, queen of John III of Sweden (b. 1526)
• 1589 – Michael Baius, Belgian theologian and academic (b. 1513)

1601–1900

• 1607 – Mary Stuart, English-Scottish princess (b. 1605)
• 1672 – Anne Bradstreet, English poet (b. 1612)
• 1701 – James II of England (b. 1633)
• 1736 – Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, Polish-Dutch physicist and engineer, invented the thermometer (b. 1686)
• 1792 – Nguyễn Huệ, Vietnamese emperor (b. 1753)
• 1803 – Nicolas Baudin, French explorer, hydrographer, and cartographer (b. 1754)
• 1819 – John Jeffries, American physician and surgeon (b. 1744)
• 1824 – Louis XVIII of France (b. 1755)
• 1843 – Ezekiel Hart, Canadian businessman and politician (b. 1770)
• 1845 – Thomas Davis, Irish poet and publisher (b. 1814)
• 1865 – Christian de Meza, Danish general (b. 1792)
• 1887 – Sakaigawa Namiemon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 14th Yokozuna (b. 1841)
• 1896 – Antônio Carlos Gomes, Brazilian composer (b. 1836)
• 1896 – Pavlos Kalligas, Greek jurist and politician, Foreign Minister of Greece (b. 1814)
• 1898 – Ramón Emeterio Betances, Puerto Rican surgeon and politician (b. 1827)

1901–present

• 1911 – Edward Whymper, English-French mountaineer, explorer, and author (b. 1840)
• 1914 – C. X. Larrabee, American businessman (b. 1843)
• 1919 – Maria Nikiforova, Ukrainian anarchist partisan leader (b. 1885)^[40]
• 1925 – Leo Fall, Czech-Austrian composer (b. 1873)
• 1925 – Alexander Friedmann, Russian physicist and mathematician (b. 1888)
• 1931 – Omar Mukhtar, Libyan theorist and educator (b. 1862)
• 1932 – Millicent Lilian "Peg" Entwistle, British stage and screen actress (b. 1908)
• 1932 – Ronald Ross, Indian-English physician and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1857)
• 1933 – George Gore, American baseball player and manager (b. 1857)
• 1936 – Jean-Baptiste Charcot, French physician and explorer (b. 1867)
• 1940 – Charles Cochrane-Baillie, 2nd Baron Lamington, English-Scottish politician, 8th Governor of Queensland (b. 1860)
• 1944 – Gustav Bauer, German journalist and politician, 11th Chancellor of Germany (b. 1870)
• 1945 – John McCormack, Irish tenor and actor (b. 1884)
• 1946 – James Hopwood Jeans, English physicist, astronomer, and mathematician (b. 1877)
• 1950 – Pedro de Cordoba, American actor (b. 1881)
• 1955 – Leo Amery, Indian-English journalist and politician, Secretary of State for the Colonies (b. 1873)
• 1961 – Hasan Polatkan, Turkish politician, 15th Turkish Minister of Finance (b. 1915)
• 1961 – Fatin Rüştü Zorlu, Turkish diplomat and politician, 21st Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1910)
• 1965 – Ahn Eak-tai, North Korean composer and conductor (b. 1906)
• 1965 – Fred Quimby, American animator and producer (b. 1886)
• 1973 – Víctor Jara, Chilean singer-songwriter, teacher and theatre director (b. 1932)
• 1976 – Bertha Lutz, Brazilian feminist and scientist (b. 1894)
• 1977 – Marc Bolan, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1947)
• 1977 – Maria Callas, Greek operatic soprano (b. 1923)
• 1980 – Jean Piaget, Swiss psychologist and philosopher (b. 1896)
• 1984 – Louis Réard, French engineer and fashion designer, created the bikini (b. 1897)
• 1984 – Richard Brautigan, American novelist, poet, and short story writer (b. 1935)
• 1987 – Christopher Soames, English soldier and politician, Governor of Southern Rhodesia (b. 1920)
• 1991 – Olga Spessivtseva, Russian-American ballerina (b. 1895)
• 1992 – Millicent Fenwick, American journalist and politician (b. 1910)
• 1993 – František Jílek, Czech conductor (b. 1913)
• 1993 – Oodgeroo Noonuccal, Australian poet and activist (b. 1920)
• 1996 – McGeorge Bundy, American intelligence officer and diplomat, 6th United States National Security Advisor (b. 1919)
• 1996 – Gene Nelson, American actor, dancer, and director (b. 1920)
• 2001 – Samuel Z. Arkoff, American producer (b. 1918)
• 2002 – James Gregory, American actor (b. 1911)
• 2003 – Sheb Wooley, American singer-songwriter (b. 1921)
• 2004 – Michael Donaghy, American-English poet and author (b. 1954)
• 2005 – Harry Freedman, Canadian horn player, composer, and educator (b. 1922)
• 2005 – Gordon Gould, American physicist and academic, invented the laser (b. 1920)
• 2006 – Floyd Curry, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1925)
• 2006 – Zsuzsa Körmöczy, Hungarian tennis player and coach (b. 1924)^[41]
• 2007 – Robert Jordan, American engineer and author (b. 1948)
• 2008 – Norman Whitfield, American songwriter and producer (b. 1940)
• 2009 – Myles Brand, American philosopher and academic (b. 1942)
• 2009 – Ernst Märzendorfer, Austrian conductor (b. 1921)
• 2009 – Mary Travers, American singer-songwriter (b. 1936)
• 2010 – George N. Parks, American educator and bandleader (b. 1953)
• 2010 – Jim Towers, English footballer (b. 1933)
• 2011 – Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, American singer-songwriter, harmonica player, and drummer (b. 1936)
• 2011 – Enamul Haque Chowdhury, Bangladeshi politician (b. 1948)
• 2012 – Roman Kroitor, Canadian director and producer, co-founded IMAX (b. 1926)
• 2012 – Julien J. LeBourgeois, American admiral (b. 1923)
• 2012 – Friedrich Zimmermann, German lawyer and politician, German Federal Minister of the Interior (b. 1925)
• 2013 – Scott Adams, American football player (b. 1966)
• 2013 – Ratiba El-Hefny, Egyptian soprano and director (b. 1931)
• 2013 – Patsy Swayze, American dancer and choreographer (b. 1927)
• 2015 – Guy Béart, Egyptian-French singer-songwriter (b. 1930)
• 2015 – Julio Brady, Virgin Islander lawyer, judge, and politician, 5th Lieutenant Governor of the United States Virgin Islands (b. 1942)
• 2015 – Kurt Oppelt, Austrian figure skater and coach (b. 1932)
• 2015 – Allan Wright, English captain and pilot (b. 1920)
• 2016 – Edward Albee, American director and playwright (b. 1928)
• 2016 – Gabriele Amorth, Italian priest and exorcist (b. 1925)
• 2016 – Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, Italian economist and politician, 10th President of Italy and 49th Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1920)
• 2016 – W. P. Kinsella, American novelist (b. 1935)
• 2016 – António Mascarenhas Monteiro, Cabo Verdean politician, 2nd President of Cape Verde (b. 1944)
• 2016 – Gérard Louis-Dreyfus, French-born American businessman (b. 1932)
• 2017 – Marcelo Rezende, Brazilian journalist (b. 1951)
• 2017 – Arjan Singh, Marshal of the Indian Air Force (b. 1919)
• 2018 – James Burdette Thayer, American brigadier general (b. 1920)
• 2019 – H. S. Dillon, Indonesian politician and human rights defender (b. 1945)
• 2020 – Maxim Martsinkevich, Russian social activist and media personality (b. 1984) ^[42]
• 2021 – Jane Powell, American actress (b. 1929)^[43]
• 2021 – Clive Sinclair, English entrepreneur and inventor (b. 1940)^[44]

• Christian feast day:
  • Andrew Kim Taegon (one of The Korean Martyrs)
  • Curcodomus
  • Cyprian (Catholic Church)
  • Edith of Wilton
  • Euphemia
  • Ludmila
  • Ninian
  • Pope Cornelius
  • Vitalis of Savigny
  • September 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics).
• Cry of Dolores, celebrates the declaration of independence of Mexico from Spain in 1810. See Fiestas Patrias
• Independence Day (Papua New Guinea), celebrates the independence of Papua New Guinea from Australia in 1975.
• International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer^[45]
• Malaysian Armed Forces Day (Malaysia)
• Malaysia Day (Malaysia)
• Martyrs' Day (Libya)
• National Heroes Day (Saint Kitts and Nevis)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to September 16.

• "On This Day". BBC.
• The New York Times: On This Day
• "Historical Events on September 16". OnThisDay.com.