What Happened in September 2020

Historical Events

Music History

Sep 1 BTS become the 1st all-Korean pop act to top the Billboard 100 singles chart with "Dynamite"

Event of Interest

Sep 1 President Trump visits the city of Kenosha, Wisconsin, where Jacob Blake was shot, to offer support to law enforcement

  • Sep 1 Rare protests in Mongolia against moves to teach school subjects in Mandarin instead of Mongolian
  • Sep 2 Australia officially enters recession for the first time in almost 3 decades with GDP falling 7% (April-June)
  • Sep 2 British architect Richard Rogers designer of the Pompidou Centre and the Millennial Dome retires

Berlusconi Tests Positive

Sep 2 Former Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi tests positive for COVID-19 and is later hospitalized

  • Sep 2 Press conference with body camera evidence brings to light death of African American Daniel Prude after being retrained by police back in March

COVID-19 Pandemic

Sep 3 Actor Robert Pattinson tests positive for COVID-19, shutting down production of the Batman film he is shooting

Event of Interest

Sep 3 MacKenzie Scott, philanthropist and ex-wife of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, becomes world's richest woman worth $68 billion

  • Sep 3 More healthcare workers have died of COVID-19 in Mexico than any other country - 1320 deaths vs 1077 (US) and 649 (UK) according to Amnesty International [1]
  • Sep 3 Philadelphia Phillies retire infielder Dick Allen's number 15 on the 57th anniversary of his MLB debut.
  • Sep 4 Record 52% of American 18-29-year-olds are living with their parents because of the pandemic according to Pew Research Center study [1]
  • Sep 5 146th Kentucky Derby: 8-1 underdog Authentic with John R. Velazquez aboard holds off heavy favourite Tiz the Law to give trainer Bob Baffert his record-tying 6th Derby win
  • Sep 5 More than 50 arrested as Portland, Oregon, marks 100 days of protests against racism and police brutality

Election of Interest

Sep 6 100,000 people demonstrate in Minsk against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, amid month-long protests against his re-election

  • Sep 6 First chord change in 19 years in John Cage's "As Slow As Possible" composition, being played for 639 years, in Halberstadt, Germany
  • Sep 6 Los Angeles County reported its highest-ever temperature of 121F (49.4C)
  • Sep 6 Premier Daniel Andrews announces roadmap out of restrictions for the Australian state of Victoria, but extends lockdown till September 28
  • Sep 6 Strain of Bacteria nicknamed "Conan the Bacterium' survives three years attached to the International Space Station in open space

US Men's Tennis Open

Sep 6 World #1 tennis player Novak Đoković is sensationally disqualified in 4th round of US Open after hitting a ball in frustration, striking a line judge; trailed Pablo Carreño Busta 5-6 in 1st set

  • Sep 7 India overtakes Brazil to record the second-highest number of COVID-19 cases with 4.2 million
  • Sep 7 Tour Championship, Men's Golf, East Lake GC: Dustin Johnson wins by 3 strokes from Xander Schauffele & Justin Thomas; claims FedEx Cup, equal biggest winner's prize in golf, US$15m
  • Sep 7 Wildfires have burnt a record 2 million acres in California 2020 fire season, more than the state of Delaware according to Cal Fire
  • Sep 8 Moria refugee camp, Europe's biggest migrant camp burns down on the Greek island of Lesbos, leaving 13,000 without shelter
  • Sep 8 Two ex-Myanmar soldiers testify they were ordered to rape and kill Muslim Rohingya villagers, 1st public confession of army-directed crimes against Rohingya [1]
  • Sep 9 Donald Trump purposely downplayed the pandemic in early 2020 to avoid panic according to Bob Woodward's new book "Rage"
  • Sep 9 Global death toll from COVID-19 passes 900,000 with the US the most deaths at 190,589
  • Sep 9 San Francisco Bay area blanketed by dark orange skies and smoke due to California wildfires
  • Sep 10 Austrian British researcher Martin Hairer wins Breakthrough prize for mathematics worth $3 million for work on stochastic analysis
  • Sep 10 California's August Complex wildfire becomes largest recorded in state history at 471,000 acres (736 square miles)

David Byrne's American Utopia

Sep 10 Concert film "David Byrne's American Utopia", directed by Spike Lee, documenting Broadway musical revue premieres at Toronto International Film Festival

  • Sep 10 Wildfires in Oregon cause 500,000 people to evacuate, 10% of the population with unprecedented 900,000 acres burnt

Venice Film Festival

Sep 12 Chloé Zhao's "Nomadland" starring Frances McDormand wins the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival

US Open Women's Tennis

Sep 12 US Open Women's Tennis: Naomi Osaka of Japan wins her second US title; beats Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 1-6, 6-3, 6-3

  • Sep 13 ANA Inspiration Women's Golf, Mission Hills CC: Mirim Lee of South Korea wins her first major title; beats Brooke Henderson and Nelly Korda with a birdie on first playoff hole
  • Sep 13 Chicago Cubs pitcher Alec Mills no-hits the Milwaukee Brewers, 12-0 at Miller Park, Milwaukee
  • Sep 13 US Open Men's Tennis: Austrian Dominic Thiem becomes first in 70 years to recover from 2 sets down to win US crown; beats Alexander Zverev of Germany 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6
  • Sep 14 Astronomers report possible sign of life on Venus, after detecting phosphine in planets's atmosphere by telescope [1]
  • Sep 14 Israel becomes the 1st country to announce a second national lockdown due to COVID-19, for 3 weeks
  • Sep 14 Jakarta, Indonesia's biggest city of 10 million, imposes widespread restrictions again, amid warnings the healthcare system is on the verge of collapse
  • Sep 14 WHO reports largest-ever one-day COVID-19 case rise of 307,930, daily death toll of 5,500, overall death total is 917,417

Event of Interest

Sep 15 Family of Breonna Taylor announce $12 million wrongful death settlement with city of Louisville, Kentucky, after her death in botched police raid March 13

Event of Interest

Sep 15 Scientific American issues its 1st ever presidential endorsement in 175 years by backing Joe Biden

Event of Interest

Sep 16 Barbados' Prime Minister Mia Mottley announces the country's intention to remove Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state and become a republic

  • Sep 16 Hurricane Sally makes landfall near Gulf Shores, Alabama, as a category 2 storm bringing serious flooding

Appointment of Interest

Sep 16 Yoshihide Suga confirmed as Prime Minister by the Japanese government after Shinzo Abe stood down due to ill health

  • Sep 17 More than 15,000 fires have caused widespread devastation in Brazil's Pantanal wetlands in 2020, according to its National Institute for Space Research
  • Sep 18 Cyclone Ianos, a rare 'medicane' begins sweeping across Greece, killing three
  • Sep 18 Earliest dated evidence for the human species in the Arabian Peninsula as fossilized footprints 120,000 years old uncovered in Saudi Arabia's Nefud Desert [1]
  • Sep 19 US President Donald Trump vows to swear in a new Supreme Court judge, despite the election being only 45 days away
  • Sep 20 107th Tour de France: Slovenian Tadej Pogačar claims yellow jersey from countryman Primož Roglič; also wins mountains and U25 classifications; green jersey, Sam Bennett
  • Sep 20 72nd Emmy Awards held virtually: "Succession" best drama, "Schitts Creek" wins record nine awards for a comedy, "Watchman" best limited series
  • Sep 20 FinCEN files leaked - over 2,000 mostly 'suspicious activity reports' to the US government showing banks allowed money laundering worth $2 trillion between 2000-17
  • Sep 20 US Open Men's Golf, Winged Foot CC: American Bryson DeChambeau claims his first career major title as the only player to score under par; wins by 6 strokes from Matthew Wolff
  • Sep 21 Canadian province of Quebec expands restrictions, declaring it is in a second COVID-19 wave as cases across the country average 1,000 a day

Event of Interest

Sep 21 WHO Director Tedros Ghebreyesus says countries representing 2/3 of the world's population have joined its COVAX vaccine-distribution initiative to deliver 2 billion doses by end 2021

  • Sep 22 America's COVID-19 death toll passes 200,000, more than any other country

Event of Interest

Sep 22 PM Boris Johnson announces that the UK has reached a 'perilous turning point' in the pandemic as he announces new restrictions

Event of Interest

Sep 22 President Xi Jinping of China pledges at the UN that the country will adopt stronger climate targets including becoming carbon neutral by 2060

  • Sep 23 Alexander Lukashenko sworn in for sixth term as President of Belarus in a secret ceremony, amid continued widespread protests against his re-election
  • Sep 23 Kentucky grand jury indicts only one of three officers for wanton engagement for shooting unarmed Breonna Taylor in Louisville
  • Sep 23 President Donald Trump refuses to commit to a peaceful transfer of power after the US November election at a White House press conference

Film & TV History

Sep 24 David Attenborough breaks Jennifer Aniston's record as the fastest person to reach 1 million followers on Instagram

  • Sep 24 Report China is continuing to expand its Uighur detention centers, with more than 380 suspected facilities housing 1 million people in Xinjiang [1]
  • Sep 25 18 people in a government convoy killed by Islamist militants in Borno State, Nigeria

Ruth Bader Ginsburg Lies in State

Sep 25 Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg becomes the 1st woman to lie in state in the US Capitol in Washington D.C.

  • Sep 25 Magawa, an African Giant Pouched Rat, is the first rat to be awarded a prestigious PDSA hero award, for sniffing out landmines in Cambodia
  • Sep 25 Singapore announces it will be the first country in the world to use facial verification as part of its national identity scheme
  • Sep 26 108 pilot whales survive, while 350 die in Australia's largest mass stranding at Macquarie Harbour, Tasmania
  • Sep 26 President Donald Trump nominates Judge Amy Coney Barrett for the US Supreme Court to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg
  • Sep 27 Border fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan forces over disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh kills at least 23
  • Sep 27 Details of President Donald Trump's tax returns released by the New York Times showing he paid $750 in income tax (2016 & 2017) revealing "chronic losses and years of tax avoidance" [1]
  • Sep 27 Houston officials confirm water supply around Lake Jackson, Texas, contaminated with brain-eating amoeba after death of six-year-old boy
  • Sep 28 COVID-19 recorded global death toll passes 1 million with over 33 million known cases (Johns Hopkins)
  • Sep 28 Stanley Cup Final, Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta: Tampa Bay Lightning claim second championship in franchise history with a 2-0 Game 6 win over Dallas Stars; win series 4-2

Ben Ainslie Sails to Gold

Sep 29 Ben Ainslie wins the Olympic gold medal in the Laser class, beating previous Laser Olympic champion Robert Scheidt

  • Sep 29 First debate between US Presidential candidates Donald Trump and Joe Biden held, widely criticized as chaotic and ill-tempered
  • Sep 29 Scientists confirm the existence of three new underground lakes on Mars using radar on Esa's Mars Express spacecraft
  • Sep 30 California becomes the 1st US state to pass a law allowing for reparations for black residents and descendants of slaves
  • Sep 30 Spanish government orders a COVID-19 lockdown in Madrid and surrounding areas after a rapid rise in cases

Famous Weddings

Lily Allen

Sep 7 British singer-songwriter Lily Allen (35) weds American actor David Harbour (45) in Las Vegas, Nevada; an Elvis impersonator officiates

Famous Deaths

  • Sep 1 Jerzy Szczakiel, Polish speedway rider (World Individual C'ship 1973; World Pairs C'ship 1971), dies at 71
  • Sep 2 Adrianus Johannes Simonis, Dutch clergyman, Catholic cardinal and Archbishop of Utrecht (1983-2007), dies at 88
  • Sep 2 David Capel, English cricket all-rounder (15 Tests; 21 wickets; 23 ODIs), dies from a brain tumour at 57
  • Sep 2 Ian Mitchell, Irish rocker (Bay City Rollers), dies at 62
  • Sep 2 Khang Khek Leu 'Comrade Dutch', Cambodian Khmer Rouge figure convicted of crimes against humanity, dies at 77
  • Sep 2 William Yorzyk Jr., American swimmer (Olympic gold 200m butterfly, WR 2:19.3, 1956), dies at 87
  • Sep 3 Dito, Portuguese soccer defender (17 caps; Braga, Benfica, Vitória Setúbal) and manager (Portimonense, Moreirense), dies from a heart attack at 58
  • Sep 4 Gary Peacock, American jazz bassist (Keith Jarrett Trio), dies at 85 [1]
  • Sep 4 Peter Cronjé, South African rugby union center (7 caps; Transvaal, Natal), dies from cancer at 70
  • Sep 5 Jiří Menzel, Czech film director (Closely Watched Trains), dies at 82
  • Sep 6 Kevin Dobson, American actor (Kojak, Knots Landing, Shannon), dies at 77

Lou Brock (1939-2020)

Sep 6 American Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder (6 × MLB All-Star; World Series 1964, 67; 8 × NL stolen base leader; St Louis Cardinals), dies from multiple myeloma at 81

  • Sep 6 Mike Sexton, American poker player (World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions 2006; Poker Hall of Fame) and commentator (WPT), dies from prostate cancer at 72
  • Sep 6 Tom Jernstedt, American Basketball Hall of Fame administrator (NCAA 1972-2010), dies at 75
  • Sep 8 Alfred Riedl, Austrian soccer striker (4 caps; Austria Wien, Standard Liège) and manager (Austria, Liechtenstein, Vietnam, Palestine, Laos, Indonesia), dies at 70
  • Sep 8 Gene A. Budig, American baseball executive (last American League [AL] president 1994-99), dies from liver disease at 81
  • Sep 8 Ronald Harwood, South African playwright and screenwriter (The Dresser), dies at 85
  • Sep 8 Simeon Coxe, American songwriter, singer and psychedelic synthesizer player (Silver Apples), dies of pulmonary fibrosis at 82 [1]
  • Sep 9 Alan Minter, English boxer (world middleweight champion 1980), dies from cancer at 69
  • Sep 9 Jack Ging, American character actor (11th Hour; Ripcord; Tales of Wells Fargo), dies at 90
  • Sep 9 Ronald Bell, American rock saxophonist and composer (Kool & The Gang), dies at 68
  • Sep 9 Shere Hite [Shirley Diana Gregory], American-German sex therapist (The Hite Report), dies at 77 [1]
  • Sep 10 Diana Rigg, English actress (Emma Peel-Avengers, Game of Thrones), dies at 82
  • Sep 11 (Frederick) "Toots" Hibbert, Jamaican singer-songwriter (The Maytals - "Pressure Drop"), dies with COVID-19 symptoms at 77 [1]
  • Sep 11 Charles Patrick, American do-wop singer and songwriter (The Monotones - "The Book of Love"). dies on his 82nd birthday
  • Sep 11 Nadhim Shaker, Iraqi soccer defender (57 caps; Al-Tayaran) and coach (Iraq), dies from COVID-19 at 61
  • Sep 11 Sonny Allen, American basketball coach (ODU, Southern Methodist University, University of Nevada, Reno; WNBA Sacramento Monarchs), dies of Parkinson's Disease at 84
  • Sep 12 Barbara Jefford, British stage actress (James Joyce's Ulysses), dies at 90
  • Sep 12 Edna Wright, American pop singer (Honey Cone - "Want Ads"), dies of a heart attack while suffering from COPD at 75
  • Sep 12 Terence Conran, English designer and restaurateur (Habitat), dies at 88
  • Sep 14 André Guesdon, French soccer defender (Monaco, Nice) and manager (Viry-Châtillon, Angers, Brest), dies at 71
  • Sep 15 Caroline Kaart (neé Raitt), Scottish-Dutch alto singer, TV and radio presenter, dies at 88
  • Sep 15 Jan Krenz, Polish conductor and composer, dies at 94 [1]
  • Sep 15 Moussa Traoré, Mali soldier, politician and dictator, President of Mali (1968-91), dies at 83
  • Sep 15 Sadashiv Patil, Indian cricket fast bowler (1 Test, 2 wickets; Maharashtra), dies at 86
  • Sep 15 Wang Zhiliang, Chinese table tennis player and coach (World Table Tennis C'ships gold, doubles 1963), dies from a stroke at 79
  • Sep 16 Jack Kelley, American collegiate, WHA, and NHL ice hockey coach, and executive (Colby College coach, 1955-62; Boston University coach, 1962-72; New England Whalers, coach and general manager, 1972-81; Pittsburgh Penquins president, 1993-2001), dies at 93
  • Sep 17 Larry Wilson, American Pro Football Hall of Fame free safety (8 x Pro Bowl; 6 x All Pro 1st Team; NFL Defensive Player of Year 1966; St. Louis Cardinals), dies at 82
  • Sep 17 Robert W. Gore, American businessman and inventor of GORE-TEX, dies at 82 [1]
  • Sep 17 Terry Goodkind, American epic fantasy novelist (The Sword of Truth), dies at 72

Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933-2020)

Sep 18 American jurist and Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (1993-2020), dies of pancreatic cancer at 87

John Turner (1929-2020)

Sep 19 Canadian politician, 17th Prime Minister of Canada (1984), dies at 91

  • Sep 19 Lee Kerslake, British drummer (Uriah Heep; Ozzy Osbourne), dies of prostate cancer at 73 [1]
  • Sep 20 Garland F. Pinholster, American college basketball coach (USA: gold Pan American Games 1963; Oglethorpe University 1956-66), dies at 92
  • Sep 21 Arthur Ashkin, American scientist (Nobel Prize for Physics 2018 Optical Tweezers), dies at 98 [1]
  • Sep 21 Bob Nevin, Canadian ice hockey right wing (Stanley Cup 1962, 63; Toronto Maple Leafs; NY Rangers; 1,128 career NHL games), dies at 82
  • Sep 21 Jackie Stallone (née Labofish);, American astrologer, television personality, and mother of Sylvester Stallone and Frank Stallone, dies at 98
  • Sep 21 Jacques-Louis Monod, French pianist, conductor, and composer (Cantus Contra Cantum), dies at 93
  • Sep 21 Jaime Alves, Portuguese soccer midfielder (3 caps; Boavista), dies at 55
  • Sep 21 Lars-Åke Lagrell, Swedish sports administrator (President Swedish Football Association 1991-2012) and politician (Governor Kronoberg County 2002-06), dies at 80
  • Sep 21 Michael Lonsdale, French actor (The Day of the Jackal, Moonraker), dies at 89
  • Sep 21 Robert Freeman Smith, American politician (Rep-R-Oregon), dies at 89
  • Sep 21 Tommy Devito, American rock baritone vocalist and guitarist (Four Seasons - "Sherry"), dies of COVID-19 at 93
  • Sep 22 Agne Simonsson, Swedish soccer striker (51 caps; Örgryte IS, Real Madrid, Real Sociedad) and manager (Örgryte IS, BK Häcken), dies from pneumonia at 84
  • Sep 22 Road Warrior Animal [Joseph Laurinaitis], American pro wrestler (3 x WWE Tag Team C'ship; WWE Hall of Fame), dies at 60
  • Sep 23 Bobby Wilson, English tennis player (Wimbledon doubles 1960 runner-up), dies at 84

Gale Sayers (1943-2020)

Sep 23 American College and Pro Football Hall of Fame halfback, 4X Pro Bowl, 2X NFL rushing leader (Chicago Bears), and source for the TV movie "Brian's Song", dies from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease at 77 [1]

  • Sep 23 Juliette Gréco, French singer (Sous le ciel de Paris) and actress, dies at 93 [1]
  • Sep 23 Ray Batten, English rugby league back-rower (Great Britain 3, England 3 Tests; Leeds 434 games) and coach (Wakefield Trinity), dies at 75
  • Sep 23 W. S. "Fluke" Holland, American rockabilly session and touring drummer (Sun Records; Carl Perkins; Johnny Cash), dies at 85
  • Sep 24 Dean Jones, Australian cricket batsman and broadcaster (52 Tests @ 46.55; 164 ODIs; Victoria), dies from cardiac arrest at 59
  • Sep 24 Keith Hufnagel, American skateboarder (founded skate/clothing company HUF), dies of brain cancer at 46
  • Sep 25 S.P. Balasubrahmanyam, Telegu playback singer (The Jewel of Shiva), dies of COVID-19 at 74
  • Sep 27 Yūko Takeuchi, Japanese actress (Miss Sherlock), dies at 40
  • Sep 28 Frédéric Devreese, Belgian conductor, and composer of classical music (Gemini Suite; Valse Sacrée), and film scores (The Cruel Embrace), dies of cancer at 91
  • Sep 28 Hiroki Yuhara, Japanese rugby union hooker (22 caps; Toshiba Brave Lupus), dies at 36
  • Sep 29 (Francis) Rocco Prestia, American funk-rock bassist (Tower of Power),dies at 69
  • Sep 29 19-year-old Indian Dalit rape victim dies two weeks after being gang raped by upper-caste men in Hathras district, ignites widespread protest
  • Sep 29 Aster Berkhof [Louis Van de Bergh], Flemish writer (Furious Christ), dies at 100
  • Sep 29 Doyle Royal, American collegiate soccer coach (NCAA C'ship 1968; University of Maryland 1946-73) and tennis coach (U of Maryland 1954-80), dies at 101
  • Sep 29 Helen Reddy, Australian-American rock vocalist ("I Am Woman"; "You And Me Against The World"), dies at 78 [1]
  • Sep 29 Isidora Žebeljan, Serbian classical, opera, and film composer, dies at 53
  • Sep 29 John Whittaker, New Zealand rugby league utility back (26 Tests; Wellington; Warrington), dies from cancer at 70
  • Sep 29 Justin Connolly [D'Arcy-Dawson], British classical and electro-acoustic composer (Diaphony; The Garden of Forking Paths), dies at 87
  • Sep 29 Mac Davis, American country music singer-songwriter ("Baby, Don't Get Hooked On Me"; "In The Ghetto"; "I Believe In Music") and actor (North Dallas Forty), dies following heart surgery at 78 [1]
  • Sep 29 Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, 5th Emir of Kuwait (2006-2020), Commander of the Kuwait Military Forces, dies at 91
  • Sep 30 Quino [Joaquín Salvador Lavado Tejón], Argentine cartoonist (Mafalda), dies at 88