September 15 in history — What Happened Today in History

Air Vietnam Flight 706 is hijacked, then crashes while attempting to land with 75 on board.

A Scandinavian Airlines System domestic flight from Gothenburg to Stockholm is hijacked and flown to Malmö Bulltofta Airport.

The first Greenpeace ship departs from Vancouver to protest against the upcoming Cannikin nuclear weapon test in Alaska.

The Soviet Zond 5 spaceship is launched, becoming the first spacecraft to fly around the Moon and re-enter the Earth's atmosphere.

U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson, responding to a sniper attack at the University of Texas at Austin, writes a letter to Congress urging the enactment of gun control legislation.

Baptist Church bombing: Four children are killed in the bombing of an African-American church in Birmingham, Alabama, United States.

The Soviet ship Poltava heads toward Cuba, one of the events that sets into motion the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Nikita Khrushchev becomes the first Soviet leader to visit the United States.

A Central Railroad of New Jersey commuter train runs through an open drawbridge at the Newark Bay, killing 48.

Marilyn Monroe's iconic skirt scene is shot during filming for The Seven Year Itch.

The United Nations cedes Eritrea to Ethiopia.

Korean War: The U.S. X Corps lands at Inchon.

The Indian Army captures the towns of Jalna, Latur, Mominabad, Surriapet and Narkatpalli as part of Operation Polo.

The F-86 Sabre sets the world aircraft speed record at 671 miles per hour (1,080 km/h).

Typhoon Kathleen hits the Kantō region, in Japan killing around 1,000-2,000 people.

A hurricane strikes southern Florida and the Bahamas, destroying 366 airplanes and 25 blimps at Naval Air Station Richmond.

Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill meet in Quebec as part of the Octagon Conference to discuss strategy.

World War II: The Battle of Peleliu begins as the United States Marine Corps' 1st Marine Division and the United States Army's 81st Infantry Division hit White and Orange beaches under heavy fire from Japanese infantry and artillery.

World War II: U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Wasp is sunk by Japanese torpedoes at Guadalcanal.

World War II: The climax of the Battle of Britain, when the Luftwaffe launches its largest and most concentrated attack of the entire campaign.

Nazi Germany adopts a new national flag bearing the swastika.

Nazi Germany announces two new laws related to race and the rights of Jews. These became known as the Nuremberg Race Laws.

World War I: Allied troops break through the Bulgarian defenses on the Macedonian front.

World War I: Tanks are used for the first time in battle, at the Battle of the Somme.

New Culture Movement: Chen Duxiu establishes the New Youth magazine in Shanghai.

First Sino-Japanese War: Japan defeats the Qing dynasty in the Battle of Pyongyang, causing the Qing army to withdraw to the Chinese border with Korea.

Franco-Prussian War: The last Imperial German Army troops leave France upon completion of payment of indemnity.

American Civil War: Confederate forces capture Harpers Ferry, Virginia.

Aaron Mooy, Australian footballer

Matt Shively, American actor

Megan Stalter, American actress and comedian

Chelsea Kane, American actress and singer

Tim Moltzen, Australian rugby league player

Vaila Barsley, Scottish footballer

Jenna Marbles, American YouTuber and comedian

Heidi Montag, American reality television personality and singer

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex

Marshal Yanda, American football player

Yuka Hirata, Japanese actress and model

Ben Schwartz, American actor, comedian and writer

David Diehl, American football player and sportscaster

Harry J. Lipkin, Israeli physicist and academic (born 1921)

Meir Pa'il, Israeli commander, historian, and politician (born 1926)

Bernard Van de Kerckhove, Belgian cyclist (born 1941)

John Anderson Jr., American lawyer and politician, 36th Governor of Kansas (born 1917)

Eugene I. Gordon, American physicist and engineer (born 1930)

Nicholas Romanov, Prince of Russia (born 1922)

Jürg Schubiger, Swiss psychotherapist and author (born 1936)

Wayne Tefs, Canadian anthologist, author, and critic (born 1947)

Habib Munzir Al-Musawa, Indonesian cleric and scholar (born 1973)

Jerry G. Bishop, American radio and television host (born 1936)

Gerard Cafesjian, American businessman and philanthropist (born 1925)

Jackie Lomax, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1944)

Tibor Antalpéter, Hungarian volleyball player and diplomat, Ambassador of Hungary to the United Kingdom (born 1930)