September 6 in history — What Happened Today in History

Royal Brunei Airlines Flight 839 crashes in the Lambir Hills National Park while on approach to Miri Airport in Malaysia, killing 10.

Cal Ripken Jr. of the Baltimore Orioles plays in his 2,131st consecutive game, breaking a record that had stood for 56 years.

A group of hunters at the Stampede trail near Healy, Alaska come across a male corpse in abandoned bus, later identified as Christopher McCandless.

The Soviet Union recognizes the independence of the Baltic states Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

The Russian parliament approves the name change of Leningrad back to Saint Petersburg. The change is effective October 1.

End of the last stage of the Anfal campaign of Ba'athist Iraq against its Kurdish population, which resulted in major destructions and major civilian losses.

In Istanbul, two terrorists from Abu Nidal's organization kill 22 and wound six congregants inside the Neve Shalom Synagogue during Shabbat services.

Midwest Express Airlines Flight 105 crashes near Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, killing all 31 people on board.

The Soviet Union admits to shooting down Korean Air Lines Flight 007, stating that its operatives did not know that it was a civilian aircraft when it reportedly violated Soviet airspace.

Cold War: Soviet Air Defence Forces pilot Viktor Belenko lands a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 jet fighter at Hakodate in Japan and requests political asylum in the United States; his request is granted.

Munich massacre: Nine Israeli athletes die (along with a German policeman) at the hands of the Palestinian "Black September" terrorist group after being taken hostage at the Munich Olympic Games. Two other Israeli athletes were slain in the initial attack the previous day.

Paninternational Flight 112 crashes on the Bundesautobahn 7 highway near Hamburg Airport, in Hamburg, Germany, killing 22.

Two passenger jets bound from Europe to New York are simultaneously hijacked by Palestinian terrorist members of the PFLP and taken to Dawson's Field, Jordan.

Swaziland becomes independent.

Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd, the architect of apartheid, is stabbed to death in Cape Town, South Africa during a parliamentary meeting.

India retaliates following Pakistan's Operation Grand Slam which results in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 that ends in a stalemate followed by the signing of the Tashkent Declaration.

The United States government begins the Exercise Spade Fork nuclear readiness drill.

Archaeologist Peter Marsden discovers the first of the Blackfriars Ships dating back to the second century AD in the Blackfriars area of the banks of the River Thames in London.

Istanbul's Greek, Jewish, and Armenian minorities are the target of a government-sponsored pogrom; dozens are killed in ensuing riots.

A prototype aircraft crashes at the Farnborough Airshow in Hampshire, England, killing 29 spectators and the two on board.

United States Secretary of State James F. Byrnes announces that the U.S. will follow a policy of economic reconstruction in postwar Germany.

World War II: The city of Ypres, Belgium is liberated by Allied forces.

World War II: Soviet forces capture the city of Tartu, Estonia.

The Monterrey Institute of Technology is founded in Monterrey, Mexico as one of the largest and most influential private universities in Latin America.

Pennsylvania Railroad's premier train derails at Frankford Junction in Philadelphia, killing 79 people and injuring 117 others.

King Carol II of Romania abdicates and is succeeded by his son Michael. General Ion Antonescu becomes the Conducător of Romania.

World War II: The British Royal Air Force suffers its first fighter pilot casualty of the Second World War at the Battle of Barking Creek as a result of friendly fire.

World War II: Union of South Africa declares war on Germany.

Mark Andrews, American football player

Mustafizur Rahman, Bangladeshi cricketer

Maddie Phillips, Canadian actress

Emilly Micaela Marcondes, Brazilian professional futsal player

Elif Doğan, Turkish actress

Famous Dex, American rapper

Alex Poythress, American basketball player

Mattia Valoti, Italian footballer

Ryan Shazier, American football player

Young Tonumaipea, Samoan rugby league player

Brian Dumoulin, American ice hockey player

Joe Harris, American basketball player

John Wall, American basketball player

Burt Reynolds, American actor, director and producer (born 1936)

Peter Luck, Australian journalist and television host (born 1944)

Kate Millett, American feminist author and activist (born 1934)

Martin Milner, American actor (born 1931)

Odd Bondevik, Norwegian bishop and theologian (born 1941)

Seth Martin, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1933)

Kira Zvorykina, Belarusian chess player and educator (born 1919)

Ann C. Crispin, American author (born 1950)

Elisabeth Böhm, German architect (born 1921)

Lawrie Dring, Scottish scout leader, founded World Federation of Independent Scouts (born 1931)

Oscar Rossi, Argentine footballer and manager (born 1930)

Michael S. Hart, American author, founded Project Gutenberg (born 1947)

Boris Chetkov, Russian painter (born 1926)