National Hispanic
Heritage Month, September 15–October 15. Starting
in 1968 as
September 2
Liliuokalani (1838–1917)
: Hawaiian. Monarch. The last sovereign
of Hawaii, Liliuokalani succeeded to the throne after her brother's death
in 1891. The growing influence of American missionaries and sugar planters
had led to a weakening of the monarchy, and she attempted to reassert
the royal authority in government and the economy. When she tried to proclaim
a new constitution in 1893, a group of residents, mostly Americans or
descendants of Americans, set up a provisional government, declared the
monarchy abolished, and applied for annexation to the United States. After
a delay of several years, while Liliuokalani tried to build support for
her restoration, the islands were annexed in 1898.
Independence Day
: Vietnam. This marks the day in 1945 of
the surrender of Japan, ending World War II, and the creation of the Democratic
Republic of Vietnam.
This Week | September | Index | Home
September 4
Lewis H. Latimer
(1848–1928) : African American. Inventor.
In 1882, Latimer patented the first electric light bulb with a carbon
filament. An employee of the Edison Company, Latimer also wrote the first
textbook on the Edison electric system and supervised the installation
of electric lights in Philadelphia and New York City.
Richard Wright
(1908–1960) : African American. Writer.
The most widely read African American writer of the early twentieth century,
Wright was the author of powerful novels, the best known of which is Native
Son (1940), and volumes of short stories and essays. His work exposed
the brutal realities of racism in both the Deep South, where he was born,
and the urban North, where he spent much of his adult life.
This Week | September | Index | Home
September 5
Tashunka Witko (Crazy
Horse) (c. 1842–1877) : American Indian (Oglala Sioux). Military
leader. Tashunka Witko, an Oglala Sioux chief, was one of the leaders
of the Sioux and Cheyenne in the war of 1876. In June of that year he
defeated U.S. army forces at Rosebud and eight days later at Little Bighorn.
He voluntarily surrendered to American troops in 1877. On this date in
that year, he was shot to death by a soldier as he was being put into
a jail cell. (See entry for June 25.)
This Week | September | Index | Home
September 6
Christy Brown (1932–1981)
: Irish. Writer. Born with cerebral palsy,
Christy Brown was unable to move any part of his body except his left
foot. With the help of his mother, who also raised twelve other children,
he learned to read, to paint holding the brush with the toes of his left
foot, and to write by typing with his little toe. His first book, My
Left Foot, was published in 1954. His autobiographical novel, Down
All the Days, written in 1970, was translated into fourteen languages.
He died on this date.
Marie E. Zakrzewska
(1820–1902) : Polish American. Physician.
Zakrzewska founded hospitals for women and children as well as the first
American school for nurses and was known as the "Mother of the Playground
Movement" for her efforts in establishing playgrounds. She was also active
in the causes of women's rights and the abolition of slavery.
Defense of Pakistan
Day : Pakistan. Public holiday.
National Unity
Day : Chile. Public holiday.
Janmashtami (john-mâsh-tommy)
(Birth of Lord Krishna) : Hindu. This is
one of the great Hindu night festivals. Worshippers fast and go to temples
to see dance dramas enacting scenes from the life of Lord Krishna, one
of the incarnations of Vishnu and one of the most popular deities in Hinduism.
(m)
Labor Day : Canada,
United States. This day is celebrated as
a public holiday in the United States and Canada to honor all working
people. In most other countries, this celebration occurs on May
1. (m)
This Week | September | Index | Home
September 7
Independence Day
: Brazil. Unlike the other areas of South
America, the region now known as Brazil was colonized by the Portuguese
in 1500 led by the explorer Pedro Alvares Cabral. On this day in 1822,
the son of Portugal's king, and regent of Brazil, declared Brazil independent
of Portugal and himself Emperor Pedro I. He was succeeded by his son Pedro
II in 1831, who until his death in 1889 led the development of Brazil
as a modern nation.
This Week | September | Index | Home
September 9
Confucius' Death
(551–479 B.C.E.) : People's Republic of China. The
day honoring Confucius is celebrated on the anniversary of his death in
the People's Republic of China. (See entry for September
28.)
This Week | September | Index | Home
September 10
Alice Brown Davis
(1852–1935) : American Indian (Seminole). Civic
activist. Alice Brown Davis was prominent in tribal affairs for much of
her life. She acted as an interpreter and spokesperson for her people
in the courts and once as part of a delegation to Mexico that sought unsuccessfully
to find a new homeland for the tribe, which was under increasing economic
and legal pressure from the influx of white people into Indian territory.
She also served briefly as director of a tribal boarding school for girls.
In 1922 the U.S. government briefly appointed her chief, an office which
had lapsed with the end of tribal government years before, but stripped
her of the office when she refused to sign over tribal property without
reimbursement.
This Week | September | Index | Home
September 11
Anniversary of the
Death of Qaid-i-Azam : Pakistan. Public
holiday.
This Week | September | Index | Home
September 12
Jesse Owens (1913–1980)
: African American. Athlete. Owens won
fame as the greatest track star of the century with victories in the 100-meter
dash, broad jump, 200-meter dash, and 400-meter relay at the 1936 Olymimages
held in Berlin, Germany. His victories were an embarrassment to Adolf
Hitler, who presided at the games as Chancellor of Germany and whose National
Socialist (Nazi) Party held that African Americans were genetically inferior
to whites.
New Year : Coptic
Orthodox Christian. This begins the year
for the Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt, which follows a Julian calendar
very similar to that of the Eastern Orthodox Christian Church. Christmas
falls on January 7, Epiphany on January 19, and Easter follows the date
of the Orthodox calendar as well. The Coptic Orthodox Church is based
on the teachings of Saint Mark, who brought Christianity to Egypt in the
first century. The Coptic Church has a structure distinct from the Roman
Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. The head of the church is Pope
Shenouda III, believed to be the 117th successor of Saint Mark. There
are approximately 9 million Copts living in Egypt, out of a total population
of about 57 million. The Copts' religious observance often involves fasting.
Out of the 365 days of the year, Copts fast for about 210 days, during
which time no animal products are eaten and no food or drink of any kind
can be eaten between sunrise and sunset. Lent, known as the "Great Fast,"
starts with a pre-Lenten fast of one week and is then followed by a 40-day
fast preceding Easter. (m)
This Week | September | Index | Home
September 13
Alain Leroy Locke
(1886–1954) : African American. Educator,
writer, and philosopher. The first African American Rhodes Scholar, Locke
studied at Harvard, Oxford, and the University of Berlin. He chaired the
philosophy department at Howard University for nearly 40 years. During
his distinguished career, he published widely as an essayist, anthologist,
and critic, and encouraged and interpreted the work of African American
artists. He is generally regarded as the leader and chief chronicler of
the Harlem Renaissance. This is the anniversary of his death.
This Week | September | Index | Home
September 14
Anthony J. Celebrezze
(1910–1998) : Italian American. Lawyer
and politician. Born in Italy, Celebrezze immigrated to Cleveland with
his family and rose from poverty to become Mayor of that city from 1953
to 1962, serving an unprecedented five terms. In 1962, he became Secretary
of Health, Education, and Welfare under John F. Kennedy, the first Italian
American to serve as a cabinet officer. Celebrezze later served for 30
years as a member of the United States Court of Appeals based in Cincinnati.
Lola Rodríguez
de Tio (1843–1924) : Puerto Rican. Poet
and patriot. A supporter of the Puerto Rican independence movement, Rodríguez
de Tio spent much of her life in exile in New York, where she worked with
the Cuban exile José Martí to plan his revolutionary invasion of 1895.
She wrote several volumes of poetry. Her most famous work is the patriotic
verses of "La Borinqueña," the national anthem of Puerto Rico.
This Week | September | Index | Home
September 15
Jan E. Matzeliger
(1852–1889) : African American. Inventor.
Matzeliger produced machines that revolutionized the shoe industry. By
using the machine he patented in 1883, cobblers could make 1,000 pairs
of shoes in one day.
Independence Day
: Central American nations. This commemorates
the declaration of independence from Spain of Costa Rica, El Salvador,
Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua in 1821.
Respect for the
Aged Day (Keiro No Hi) : Japan. This is
one of twelve public holidays in Japan and a day for paying respect to
the aged and celebrating their longevity.
This Week | September | Index | Home
September 16
Independence Day
(El Día de Independencia) : Mexico. On
September 16, 1810, in the small town of Dolores, in the province of Guanajuato
in Mexico, a handful of people were summoned by a parish priest to take
up arms against the Spanish colonial government. This began the fight
for independence that ended 350 years of Spanish rule. To this day, the
church bell that was used to call people to revolt hangs in the National
Palace in Mexico City and is rung on the eve of September 16 by the President
of the Republic.
Rosh Hashanah (rawsh-ha-shaw-naw)
(rhymes with cautious fauna) (New Year) : Jewish. The
holiday, like most Jewish holidays, begins at sundown on the evening before
the first (full) day of the holiday. This begins the Jewish New Year 5765
and the Jewish month of Tishri. Rosh Hashanah signifies the beginning
of the Days of Awe, a period of serious reflection about the past year
and the year to come. This period, which continues until Yom Kippur, is
a time for asking forgiveness from both God and people and for committing
oneself to live a better life in the year to come. Traditionally, this
is the time that God decides the fate of each Jew in the new year. (See
entry for September 17.) (m)
This Week | September | Index | Home
September 17
Jacob Lawrence (1917–2000):
African American. Painter. Jacob Lawrence
was one of America's leading modern figurative painters whose work chronicled
the African-American experience. His best know work is “ The Migration
of the American Negro” depicting the mass migration of Southern Blacks
to the North in search of work following World War I.
Rosh Hashanah (New
Year) : Jewish (second day of observance). Second
day of observance. Because of the difficulties of calculating the time
of the full moon, it was impossible before modern astronomical calculations
to determine the exact beginning of the holiday. For this reason, Orthodox
and Conservative Jews celebrate two days of this and other Jewish holidays.
(m)
This Week | September | Index | Home
September 18
Independence Day
: Chile. This holiday commemorates Chile's
gaining independence from Spain in 1818.
This Week | September | Index | Home
September 19
Sarah (Sadie) Delaney
(1889–1999) : African American. Educator
and writer. Born to slaves in Georgia, Delaney attended and taught school
both in the South and in New York City. The first Black woman to receive
a master's degree from the Columbia School of Education, she also became
the first Black woman to teach home economics to whites in New York City
schools. With her sister, Dr. A. Elizabeth Delaney, a dentist, she gained
fame in 1993 after the publication of their memoir, Having Our Say:
The Delaney Sisters' First 100 Years. Now a part of the curriculum
in many high schools and colleges, the memoir was on the New York Times
hardcover best-seller list for 28 weeks and on the paperback list for
77 weeks. The memoir was adapted into a Broadway play that was nominated
for three Tony awards. Delaney died in 1999 at 109 years of age.
Army Day : Chile.
Public holiday.
This Week | September | Index | Home
September 20
Dalip Singh Saund
(1899–1973) : Indian American. Activist
and legislator. Born in a village in India, Saund came to the United States
in 1920 after earning his college degree. As a founding member and early
president of the Indian Association of America, he campaigned for changes
in the immigration laws to permit East Indians to become naturalized citizens.
These efforts succeeded, and he became a U.S. citizen in 1949. In 1956
he became the first Indian American to win election to the U.S. Congress.
He served three terms, representing his California district in Washington,
D.C., until 1962.
This Week | September | Index | Home
September 21
Independence Day
: Armenia. This celebrates Armenia's reestablishment
as a free republic after the collapse of the Soviet Union. A referendum
was held on this day in 1991 declaring Armenia an independent Republic;
independence was declared on September 23.
This Week | September | Index | Home
September 23
Mary Church Terrell
(1863–1954) : African American. Civil
rights activist. A lifelong champion of equal rights for Blacks and for
women, Terrell served on the District of Columbia School Board, was a
founding member of the National Association of Colored Women and Delta
Sigma Theta sorority, and represented the United States at several international
conferences.
Autumnal Equinox
Day (Shubun No Hi) : Japan. This is a public
holiday to celebrate the end of summer and the beginning of the fall harvest
season. (m)
Grito de Lares
(greeto-de-laraz) (1868) : Puerto Rico. This
day is commemorated in Puerto Rico as the anniversary of the uprising
that initiated the movement for Puerto Rican independence. On this date,
a 400-man army of liberation led by Manuel Rojas, under orders from the
exiled leader Ramón Emeterio Betances, gathered and took the town of Lares.
They formed a provisional government and issued four proclamations, including
one promising freedom for all slaves who joined the rebel army. Although
the army was defeated and disbanded the following day, some of its aims
were realized nearly immediately (the Spanish government decreed the gradual
abolition of slavery by 1873), and the revolt is remembered as the first
large-scale armed rebellion against Spanish colonial rule. (See entry
for March 22.)
Unification of
the Kingdom : Saudi Arabia. Since the end
of the seventh century, Saudi Arabia was a collection of separate kingdoms.
In 1932, however, King Ibn Saud began unifying these kingdoms under his
rule into the single nation of Saudi Arabia.
This Week | September | Index | Home
September 24
Frances Ellen Watkins
Harper (1825–1911) : African American. Lecturer,
writer, and civil rights activist. The long career of this remarkable
woman integrated political and social activism with notable literary achievement.
A brilliant speaker, Harper lent her eloquence first to the movement to
abolish slavery, and later to efforts on behalf of educational and economic
opportunity for African Americans, the temperance movement, and the campaign
for women's suffrage. She was also a talented and successful poet and
fiction writer. Her 1859 short story "The Two Offers" is believed to have
been the first short story by an African American to be published in the
United States, and her 1892 novel Iola Leroy went into three editions.
Heritage Day observed
: South Africa. Public holiday.
Our Lady of Las
Mercedes : Dominican Republic. Public holiday.
This Week | September | Index | Home
September 25
Eric Williams (1911–1981)
: Trinidadian. Political leader and writer.
Educated in Trinidad and in England, Williams taught at Howard University
before returning to Trinidad in 1955 to enter politics. His party, the
People's National Movement, won a landslide victory in the elections of
1961, making him prime minister of the colony and then, in August of the
following year, of the newly independent republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
He was repeatedly returned to office, serving as prime minister until
his death. Under his leadership the republic became the most prosperous
Caribbean nation in the British Commonwealth. A scholar as well as a statesman,
Williams also wrote a number of books on Caribbean history.
Cabrillo Day :
Portugal. This holiday, celebrated most
commonly by Portuguese on the West Coast, commemorates the discovery of
California by Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo when he sailed into the harbor of
what is now San Diego in 1542.
Yom Kippur (yom-kîpoor) (Day of Atonement) : Jewish. The
ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are known as the Days of
Awe or the Days of Repentance. During this time Jews are to remind themselves
of their sins and seek forgiveness for their wrongdoings. Wrongdoing against
God can be forgiven by God, but wrongdoing against others can be forgiven
only by the person wronged. Because sin corrupts not only the person who
commits it, but the entire community as well, all sins are confessed by
the whole congregation. The last service of Yom Kippur, the Closing, occurs
as the sun begins to set. Initially, the "closing" pertained to the gates
of the Temple. The deeper meaning, however, is that the Book of Life is
sealed for the ensuing year. Thus, freed from sin by repentance and sealed
in the Book of Life, the worshippers turn from the past to the future.
(m)
This Week | September | Index | Home
September 26
George Gershwin
(1898–1937) : Jewish American. Composer.
Gershwin won international fame in the 1920s as a composer of scores for
Broadway musical comedies, collaborating with his brother, the lyricist
Ira Gershwin; their songs include "I Got Rhythm," "The Man I Love," and
"S'Wonderful." Gershwin also wrote successful concert music using blues
and jazz themes, notably the Rhapsody in Blue, and the African
American "folk opera" Porgy and Bess.
Bessie Smith (1894–1937)
: African American. Blues singer. Bessie
Smith's authentic country blues style was first recorded in 1923. During
her first year as a recording artist, she sold over two million records.
Known as the "Empress of the Blues," she achieved her greatest fame between
1924 and 1927, when she was accompanied by some of the great jazz artists
of the time.
This Week | September | Index | Home
September 27
French Community
Holiday : Belgium. Public holiday.
This Week | September | Index | Home
September 28
Chusok (choo-sock)
(Harvest Festival) : Korea. This is thanksgiving
day; people go into the countryside and pay respects to their ancestors.
Moon cake made of rice, chestnuts, and fruit is the traditional holiday
food eaten on the eve of Chusok. (m)
Confucius' Birthday
(551–479 B.C.E.) : Republic of China (Taiwan). Celebrated
as Teacher's Day in Taiwan, this date is the anniversary of the birth
of Confucius, the founder of the main doctrines of Chinese philosophy,
and is one of the eight national holidays observed in the Republic of
China. "Confucius" is a Latin version of his title K'ung fu-tzu, meaning
"Master K'ung." Confucius is revered by all Chinese as the "Teacher of
All Generations." Colorful rites are performed at all Confucian temples
on this day.
Mid-Autumn Moon
Festival (Chung-ch'iu) : China. This festival
is associated with traditional moon lore. For example, girls wish upon
this moon for a good husband; they play games that foretell the future
of their marriages. Many people have a picnic dinner at night to enjoy
the moon. (m)
Mid-Autumn Moon
Festival (Tet Trung Thu) : Vietnam. This
celebrates the harvest moon with lantern processions and trips for children.
Moon cake and candy are also eaten. (m)
This Week | September | Index | Home
September 29
Enrico Fermi (1901–1954)
: Italian American. Scientist. Fermi was
awarded the Nobel Prize for physics in 1938 for his research on radioactivity.
In 1942 he created the first self-sustaining chain reaction in uranium,
an achievement that made possible the development of the atomic bomb and
other devices using nuclear energy.
This Week | September | Index | Home
September 30
José Morelos (1765–1815)
: Mexican. Political and military leader.
A village priest, Morelos joined the uprising led by Father Miguel Hidalgo
in 1810 to fight for Mexico's independence from Spain. Appointed a lieutenant,
Morelos became the most successful commander of the rebel forces, rising
to the position of supreme commander. His victories culminated in the
capture of Acapulco in 1813. He then led the effort to convene a congress,
which issued a declaration of independence and a constitution for Mexico.
Factional conflicts among the leaders weakened the insurgent movement,
however, and Morelos lost his command. In 1815 he was defeated, captured,
tried, and executed by the Spanish.
National Farm Workers
Association (1962) : Mexican American. On
this date César Chávez founded a union of agricultural laborers, most
of them Mexican and Mexican American migrant workers. The event was one
of the signs of a rising activism among Latinos and a new resolve to press
for economic and social justice.
(See entry for March 31.)
Sukkoth (soo-coat)
: Jewish. Sukkoth, which is
a holiday that lasts seven days, is named for the huts that are erected
and hung with fruits and vegetables to recall the temporary field dwellings
that Hebrew farmers traditionally used during harvest time. Sukkoth, which
ends on the evening of October 6 (also known as Hashanah Rabba), is followed
by Sh'mini Atzeret (October 7), which celebrates
the end of the holiday season that began with Rosh Hashanah. The next
holiday is Simchat Torah (October 8), which
commemorates the reading of the last part of the Torah and the beginning
of the first part, to start the cycle of scriptural readings for the new
year. (m)
This Week | September | Index | Home