15 SEPTEMBER IN HISTORY
1795: Britain seizes the Dutch Cape Colony.
1812: Napoleon’s army reaches the Kremlin in Moscow.
1835: The HMS Beagle, with Charles Darwin aboard, reaches the Galápagos Islands.
1916: Tanks are used for the first time in war, during the Battle of the Somme.
1935: The Nuremberg Laws of Nazi Germany are passed, depriving Jews of German citizenship.
1952: The UN cedes Eritrea to Ethiopia.
Born:
1245: Marco Polo, Italo-Croatian explorer.
1830: Porfirio Diaz, 29th President of Mexico.
1890: Agatha Christie, British crime novelist, known as the inventor of Hercule Poirot.
1946: Tommy Lee Jones, American actor, known for The Fugitive and Men in Black.
1971: Wayne Ferreira, South African tennis player.
1977: Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie, Nigerian writer and novelist.
Died:
1859: Isambard Kingdom Brunel, English architect and designer.
2004: Johnny Ramone, American guitarist and songwriter for The Ramones.
15 September is Knowledge Day in Azerbaijan, Engineers Day in India, and the International Day of Democracy.
