September 11^th of 2001 is a day that no American will ever forget. Those of us who were alive that day remember every single detail of what played out that day, and exactly where we were when the world was forever changed for us.

If you take a look back throughout world history though, the date is of significance for many major newsworthy events. This leads to a lot of unanswered questions. Were some of these events, including the 2001 attacks, planned out to take place on that particular date, or are they just a long line of coincidences?

For instance did you know that when the Pentagon was first being built back in 1941, that on September 11^th, ground was broken for that very building? Or maybe you weren’t aware that the island of Manhattan was discovered in 1609. This was after Henry Hudson set sail on what is now known as the Hudson River, on you guessed it, September 11^th.

The New York area isn’t the only region to have major historical dates on September 11^th and we will look at many of those events today. Keep in mind though, that there have been so many major world events that have taken place on September 11^th, that we can’t even list them all here today. There isn’t enough room. So you have to ask yourself…what is with that exact day? We may never know. Either way, here are some of the other biggest world events to take place on September 11^th.

15. Salvador Allende is overthrown

On September 11^th, 1973 Chile had a major change in its own history. President Salvador Allende had been in control for several years and he had more than his share of people who could not be considered fans of his.

People said that he was too socialist and soldiers from his very own military stormed the Presidential Palace to have a cozy little chat with him. To this day it’s still not known if he committed suicide during the raid or if he was killed by his own soldiers.

General Augusto Pinochet Ugarte took over power and things didn’t get much better for the country. During his seventeen years in power more than 3,000 people “disappeared.”

14. Manhattan is discovered

September 11^th of 1609 is an important day for New Yorkers but unfortunately the date in 2001 overshadows this one. Too be honest, most people weren’t even aware of this one previous to the day of horrendous attacks in 2001.

Back in 1609 an English explorer by the name of Henry Hudson set sail up what is now called the Hudson River. He discovered the main island that you know as Manhattan and continued on his way up to what is now called Albany.

Very ironic that the land was discovered on the very day it would be viciously attacked almost four hundred years later.

13. The Hope Diamond is stolen

I’m sure you have heard of the Hope Diamond, but did you know that September 11^th has a major historical fact tied to it as well? Way back in 1792, in the beginning days of the French Revolution, six robbers made their way into the storage room of King Louis XVI. He was under house arrest at the time and all of his belongings were being held in this storage room, including the Hope Diamond. The robbers made off with the diamond in one of the most daring robberies in world history.

It just goes to show you that for as long as humans have been around, whenever something valuable is around, there is always someone nearby who wants to steal it.

12. The Battle of Stirling Bridge

On September 11^th, 1297 Scotland was trying hard to get out from under English rule. William Wallace, a very influential leader at the time, led his troops against the English against some very heavy odds. They were severely outnumbered in terms of manpower but they were smart and planned their attack at Stirling Bridge to be most effective.

While the English troops came across the bridge to attack, Wallace’s troops struck first and killed most of the incoming enemy. You may have heard of the battle before in the Mel Gibson movie Braveheart. The battle was very inaccurately portrayed in the movie as the film shows the battle taking place on an open field rather than on the narrow bridge where it actually occurred.

11. The Mountain Meadows Massacre

In the early days of our country there were plenty of people who thought things were better on the west coast, than they were on the east coast. Most importantly there were said to be more job opportunities so lots of people made their way across the country in search of better ways of life.

On September 11^th, 1857 though, things didn’t go as one group had planned. It is called by historians as the Mountain Meadows Massacre and it took place in Utah. A group of settlers were heading out west from the southern part of the country. When they were in Utah a militia killed more than one hundred unarmed people in the group for no apparent reason. Seventeen kids were kept alive and kidnapped and brought to live with nearby Mormon families.

10. Groundbreaking for the Pentagon

In another ironic twist on the devastating attacks that took place on September 11^th, 2001, that very day back in 1941 was when ground was broken to build the Pentagon. The ceremony took place in Arlington, Virginia and the building was soon to be home to the United States Department of Defense.

It would take almost two years to finish the awesome looking structure and it would cost about $83 million for the complete build. After it was attacked in 2001 it cost more than $500 million to repair it. It was obviously rebuilt with several upgrades in the structure to withstand something like that should it ever be attempted again.

9. Summer Olympics Massacre in Munich, West Germany

The Summer Olympics are supposed to be a time of celebration of some of the greatest athletes in the world. However on September 11^th, 1972 that perception was forever changed. The Games came to a close on that day in Munich, West Germany and they would be forever remembered for the murders of eleven athletes from Israel and one German police officer.

The beautiful Olympic Stadium was the main focus during the Games but at the end it was no more than symbol of the tragedy that happened there. Not a Summer Olympics happen anymore without thoughts of that horrific event.

8. The Battle of Malplaquet

Major wars have been going on ever since people starting claiming territories for their own. It’s something that continues today and there is no end in sight. Back on September 11^th of 1709, in the War of Spanish Succession, one of the deadliest battles in the history of Europe began.

The Duke of Marlborough, from Britain, got together with his mainland European allies and attacked a French position that was located in Flanders. The area was heavily fortified and when all was said and done there were more than 32,000 people killed (combined from both sides). In terms of loss of life it’s one of the deadliest battles in European history prior to the twentieth century.

7. Secret meeting at Camp David

Camp David is usually where American president’s go for some relaxing down time. It’s nicely tucked away and a visit there is usually time used to recover, relax and regroup, no different than a vacation for the rest of us. However back on September 11^th, 1978 President Jimmy Carter invited a few visitors there.

He was joined by Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin. It was a secret meeting that nobody saw coming and when all was said and done the groundwork was laid for the soon to follow Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty. That’s a vacation that was put to good use!

6. The Carol Burnett Show appears on TV

Carol Burnette is arguably one of the most iconic female comedians in American history. Her very first prime time television show hit the airwaves for CBS back on September 11^th, 1967. Viewers tuned in to watch it for ten years before it was eventually removed from the network’s programming. Burnett didn’t stop there though and she had a very long and successful career in comedy.

Her show called Mama’s Family was on for a long time as well and is only one show of many she was seen on during her very long career. She was so good at entertaining people that everyone wanted her to be a part of their broadcasts.

5. The Massacre of Sabra and Shatila

When Israeli military forces invaded Lebanon in 1982 several countries sent military personnel to help protect the innocent Palestinian refugees who were caught up in the battle. They headed there on September 11^th of 1982 but they didn’t arrive nearly in time. Before they got there thousands of refugees were needlessly killed for no reason at the Beirut camps of Sabra and Shatila.

The event is commonly referred to as the Massacre of Sabra and Shatila and it’s a very bad memory of the early 80’s. Some said that the protection forces took too long to arrive because it took too long to coordinate things among several countries.

4. O. Henry was born

William Sidney Porter was born on September 11^th of 1862. You may not know just who that is though. He is better known by his pseudonym O. Henry (no, not the candy bar).

He wrote many famous short stories during his day including The Gift of the Magi, Law and Order (no not the television show), The Duel, and The Last of the Troubadours. He was highly regarded as one of the best story tellers of his time and people were always looking forward to his next piece of work.

Some of them don’t translate very well to today’s language but at that time his written words were taken as very powerful and intelligent.

3. The St. Jean Bosco Church massacre

On September 11^th, 1988 the St. Jean Bosco Church in Haiti was rocked by a three hour long assault. It came from several unidentified armed murderers who killed at least thirteen people and wounded more than eighty others. The church is located on Port-au-Prince, Haiti and it is believed that the main target of the attack was Jean-Bertrand Aristide. If that is the case the assassination attempt was unsuccessful as Aristide eventually became the President of Haiti.

The men who committed the murders were never found and to this day it’s an event that haunts Haiti. Thirteen innocent people were gunned down while doing nothing more than attending church and nobody has ever been held accountable for it.

2. Mohammed Ali Jinnah Died

Mohammed Ali Jinnah was the founder of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. He was born on Christmas Day in 1876 and he died on September 11^th of 1948. His death was significant because at the time has was the Governor General for India and its Muslim residents.

Originally he was a lawyer, statesman and politician who was in favor of there being just one nation. However he later changed his mind and would be one of the key factors in the creation of the new country just before his death.

There is no telling what might have happened in the region if he never changed his mind. History might certainly be a bit different. Then again, maybe it wouldn’t be.

1. Ethiopia celebrates the New Year

If you look at an Ethiopian calendar you’ll see that they celebrate their New Year’s every single year on September 11^th. It’s a little strange how things work over there because their calendar actually consists of thirteen months and is seven full years behind the one that western located nations use.

Anything that happens of significance over there is given a date that resonates with our own calendar because that’s how we report it. However, if you look things up on their terms, you’ll find that the dates may match up, but you’ll find large discrepancies in the years they happened, due to the odd calendar they use.