On Sept. 14, 1959, the Soviet probe Luna 2 -- known informally as Lunik 2 -- became the first Earth-launched space vehicle to land on the moon.
On September 14, 1959, the Soviet probe Luna 2 -- known informally as Lunik 2 -- became the first Earth-launched space vehicle to land on the moon. File Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI UPI Princess Grace is honored in Philadelphia at a gala celebrating her film career as actress Grace Kelly on March 31, 1982. She died September 14, 1982, when her car plunged off a mountain road by the Cote D'Azur. File Photo by George Bilyk/UPI UPI President George W. Bush leads his staff in a moment of silence on the south lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on September 18, 2001, with Vice President Dick Cheney to his left and advisor Karen Hughes to his right. File Photo by Michael Kleinfeld/UPI UPI On September 14, 1975, Pope Paul VI canonized Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American-born saint. File Photo by Stefano Spaziani/UPI UPI
Today is Sunday, Sept. 14, the 257th day of 2025 with 108 to follow.
The moon is waning. Morning stars are Jupiter, Mercury, Neptune, Saturn, Uranus and Venus. Evening stars are Mars, Mercury, Neptune and Saturn.
Those born on this date are under the sign of Virgo. They include physiologist Ivan Pavlov in 1849; activist Margaret Sanger in 1879; actor Clayton Moore in 1914; writer/feminist Kate Millett in 1934; actor Walter Koenig in 1936 (age 89); Basketball Hall of Fame member Larry Brown in 1940 (age 85); actor Joey Heatherton in 1944 (age 81); actor Sam Neill in 1947 (age 78); musician Jon "Bowzer" Bauman (Sha Na Na) in 1947 (age 78); actor Robert Wisdom in 1953 (age 72); musician Steve Berlin (Los Lobos) in 1955 (age 70); Pope Leo XIV in 1955 (age 70); actor Mary Crosby in 1959 (age 66); musician Morten Harket (A-ha) in 1959 (age 66); actor Melissa Leo in 1960 (age 65); actor Faith Ford in 1964 (age 61); actor Michelle Stafford in 1965 (age 60); Supreme Court Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson in 1970 (age 55); actor Kimberly Williams-Paisley in 1971 (age 54); actor Andrew Lincoln in 1973 (age 52); musician Nas in 1973 (age 52); celebrity chef Katie Lee in 1981 (age 44); musician Amy Winehouse in 1983; musician Muni Long in 1988 (age 37); actor/musician Logan Henderson (Big Time Rush) in 1989 (age 36); actor Jessica Brown Findlay in 1989 (age 36); NBA player Jimmy Butler in 1989 (age 36); NFL player Deshaun Watson in 1995 (age 30); actor Emma Kenney in 1999 (age 26); musician Han (Stray Kids) in 2000 (age 25).
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On this date in history:
In 1901, U.S. President William McKinley died of wounds inflicted by an assassin eight days earlier. He was succeeded by Vice President Theodore Roosevelt.
In 1920, the first live radio dance music was broadcast, carried by a Detroit station and featuring Paul Specht and his orchestra.
In 1959, the Soviet probe Luna 2 -- known informally as Lunik 2 -- became the first Earth-launched space vehicle to land on the moon.
In 1960, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries was founded.
In 1975, Pope Paul VI canonized Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American-born saint.
In 1982, Princess Grace of Monaco -- American film actress Grace Kelly -- was killed when her car plunged off a mountain road by the Cote D'Azur. She was 52.
In 1984, Joe Kittinger, 56, left Caribou, Maine, in a 10-story-tall helium balloon to make the first solo trans-Atlantic balloon crossing. He reached the French coast in three days and landed in Italy another day later.
In 1991, the South African government, ANC, Inkatha Freedom Party and 20 other anti-apartheid groups signed a peace accord to end black factional violence.
In 1996, Bosnians elected a three-person collective presidency: one Muslim, one Serb and one Croat.
In 2001, U.S. President George W. Bush proclaimed this to be a day of national mourning and remembrance for those killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The FBI identified the hijackers and said several had taken flying lessons in Florida.
In 2003, authorities said an estimated 124 people were dead or missing after South Korea was struck by the most powerful typhoon to hit the country in a century.
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In 2005, Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines, the third and fourth largest U.S. air carriers, filed for bankruptcy as the industry reeled under record high jet fuel costs.
In 2008, the U.S. brokerage firm Merrill Lynch agreed to sell itself to Bank of America for $50 billion and Lehman Brothers declared bankruptcy after it failed to find a buyer.
In 2010, U.S. hiker Sarah Shourd, imprisoned in Iran on charges of espionage for more than a year after she and two male companions were accused of illegally crossing into Iranian territory, was released on $500,000 bail. The men -- Shane Bauer, her fiance, and Josh Fattal -- were freed just over a year later.
In 2023, the U.S. Justice Department indicted Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, on felony gun charges. He was the first child of a sitting president to be charged by the department.
A thought for the day: "From its brilliancy everything is illuminated." -- Indian Guru Nanak