Date with History: September 15

Central America wins independence, and the RAF breaks the Luftwaffe over London.

One paperback for one calendar date: what happened on September 15, and who was born on it.

What happened on September 15

1821: Five Nations Declare Independence from Spain

Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua all won independence on the same day, though word travelled so slowly that Costa Rica did not learn of it until October 13. They briefly joined the Mexican Empire, then formed a federal republic that fell apart in argument. September 15 is still the official independence day in all five, and it is why Hispanic Heritage Month begins on this date.

1940: Battle of Britain Day

The Luftwaffe launched its largest daylight assault on London, hundreds of bombers with fighter escort, intending to finish off RAF Fighter Command. The exhausted, outnumbered RAF rose to meet them and dogfights spread across southern England. The Germans lost roughly 56 aircraft to the RAF's 29, and Hitler postponed the invasion of Britain indefinitely.

Famous birthdays on September 15

1890 — Agatha Christie
Best-selling novelist in history, two billion copies, and eleven days in 1926 nobody can explain.

1254 — Marco Polo
Dictated his Silk Road travels to a fellow prisoner and mapped Europe's imagination of the East.

Nearby dates

September 14 · September 16 · All September dates

Part of Date with History, a 366-book collection with one book for every date of the year. 5″×8″ paperback, cream paper.

Historical selections are editorially researched. This is a date-specific book, not a personalized or custom-made product.