Yom Kippur begins at sunset on this day. This “Day of Atonement” is a very solemn day in the Jewish year that is devoted to fasting, prayer, and repentance. On Yom Kippur, people repeat a chant called the “Al Chet” (Chet is usually translated as “sin”). In the chant, the people list the ways in which they have fallen short over the past year and repent of these shortcomings. Learn more about Yom Kippur.
Daily Calendar for Sunday, September 20, 2026
Daily Calendar
View daily calendar information including holidays, advice, and daily features.
Sunday, September 20, 2026
Born
- David Ross Locke (journalist) –
- George Bird Grinnell (naturalist) –
- Upton Sinclair (author) –
- Maxwell Perkins (editor) –
- Red Auerbach (basketball coach) –
- Anne Meara (actress) –
- Donald Hall (poet) –
- Sophia Loren (actress) –
- Guy Damien Lafleur (hockey player) –
- Ray Gozalez (poet) –
- Gary Cole (actor) –
- Kristen Johnston (actress) –
- Spencer Locke (actress) –
- Harley (giant anteater, Caldwell Zoo, Texas) –
Died
- Jacob Grimm (folklorist) –
- Jule Styne (songwriter) –
- Benny Baker (comedian) –
- William Rosenberg (founded Dunkin Donuts chain) –
- Polly Bergen (actress) –
Events
- Navigator Ferdinand Magellan left Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain, for Spice Islands –
- Slave trading abolished in Washington, D.C. –
- Elisha Otis sold his first elevator –
- Frank Schuman patented wire safety glass –
- Billie King defeated Bobby Riggs in a tennis match in Houston, Texas, billed as the Battle of the Sexes –
- Cal Ripken, Jr. took the day off for the first time in 16 years and ended baseball’s ironman streak at 2,632 games –
Weather
- The Adirondack Tornado traveled 275 miles, starting over Lake Ontario, moving through New York State, and ending as a waterspout on Lake Champlain –
- 4.88 inches of rain drenched Berne, Indiana –
- Frost in Dublin, NH –
- Snow and 28 degrees F in St. Johsbury, Vermont –
- Peoria, Illinois, had its first summer freeze on record –