On this day: September 16

1999 Russian apartment bombings kill hundreds across several cities

In September 1999 a series of deadly bombings targeting residential apartment buildings in Russia killed and injured hundreds, triggering a national security crisis and a contentious investigation that remains disputed.

1960 U-2 Incident Raises Cold War Nuclear Alarm

On September 16, 1960, an American U-2 reconnaissance plane was shot down over Soviet airspace, intensifying Cold War tensions and fears that aerial reconnaissance mishaps could escalate into nuclear confrontation.

U.S. Congress enacts peacetime draft as global war erupts

On Sept. 16, 1940, the United States reinstated compulsory military service with the Selective Training and Service Act, the first peacetime draft in American history, expanding the Army amid growing global conflict.

Markets Roil as Pound Plunges After Black Wednesday

On 16 September 1992 the pound plunged after Britain exited the European Exchange Rate Mechanism, triggering immediate market turbulence, political fallout for the Conservative government, and lasting debate over economic policy and sterling’s role in Europe.