10 September 1952

American political activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at an event at Utah Valley University.

Members of the Atlanta Police Department conducted a raid on a gay bar, with patrons later alleging that their constitutional rights had been violated and the city agreeing to pay over $1 million in settlements.

British forces freed soldiers and civilians who had been held captive by the militant group the West Side Boys, contributing to the end of the Sierra Leone Civil War.

Pope John Paul II consecrated the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, one of the largest churches in the world, in Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast.

Typhoon Ellen dissipated after destroying hundreds of homes across Hong Kong and the Philippines.

After centuries of Portuguese rule, the country of Guinea-Bissau was formally recognized as independent.

At the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, German driver Wolfgang von Trips's car collided with another, causing it to become airborne and crash into a side barrier, killing him and 15 spectators.

Running barefoot in the marathon event at the Rome Olympics, Abebe Bikila became the first athlete from sub-Saharan Africa to win an Olympic gold medal.

While riding a train to Darjeeling, India, Sister Teresa Bojaxhiu, later Mother Teresa (pictured), experienced what she later described as the "call within the call", directing her to "leave the convent and help the poor while living among them".

Mike the Headless Chicken was decapitated on a farm in Colorado; he survived another 18 months as part of sideshows before choking to death.

Led by the United Kingdom and France, nine nations met at the Nyon Conference to address international piracy in the Mediterranean Sea.

George Mary Searle discovered the asteroid 55 Pandora (pictured) from the Dudley Observatory near Albany, New York; it was his only asteroid discovery.

John Doubleday completed a "masterly" restoration of the Portland Vase (pictured), which had been smashed into hundreds of pieces seven months prior.

American Revolutionary War: Captain William Pickles of the Continental Navy boarded and captured the British sloop HMS West Florida at the Battle of Lake Pontchartrain.

Johann Sebastian Bach led the first performance of Jesu, der du meine Seele, BWV 78, a chorale cantata based on a passion hymn by Johann Rist.

Fifty-five Christians were executed in Nagasaki during the Great Genna Martyrdom, part of persecution towards Christians in Japan by the Tokugawa shogunate.

Anglo-Scottish Wars: English forces defeated the Scots at the Battle of Pinkie near Musselburgh, Lothian, Scotland.

The "Minor Judgement Day" earthquake struck in the Sea of Marmara, devastating much of Constantinople and killing more than 1,000 people.

An earthquake known as "The Lesser Judgment Day" hit Constantinople.

Polaris Dawn, the first private crewed spaceflight to involve a spacewalk, is launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Hurricane Irma makes landfall on Cudjoe Key, Florida as a Category 4, after causing catastrophic damage throughout the Caribbean. Irma resulted in 134 deaths and $77.2 billion (2017 USD) in damage.

The Large Hadron Collider at CERN, described as the biggest scientific experiment in history, is powered up in Geneva, Switzerland.

Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif returns to Pakistan after seven years in exile, following a military coup in October 1999.

During his appearance on the British TV game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, contestant Charles Ingram reaches the £1 million top prize, but it was later revealed that he had cheated to the top prize by listening to coughs from his wife and another contestant.