Timeline September 1991

Events in September 1991 14

• 1897 – 1991 Frank Capra (1897-1991) Died 3 September 1991, aged 94 Film director Frank Capra, known for It's a Wonderful Life, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and It Happened One Night, died in La Quinta, California. He won three Academy Awards for Best Director during Hollywood's golden age. His optimistic, populist films remain holiday and classroom staples.
• 1904 – 1991 Theodor Geisel "Dr. Seuss" (1904-1991) Died 24 September 1991, aged 87 Theodor Geisel, known worldwide as Dr. Seuss, died at his home in La Jolla, California. His illustrated children's books, including The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham, sold hundreds of millions of copies and reshaped children's literacy education. His distinctive rhyming verse and artwork remain a fixture of childhood reading worldwide.
• 1913 – 1991 Klaus Barbie (1913-1991) Died 25 September 1991, aged 77 Klaus Barbie, the former Gestapo chief known as the "Butcher of Lyon" for his role in torturing and deporting French Resistance members and Jews during World War II, died in a French prison. He had been convicted of crimes against humanity in 1987 after years evading justice in South America. His trial was a landmark moment in France's reckoning with wartime collaboration.
• 1926 – 1991 Miles Davis (1926-1991) Died 28 September 1991, aged 65 Miles Davis, one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century, died of pneumonia, a stroke, and respiratory failure. His trumpet playing and restless reinvention shaped bebop, cool jazz, modal jazz, and jazz fusion across a five-decade career. Albums such as Kind of Blue remain among the best-selling and most acclaimed jazz recordings ever made.
• 1991 – 1993 Nevermind and Siamese Dream -- Vig at the peak of production Butch Vig produces Nirvana's 'Nevermind' (September 1991) -- the album that sells 30 million copies and defines a generation -- and Smashing Pumpkins' 'Siamese Dream' (July 1993), which sells 15 million copies and establishes the Pumpkins as one of the most important bands of the decade. The back-to-back productions make Vig the most sought-after rock producer in the world. But rather than continuing to produce other bands, he begins making music with his Wisconsin colleagues Marker and Erikson, recording experimental tracks in his spare time. He needs a singer.
• 1991 Soviet Union Recognizes Baltic Independence Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania regain sovereignty The Soviet State Council formally recognized the independence of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, ending five decades of forced incorporation into the USSR. The three Baltic states quickly gained recognition from the international community and the United Nations. Their restored independence became a milestone in the Soviet Union's collapse.
• 1991 On Every Street Sixth and final album — September 9, 1991 On Every Street was released on September 9, 1991, Dire Straits' sixth and final studio album. It debuted at number 1 in the UK despite mixed reviews. An exhausting 14-month world tour followed, after which Mark Knopfler quietly disbanded the group in 1995.
• 1991 Nirvana release Smells Like Teen Spirit Anthem of a generation The single that takes grunge into the mainstream.
• 1991 – present Kygo Tropical House Pioneer Global music producer and DJ who popularized the tropical house genre.
• 1991 Star Trek: The Next Generation — Season 5 Continues TNG's peak run. Includes "Darmok" (widely cited as one of the finest episodes in franchise history), "I, Borg" and the two-part "Unification," which sees the return of Leonard Nimoy as Spock and serves as a tribute to the recently deceased Gene Roddenberry.
• 1991 Nirvana Releases Nevermind Album propels grunge into the mainstream Nirvana's second album, Nevermind, led by the single "Smells Like Teen Spirit," became an unexpected commercial phenomenon. It displaced Michael Jackson from the top of the US charts and brought Seattle grunge into the mainstream. The album is widely regarded as one of the most influential rock records of its era.
• 1991 – present Simona Halep Simo Two-time major winner known for her elite movement and counter-punching.
• 1991 Metallica play Moscow Monsters of Rock Hundreds of thousands at Tushino airfield after the failed coup.
• 1991 Miles Davis dies Santa Monica Dies aged 65.