Updated September 11, 2012, 2:28 pm
On Sept. 12, 1977, South African black student leader Steven Biko died while in police custody, triggering an international outcry.
On Sept. 12, 1913, Jesse Owens, the American black man who caused a sensation at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin by winning four gold medals, was born. Following his death on March 31, 1980, his obituary appeared in The Times.
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Historic Birthdays
Jesse Owens 9/12/1913 – 3/31/1980 American Olympic medal-winning track and field athlete (1936).Go to obituary »
26 Lorenzo de’ Medici 9/12/1492 – 5/4/1519
Florentine ruler (1513-9)52 Francis I 9/12/1494 – 3/31/1547
French king and patron of the arts and scholarship (1515-47)77 Sir David Macpherson 9/12/1818 – 8/16/1896
Scottish-born American politician and railway builder84 Richard Gatling 9/12/1818 – 2/26/1903
American inventor75 H. L. Mencken 9/12/1880 – 1/29/1956
American journalist and critic83 Maurice Chevalier 9/12/1888 – 1/1/1972
French musical comedy star of stage and screen91 Alfred Knopf 9/12/1892 – 8/11/1984
American publisher; founded Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.89 Giuseppe Saragat 9/12/1898 – 6/11/1988
Italian founder of the Socialist Party of Italian Workers70 Ben Shahn 9/12/1898 – 3/14/1969
American painter and graphic artist
