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September 6

Published in On this Day listing

1987 Stephen Roche, who became the first Irish rider to win the Tour de France in July that year, became the first Irish rider to win the World Professional Road Race Championship, in Villich, Austria.
1914 The Battle of the Marne began, in which the French, under General Joffre, halted the German advance. It concluded six days later with losses of c. 250,000 on both sides.
1813 Isaac Butt, barrister, writer and founder of the Irish Home Government Association (1870), born in Glenfin, Co. Donegal.
1522 Ferdinand Magellan’s ship, the Vittoria, under the command of Juan Sebastian Elcano, arrived back in Spain, minus Magellan who was killed in the Philippines the previous year, having completed the first circumnavigation of the world.
1620 The Mayflower departs on what will be its first successful voyage to North America. It arrived at Cape Cod on 21 November, bringing the so-called ‘Pilgrim Fathers’, 41 of whom had signed a compact committing themselves to establishing a new colony in what was known as New England.

On this Day

1920 Recruitment began, mainly from among demobilised British Army officers, into a new force—the ‘Auxiliary Division’—to augment the RIC.
1939 Michael Longley, poet, notable for ‘Gorse Fires’ (1991), ‘The Weather in Japan’ (2000) and ‘The Stairwell’ (2014), born in Belfast of English parents.
2004 Bob Tisdall (96), Olympic gold medal-winner in the 400m hurdles (Los Angeles, 1932) in a world record time of 51.7 seconds—which was not recognised under the rules at the time because he had hit a hurdle—died.
1866 The SS Great Eastern completed the laying of a transatlantic telegraph cable between Valentia Island, Co. Kerry, and Heart’s Content, Newfoundland.