This Day in History, September 23: International Sign Language Day and more

September 23 is observed around the world every year as the International Day of Sign Languages. The day aims to help people understand those who use sign languages, work towards ensuring they get equal rights in society like everyone else, and highlight the importance of sign language globally. The United Nations declared the day, and it has been observed worldwide since 2018.

Sign language is an important means of communication for deaf and hard-of-hearing people. But it is not merely a medium of speech or communication, it is also a symbol of cultural identity and rights. On this day, various programmes and initiatives are organised to spread awareness of sign language. This strengthens the sense of inclusion in society and makes people aware of their rights.

Several important events in the history of the country and the world have also taken place on September 23 over the years. In 1803, the Battle of Assaye was fought between the British East India Company and the Maratha Empire during the Second Anglo-Maratha War. In 1846, Urbain Le Verrier discovered the planet Neptune, the first planet to be found through mathematical calculation. In 1884, Narayan Lokhande, an associate of Mahatma Phule, founded the Bombay Mill Hands Association, a union of mill workers. In 1905, Norway and Sweden, which had earlier been united, separated under the Treaty of Karlstad. In 1908, the University of Alberta was established in Canada. In 1932, the kingdoms of Hejaz and Najd were renamed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In 1983, Saint Kitts and Nevis became a member of the United Nations, and in 2002, the first version of the Mozilla Firefox browser was released.

Notable people born on this day include the Mongol emperor Kublai Khan (born 1215, died February 18, 1294), Japanese Emperor Kokaku (born 1771), Bosch founder Robert Bosch (born 1861, died March 12, 1942), socialist leader and freedom fighter Yusuf Meherally (born 1903, died July 2, 1950), Hindi litterateur Ramdhari Singh Dinkar (born 1908, died April 24, 1974), Pune University vice-chancellor and educationist Devdutt Dabholkar (born 1919, died December 17, 2010), playwright and actor Bhalba Kelkar (born 1920, died November 6, 1987), actor Prem Chopra (born 1935), actor Tanuja (born 1943), sociologist Dr Abhay Bang (born 1950), cricketer Anshuman Gaekwad (born 1952) and actor Alka Kubal (born 1965).

Also on this day, British officer Grant Duff, known for writing the history of the Marathas, died (1858), as did French writer and historian Prosper Merimee (1870), German chemist Friedrich Wohler (1882), the father of modern psychology Sigmund Freud (1939), playwright Bhargavram Vitthal Warerkar (1964), fourth chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission and scientist Dr Raja Ramanna (2004), and Indian ascetic and philosopher Dayananda Saraswati (2015).