On September 9, 1919, Gottfried Dienst was born in Basel. He was a prominent Swiss football referee who officiated the 1966 FIFA World Cup final and two European Cup finals, and his legacy is closely tied to his Basel roots. See wikipedia for more information.

On September 9, 1901, Andreas Franz Wilhelm Schimper died. He was a German botanist and phytogeographer who served as Professor of Botany at the University of Basel from 1899, and he coined the term “tropical rainforest.” See wikipedia for more information.

On September 9, 1868, the first synagogue built specifically for the Jewish community was inaugurated at Leimenstrasse in Basel, designed by architect Hermann Gauss. The same day also marked the beginning of the workers’ movement in Basel with a dyers’ strike launched by the International Workingmen’s Association.