Historical timeline for September 9

Several Russian drones incur on Polish airspace and are subsequently shot down, marking the first time a NATO member has engaged Russian military assets.

Six people are killed when Israel carries out an airstrike on Doha in a failed attempt to decapitate the Hamas leadership.

The government of North Korea conducts its fifth and reportedly biggest nuclear test. World leaders condemn the act, with South Korea calling it "maniacal recklessness".

Elizabeth II becomes the longest reigning monarch of the United Kingdom.

The album Songs of Innocence by U2 is digitally released at no charge to all customers of the iTunes Music Store, appearing automatically in the "purchased" section of over 500 million users worldwide.

A wave of attacks kills more than 100 people and injure 350 others across Iraq.

The Indian space agency puts into orbit its heaviest foreign satellite yet, in a streak of 21 consecutive successful PSLV launches.

The Dubai Metro, the first urban train network in the Arabian Peninsula, is ceremonially inaugurated.

Space Shuttle Program: Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on STS-115 to resume assembling the International Space Station. It is the first ISS assembly mission after the Columbia disaster back in 2003.

Ahmad Shah Massoud, leader of the Northern Alliance, is assassinated in Afghanistan by two al-Qaeda assassins who claimed to be Arab journalists wanting an interview.

Space Shuttle program: Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on STS-64.

Israeli–Palestinian peace process: The Palestine Liberation Organization officially recognizes Israel as a legitimate state.

Tajikistan declares independence from the Soviet Union.

Batticaloa massacre: Massacre of 184 Tamil civilians by the Sri Lankan Army in Batticaloa District.

Vietnam Airlines Flight 831 crashes in Khu Khot, Thailand, while on approach to Don Muang International Airport, killing 76.

Two Aeroflot flights collide in mid-air over Anapa, Soviet Union, killing 70.

In Kentucky's Mammoth Cave National Park, a Cave Research Foundation exploration and mapping team discovers a link between the Mammoth and Flint Ridge cave systems, making it the longest known cave passageway in the world.

The four-day Attica Prison riot begins, eventually resulting in 39 dead, most killed by state troopers retaking the prison.

A British airliner is hijacked by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and flown to Dawson's Field in Jordan.

Allegheny Airlines Flight 863 collides in mid-air with a Piper PA-28 Cherokee over Moral Township, Shelby County, Indiana, killing all 83 people on board both aircraft.