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Augustus (63 BC – 14 AD) was the first emperor of the Roman Empire, who ruled from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. The young Octavian was adopted by his great uncle Julius Caesar from whom he inherited the throne in 44 BC. In 43 BC, Octavian joined forces with Mark Antony and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus in a military dictatorship known as the Second Triumvirate. After the demise of the Second Triumvirate, Octavian restored the outward facade of the Roman Republic, with governmental power vested in the Roman Senate and which became known as the Roman Empire. Augustus' control over the majority of Rome's legions established an armed threat that could be used against the Senate, allowing him to coerce the Senate's decisions. The rule of Augustus initiated an era of relative peace known as the Pax Romana. Augustus expanded the boundaries of the Roman Empire, secured the Empire's borders with client states, and made peace with Parthia through diplomacy. He reformed the Roman system of taxation, developed networks of roads with an official courier system, established a standing army (and a small navy), established the Praetorian Guard, and created official police and fire-fighting forces for Rome. Upon his death in AD 14, Augustus was declared a god by the Senate. The month of Sextilis was officially renamed August in his honour. (more...)

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September 23: Celebrate Bisexuality Day; National Day in Saudi Arabia (1932)

• 1459 – Yorkist forces led by Richard Neville defeated Lancastrian troops at the Battle of Blore Heath in Staffordshire, England, the first major battle of the Wars of the Roses.
• 1803 – Maratha troops were beaten by British forces at the Battle of Assaye, one of the decisive battles of the Second Anglo-Maratha War.
• 1846 – Using mathematical predictions by French mathematician Urbain Le Verrier, German astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle became the first person to observe Neptune and recognise it as a hitherto unknown planet (pictured).
• 1868 – Ramón Emeterio Betances led the Grito de Lares, a revolt against Spanish rule in Puerto Rico.
• 1932 – Hejaz and Nejd merged and were renamed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with Ibn Saud as the first monarch and Riyadh as the capital city.

More events: September 22 – September 23 – September 24