September 17, 1179: Hildegaard of Bingen, a German abbess, mystic, author, and preacher who received visions of God from the age of 5, dies at age 82 (see issue 30: Woman in the Medieval Church).

September 17, 1575: Swiss reformer Heinrich Bullinger dies. Next to John Calvin, Bullinger exerted the most influence over the second-generation Reformers (see issue 12: John Calvin).

September 17, 1630: English settlers change the name of Trimountain, Massachusetts, to Boston in honor of pastor John Cotton, ...