1978 48 years ago Notable Deaths September 11

Janet Parker, English photographer (born 1938)

On September 11, in the year 1978, Janet Parker, English photographer (born 1938). This event is recorded as a Notable Deaths event in the history of September 11, one of 462 recorded events on this date across all of history.

1 notable person is associated with this event, including 1978 smallpox outbreak in the United Kingdom. Learn more below.

In 1978, a smallpox outbreak in the United Kingdom led to the death of Janet Parker, a British medical photographer. She was the last person recorded to have died from this disease. Parker's illness and death were linked to two additional fatalities, prompting the government to establish the Shooter Inquiry. This official investigation, conducted by a panel of experts headed by microbiologist R.A. Shooter, led to significant reforms in the study of dangerous pathogens in the UK.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on September 11, 1978 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Notable Deaths event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 1 Wikipedia article.
  • 1 notable person is recorded as involved in or associated with this event.
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 26 August 2026.

On This Date in History 462

Type Year Date Event
Historical Events 2025 Sep 11 Progress MS-32 is launched to resupply the International Space Station. It is the 300th spacecraft launched to the ISS.
Notable Deaths 2025 Sep 11 John D. Petersen, American chemist, educator, and academic administrator (born 1947)
Selected Events 2025 Sep 11 Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years in prison for his involvement in a coup plot.
Historical Events 2024 Sep 11 Hurricane Francine impacts the Gulf of Mexico, as a Category 2 hurricane.
Historical Events 2024 Sep 11 Soyuz MS-26 is launched to the International Space Station, setting a record of 19 people in orbit at the same time.
Notable Deaths 2024 Sep 11 Kenneth Cope, British actor (born 1931)
Notable Deaths 2024 Sep 11 Alberto Fujimori, Peruvian politician, professor, and engineer, President of Peru (born 1938)
Notable Deaths 2024 Sep 11 Chad McQueen, American actor and race car driver (born 1960)
Notable Deaths 2024 Sep 11 Joe Schmidt, American football player and coach (born 1932)
Historical Events 2023 Sep 11 The Libyan city of Derna experiences catastrophic floods after Storm Daniel causes two dams to collapse, killing…
Notable Deaths 2022 Sep 11 Javier Marías, Spanish novelist, journalist and translator (born 1951)
Notable Deaths 2022 Sep 11 John W. O'Malley, American academic, Catholic historian, and Jesuit priest (born 1927)
Notable Deaths 2022 Sep 11 Joyce Reynolds, British classicist and academic (born 1918)
Notable Deaths 2021 Sep 11 Abimael Guzmán, Peruvian philosopher and academic (born 1934)
Notable Deaths 2020 Sep 11 Toots Hibbert, Jamaican singer and songwriter (born 1942)
Notable Deaths 2020 Sep 11 Swami Agnivesh, an Indian social activist and the founder of Arya Sabha, a political party based on the principles of…
Notable Deaths 2019 Sep 11 B. J. Habibie, 3rd President of Indonesia (born 1936)
Notable Deaths 2016 Sep 11 Alexis Arquette, American actress, musician and cabaret performer (born 1969)
Historical Events 2015 Sep 11 A crane collapses onto the Masjid al-Haram mosque in Saudi Arabia, killing 111 people and injuring 394 others.
Notable Deaths 2014 Sep 11 Bob Crewe, American singer-songwriter and producer (born 1930)
Notable Deaths 2014 Sep 11 Antoine Duhamel, French composer and conductor (born 1925)
Notable Deaths 2014 Sep 11 Donald Sinden, English actor (born 1923)
Notable Deaths 2013 Sep 11 Francisco Chavez, Filipino lawyer and politician, Solicitor General of the Philippines (born 1947)
Notable Deaths 2013 Sep 11 Albert Jacquard, French geneticist and biologist (born 1925)
Notable Deaths 2013 Sep 11 Andrzej Trybulec, Polish mathematician and computer scientist (born 1941)
Historical Events 2012 Sep 11 A total of 315 people are killed in two garment factory fires in Pakistan.
Historical Events 2012 Sep 11 The U.S. embassy in Benghazi, Libya is attacked, resulting in four deaths.
Notable Deaths 2012 Sep 11 Finn Bergesen, Norwegian civil servant and businessman (born 1945)
Notable Deaths 2012 Sep 11 Tomas Evjen, Norwegian cinematographer and producer (born 1972)
Notable Deaths 2012 Sep 11 J. Christopher Stevens, American lawyer and diplomat, 10th United States Ambassador to Libya (born 1960)
Selected Events 2012 Sep 11 The American consulate and CIA annex in Libya were attacked by a heavily armed group, resulting in the deaths of U.S.…
Historical Events 2011 Sep 11 A dedication ceremony is held at the United States National September 11 Memorial on the 10th anniversary of the…
Notable Deaths 2011 Sep 11 Christian Bakkerud, Danish racing driver (born 1984)
Notable Deaths 2011 Sep 11 Ralph Gubbins, English footballer (born 1932)
Notable Deaths 2011 Sep 11 Anjali Gupta, Indian soldier and pilot (born 1975)
Notable Deaths 2011 Sep 11 Andy Whitfield, Welsh actor and model (born 1971)
Notable Deaths 2010 Sep 11 Harold Gould, American actor (born 1923)
Notable Deaths 2010 Sep 11 Kevin McCarthy, American actor (born 1914)
Notable Deaths 2009 Sep 11 Jim Carroll, American author, poet and musician (born 1949)
Notable Deaths 2009 Sep 11 Pierre Cossette, Canadian producer and manager (born 1923)
Notable Deaths 2009 Sep 11 Larry Gelbart, American director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2009 Sep 11 Yoshito Usui, Japanese author and illustrator (born 1958)
Historical Events 2008 Sep 11 A major Channel Tunnel fire breaks out on a freight train, resulting in the closure of part of the tunnel for six…
Historical Events 2007 Sep 11 Russia tests the largest conventional weapon ever, the Father of All Bombs.
Notable Deaths 2007 Sep 11 Ian Porterfield, Scottish footballer and manager (born 1946)
Notable Deaths 2007 Sep 11 Gene Savoy, American explorer, theologian, and author (born 1927)
Notable Deaths 2007 Sep 11 Jean Séguy, French sociologist and author (born 1925)
Notable Deaths 2007 Sep 11 Joe Zawinul, Austrian keyboard player and songwriter (born 1932)
Notable Births 2006 Sep 11 Oliver Peake, Australian cricketer
Notable Deaths 2006 Sep 11 William Auld, Scottish poet and author (born 1924)

This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

People Involved

1978 smallpox outbreak in the United Kingdom

Event leading to the last known smallpox death

death

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