Historical eventSeptember 172011

Occupy Wall Street

Occupy Wall Street movement begins in Zuccotti Park, New York City.

Everything on September 17Original source

In context

When
Saturday, September 17 201115 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
21st century · 2010s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 2011-09-17.

Place: Zuccotti Park, United States.

Type: social movement, protest, and occupation.

What came before

Background "We are the 99%" Main article: We are the 99% "We Are The 99%" The Occupy protesters' slogan "We are the 99%" referred to the income disparity in the US and economic inequality in general, which were main issues for OWS. The phrase gave the movement a very simple and very memorable way to show people and express a complex and critique of wealth concentration and a massively unequal political influence. By comparing most of the people in the United States with a small amount of economic elites,

Catalyst / how it started

Linked causes: big business.

Origins Part of a series on Socialism in the United States Ideologies African African-American Agrarian Anarchism Individualist Bill of Rights Browderism Christian De Leonism Democratic Ecological Feminist Libertarian Maoism Marxism–Leninism Maoist Owenism Sewer Social democracy Shachtmanism Syndicalism Trotskyism History Utopian socialism United Order Bishop Hill Commune Brook Farm Icarians Looking Backward New Harmony Oneida Community Progressive Era 1877 St.

Who was involvedAI-assisted

Occupy Wall Street was initiated by Adbusters, a Canadian activist magazine, which issued a call to action in July 2011. The movement attracted thousands of protesters, including students, unemployed workers, and activists concerned with economic inequality and corporate influence.

The movement had no formal leadership structure or central organization. Participants made decisions through general assemblies using consensus-based processes, with the slogan "We are the 99%" representing the broader population against the wealthy elite.

TimelineAI-assisted

September 17, 2011: Occupy Wall Street officially began when protesters gathered in Zuccotti Park in Manhattan's Financial District. The initial turnout was smaller than organizers anticipated, but the movement quickly grew in size and visibility.

October 2011: The movement expanded significantly, with solidarity protests spreading to hundreds of cities across the United States and internationally. Major demonstrations occurred in Los Angeles, Chicago, and other urban centers.

November 15, 2011: The NYPD cleared Zuccotti Park, ending the original fifty-nine-day occupation. Police removed tents and arrested numerous protesters, effectively concluding the primary encampment phase of the movement.

What happened

Occupy Wall Street (O.W.S.) was a left-wing populist and progressive movement against economic inequality, capitalism, corporate greed, big finance, and the influence of money in politics. It began in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City's Financial District, and lasted for fifty-nine days—from September 17 to November 15, 2011.

September 17 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 2001New York Stock Exchange
  2. 2006Őszöd speech
  3. 2006Fourpeaked Mountain
  4. 2008Al-Qaeda in Yemen
  5. 2011Adbusters
  6. 2011Occupy Wall Street
  7. 2013Grand Theft Auto V
  8. 20162016 New York and New Jersey bombings
  9. 2018Israeli Air Force
  10. 2018Syria missile strikes (September 2018)
  11. 2025Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement

Also in 2011

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  • September 182011 Sikkim earthquakeThe 2011 Sikkim earthquake is felt across northeastern India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and southern Tibet.
  • October 20Libyan civil war (2011)First Libyan Civil War: Muammar Gaddafi, the deposed Libyan leader, was captured by rebel forces during the Battle of Sirte, and was kill…
  • October 20Libyan crisisLibyan Crisis: Rebel forces capture Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi and his son Mutassim in his hometown of Sirte and kill them shortly t…
  • July 13MumbaiMumbai is rocked by three bomb blasts during the evening rush hour, killing 26 and injuring 130.

Everything we record for 2011 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Occupy Wall Street”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/occupy-wall-street-2011-september-17, accessed October 27, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Occupy Wall Street happen?

September 17 2011 — 15 years ago, on a Saturday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints. Panels marked AI-assisted were filled where the sources left a heading empty.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

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