Barkey, we really need to know a few things before we can really make accurate recommendations. The big things are, first, do you want hammer or striker fired; and, second, do you prefer DA only, SA only, or DA/SA. Also of importance, do you have a preference of steel, aluminum, or plastic frame? Knowing those things will help us make recommendations, and not a list.
Historical Geekiness Below:
Beretta and Glock rule the 9 mm world as far as I can see. Everything else seems to be a copy of thereof!
You may wish to research the HK VP 70, which was the first polymer frame, striker fired pistol. After that take a look at the Roth-Steyr M1907, and Browning designed FN Model 1910 because those were the first two striker fired pistols in the world. We then have to go back to 1893 and Hugo Borchardt's C-93 to find the origins of the detachable magazine box which is held in the pistol grip. Then we need to fast forward to the Colt M1910 (predecessor of the M1911) to find the tilt breech locking mechanism.
Glock 17 = Plastic frame FN Model 1910 with updated Roth-Steyr M1907 striker mechanism, and a modified Browning tilt breech locking mechanism. Just about every semi-auto pistol made after the early 1900s has borrowed Hugo Borchardt's magazine design & layout.
You could say that the Beretta 92 is just a 1911 with a modification to the tilt breech locking mechanism, and the hammer firing mechanism modified to allow DA and SA firing. I'm sure another arms historian can tell you what the first DA/SA pistol was.
The basis of all modern semi-auto pistols is almost as old as the metallic cartridge itself. We just re-blend, modify, apply to new material & manufacturing processes, and even outright copy some really old ideas.