Five Ships, 270 Men, and a Voyage Nobody Had Survived
On September 20, 1519, Ferdinand Magellan sailed from Spain with five ships and about 270 men on the voyage that would become the first circumnavigation of the Earth.
Tale of the day · Saturday, October 3, 2026
The Little Spacecraft That Wouldn't Stop
On September 5, 1977, NASA launched Voyager 1 — a probe built for five years that became the most distant human-made object in history.
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The Petition That Gave Women the Vote
On September 19, 1893, New Zealand became the first country in the world where all women could vote in national elections — after Kate Sheppard's campaign gathered nearly 32,000 signatures.
The Penny Paper That Grew Into the Paper of Record
On September 18, 1851, Henry Jarvis Raymond and George Jones printed the first issue of the New-York Daily Times — a one-cent newspaper that would become The New York Times.
Thirteen Days That Brought Two Enemies to Shake Hands
On September 17, 1978, Egypt's Anwar Sadat and Israel's Menachem Begin signed the Camp David Accords after thirteen days of secret talks, ending decades of war between their nations.
The Day the World Agreed to Heal the Sky
On September 16, 1987, diplomats signed the Montreal Protocol, which grew into the only universally ratified treaty in UN history — and it is why the ozone layer is healing today.
The Day the World Got on Rails
On September 15, 1830, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway opened as the world's first intercity steam railway — and the modern age of fast travel began.