World History

  • September 25, 1513: Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa reached the Pacific Ocean after crossing the Isthmus of Panama. He became the first European to see or reach the Pacific from the New World.
  • September 26, 1983: A potential nuclear disaster was averted when Stanislav Petrov, a lieutenant colonel in the Soviet Air Defense Forces, correctly identified a report of incoming American nuclear missiles as a false alarm. This decision prevented a retaliatory nuclear attack on the United States and potential nuclear war.
  • September 28, 1066: William the Conqueror invaded England, starting the Norman conquest. He would go on to defeat King Harold at the Battle of Hastings and change the trajectory of English history.
  • September 29, 1941: The Babi Yar massacre began near Kiev in Nazi-occupied Ukraine. Over a two-day period, nearly 34,000 Jews were executed by the Nazis in a ravine called Babi Yar, marking one of the largest mass killings in a single location during World War II.
  • October 1, 1949: The People’s Republic of China was proclaimed by Mao Zedong, marking the official establishment of the PRC and the end of the civil war between the Communists and the Nationalists.

Cleveland History

  • September 26, 1950: The Cuyahoga River fire occurred, one of the numerous instances when the river caught fire due to pollution and industrial waste. This particular fire wasn’t the most famous (that would be the 1969 fire), but it was indicative of the environmental challenges the city faced during its industrial heyday.
  • September 27, 1941: Bob Feller, the legendary Cleveland Indians pitcher, set an American League record by winning his 24th game of the season. Feller’s prowess on the mound contributed significantly to the lore of the Indians.
  • September 28, 1920: The Cleveland Museum of Natural History was founded. Since its inception, the museum has been a staple of the city’s cultural scene, providing education on natural sciences to countless visitors.
  • September 30, 2002: The city’s baseball history was celebrated with the opening of Jacobs Field (now known as Progressive Field) in downtown Cleveland, reinvigorating the city’s downtown area and providing a modern venue for the Cleveland Indians.
  • Late September, 1972: The Playhouse Square Center began its journey to restoration. The 1970s marked the beginning of efforts to save and restore the historic theater district, which would become one of the largest performing arts centers in the U.S.