September 24
Subject to Britannica's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
1968
When 60 Minutes started the clock ticking
On this day in 1968, television was forever changed. As viewers tuned in for the first episode of 60 Minutes, they saw correspondents Harry Reasoner and Mike Wallace sitting on a simple set, telling people what they could expect: “A kind of a magazine for television,” Reasoner explained. Ever the skeptic, Wallace seemed to question the entire enterprise, ending his comments with “We’ll see.” Despite such reservations, 60 Minutes would become the most significant and successful news programs in TV history.
READ MORE
CBS Television Network; Photo Illustration Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Featured Event
© Everett/Shutterstock.com
On this day in 1957 racial desegregation took centre stage when federal troops were dispatched to Little Rock, Arkansas, to maintain order and enforce the right of black students to attend the local public high school.
Featured Biography
Featured Biography
AP/Shutterstock.com
American puppeteer Jim Henson, born this day in 1936, was the creator of the Muppets (a meld of “marionettes” and “puppets”), whose characters included Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Big Bird, and the Cookie Monster.
Famous Birthdays
More on September 24
© Ozkan Bilgin—Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
2015
According to Saudi officials, 769 people died in a stampede during the hajj to Mecca; however, other estimates claim that more than 2,400 were killed, making it one of the deadliest accidents in the pilgrimage’s history. [Watch a video overview of the hajj.]
© 1995 BBC
1995
The BBC miniseries Pride and Prejudice, starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle, debuted on British television, and it became one of the most acclaimed adaptations of Jane Austen’s classic novel. [How much do you know about Jane Austen?]
© ldambies/Shutterstock.com
1993
© Gutchie Kojima—Shinko Music/Getty Images
1991
American alternative rock group Nirvana released its breakthrough album Nevermind, which helped make grunge an international phenomenon and gave voice to Generation X. [Test your knowledge of musical groups.]
J.E. Williams, PHC/U.S. Navy Photo
1960
The first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the Enterprise, was launched by the United States. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about submarines, ships, and other watercraft.]
© Bettmann/Getty Images
1938
Don Budge won the U.S. Open, becoming the first player to win a Grand Slam title in tennis. [How much do you know about tennis?]
UPI/Bettmann Archive
1934
Babe Ruth played in his last baseball game for the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. [Take our baseball quiz.]
© Index Open
1906
Devils Tower in northeastern Wyoming was named the first national monument in the United States. [How much do you know about iconic monuments?]
Public Domain
1896
American short-story writer and novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald—famous for his depictions of the Jazz Age, his most brilliant novel being The Great Gatsby (1925)—was born. [Test your knowledge of famous authors.]
© StrippedPixel/Dreamstime.com
1877
Saigo Takamori, a hero of the Meiji Restoration, was killed after reluctantly leading a rebellion against the Meiji government. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about Japan.]
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
1869
Plummeting gold prices led to a panic known as Black Friday, when U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant, after learning of an attempt by Jay Gould and James Fisk to drive up the gold market, ordered $4 million of government gold to be sold on the market. [Take our economics quiz.]
Courtesy of Duke University, Durham, N.C.
1755
John Marshall, the fourth chief justice of the United States and principal founder of the U.S. system of constitutional law, including the doctrine of judicial review, was born. [Why are there nine justices on the U.S. Supreme Court?]