September 26 through History

Explanation: Francis Drake was the second navigator to circumnavigate the globe after Magellan, but unlike him, he survived the expedition. He set off from Plymouth in December 1577 and took nearly three years to complete this circumnavigation aboard the Golden Hind.

Explanation: 1905 is nicknamed Einstein's "annus mirabilis" because he published not only the theory of special relativity that year, but also his work on the photoelectric effect (which would earn him the Nobel Prize) and Brownian motion, revolutionizing physics in a single year.

Explanation: West Side Story, with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, transposes the story of Romeo and Juliet to 1950s New York. The 1961 film won ten Oscars, and a new film adaptation by Steven Spielberg was made in 2021.

Explanation: The Parthenon had survived more than two millennia in relatively good condition. The Ottomans had turned it into a mosque and were using its naos as a powder magazine during the Venetian siege. The explosion devastated the central part of the monument, scattering the columns and friezes. The Parthenon marbles, partially looted by Lord Elgin in the early XIXth century, are today at the heart of a debate between Greece and the United Kingdom.

Explanation: Soviet detection systems falsely signaled the launch of five American ballistic missiles. Stanislav Petrov, convinced it was a false alarm, decided not to pass the information up the chain of command, preventing an automatic nuclear retaliation. His act was not made public until after the fall of the USSR. He is sometimes nicknamed "the man who saved the world".

Explanation: The Joola, which connected Ziguinchor to Dakar, was notoriously overcrowded. With nearly 1,900 deaths, this shipwreck is one of the worst maritime disasters in history, surpassing even the death toll of the Titanic. Only 64 people survived. The vessel had an official capacity of around 580 passengers.

Explanation: Abbey Road is the last album recorded by the Beatles together, although Let It Be was released later. The photograph of the four members crossing a pedestrian crossing on Abbey Road in London is one of the most reproduced images in music history. The crossing is now a major tourist attraction in London.

Explanation: Serena Williams is considered by many to be the greatest tennis player of all time. With 23 Grand Slam singles titles, she holds the record for the Open era. She also won four Olympic gold medals and dominated world tennis for more than two decades before announcing her retirement in 2022.

Explanation: The French Republican calendar was adopted in 1793 and used until 1806. Each day bore the name of a natural element: a plant, animal, or tool. The 5 Vendémiaire was officially called "Day of the Horse". Vendémiaire, the 1st month of the Republican calendar, took its name from the Latin vindemia, meaning grape harvest.

Explanation: The Holy Alliance was initiated by Tsar Alexander I of Russia and signed by Russia, Austria, and Prussia. It aimed to maintain the Christian and monarchical order in Europe after the defeat of Napoleon. France joined in 1818 at the Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle, but the United Kingdom refused to formally join, considering its principles too vague.