Date with History: September 26

One officer's judgment call kept the Cold War cold, on the same date Serena was born.

One paperback for one calendar date: what happened on September 26, and who was born on it.

What happened on September 26

1983: Stanislav Petrov judges a nuclear alert a false alarm

On September 26, 1983, Soviet officer Stanislav Petrov's early-warning system reported incoming American missiles. He judged it a malfunction rather than report an attack, a decision that likely prevented a retaliatory nuclear strike.

1960: Nixon and Kennedy meet in the first televised debate

On September 26, 1960, Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy met in the first televised U.S. presidential debate. Radio listeners thought Nixon had won, but television viewers favored the more relaxed Kennedy, changing how American politics would be conducted from then on.

Famous birthdays on September 26

1898 — George Gershwin
George Gershwin, born 1898, fused jazz and classical music into Rhapsody in Blue.

1981 — Serena Williams
Serena Williams, born 1981, went on to win more Grand Slam singles titles than any Open Era player.

Nearby dates

September 25 · September 27 · All September dates

Part of Date with History, a 366-book collection with one book for every date of the year. 5″×8″ paperback, cream paper.

Historical selections are editorially researched. This is a date-specific book, not a personalized or custom-made product.