This Day in History: September 14

1752 Gregorian calendar adoption by Britain and the British Empire

The British Empire, which included the American colonies, adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1752, leading to the disappearance of the dates from September 3 to September 13 of that year.

1936 First prefrontal lobotomy in America

In 1936, Walter Freeman and James W. Watts set a medical milestone by executing America's first prefrontal lobotomy at George Washington University Hospital in Washington D.C.

1939 First practical helicopter, the VS-300, takes flight

Designed by Igor Sikorsky, the VS-300 marked the birth of world's first practical helicopter in 1939, taking its maiden (tethered) flight in Stratford, Connecticut.

1949 Adoption of Hindi as an official language in India

In 1949, India's Constituent Assembly officially adopted Hindi as one of the country's languages. This historic decision is commemorated today as Hindi Day.

1956 Introduction of IBM's RAMAC 305

The RAMAC 305 became the first commercial computer to employ magnetic disk storage as a hard drive, weighing over a ton, a groundbreaking innovation introduced by IBM in 1956.

1960 Formation of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

Oil-rich countries such as Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi-Arabia, and Venezuela united to form the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in 1960.

2020 Potential sign of life on Venus

Astronomers reported a potential sign of life on Venus in 2020, after detecting phosphine in the planet's atmosphere with a telescope.

2021 COVID-19's impact on America

By 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic swept through America, leading to a tragic milestone where 1 in 500 Americans lost their lives to the virus. The death toll was reported to be 663,913 (Johns Hopkins).

2000 Microsoft launches Windows ME

In 2000, Microsoft released Windows ME, the last of the operating systems from the Windows 9x series.

1985 Television Debut of The Golden Girls

The popular American sitcom 'The Golden Girls', which portrayed the lives of four single, aged women living together in a Miami, Florida house, made its maiden appearance on NBC in 1985. The series bagged 2 Primetime Emmy Awards and 3 Golden Globe Awards during its run of six seasons.

1979 Assassination of Afghan President Nur Muhammad Taraki

Nur Muhammad Taraki, who had become Afghan President less than a year earlier, was assassinated in 1979 by Hafizullah Amin. Amin subsequently took over the office, but his reign was cut short by the Soviets during Operation Storm-333 after only three months.

1959 Successful Moon Landing of the First Man-Made Object

In 1959, Luna 2, a Soviet space probe, became the first man-made object to land successfully on the Moon, marking a significant achievement in space exploration. The probe was launched on September 12, 1959, and lost communications with Earth as it landed on the Moon's surface.

1956 Release of IBM 305 RAMAC

IBM, in 1956, launched the 305 RAMAC (Random Access Method of Accounting and Control) which was the first-ever computer equipped with a disk drive. Meant to cater to businesses executing real-time transactions, RAMAC 305 was amongst the last line of vacuum tube computers by IBM, which was soon replaced by the IBM 1401.