Which event does this 1787 photograph show?

Thirty-nine delegates sign a constitution that is still in force (1787). The Constitutional Convention finished its work in Philadelphia on 17 September 1787 and 39 of the 55 delegates signed. Benjamin Franklin, at 81 the oldest man in the room, had to be carried in each day in a sedan chair. The document is the oldest written national constitution still in use.

Which event does this 1862 photograph show?

The bloodiest single day in American history (1862). About 23,000 men were killed, wounded or missing at Antietam on 17 September 1862 - still the costliest single day in American history. Alexander Gardner photographed the field before the dead were buried, and the pictures went on show in New York weeks later. It was the first time the public had seen war photographed like this.

Which event does this 1908 photograph show?

A passenger becomes the first person killed in an aeroplane crash (1908). Orville Wright was demonstrating the Flyer to the US Army at Fort Myer on 17 September 1908 when a propeller split and the machine fell from about a hundred feet. His passenger, Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge, died of a fractured skull, the first aeroplane fatality. Orville broke a leg and several ribs, and the Army bought the aircraft anyway.

Which event does this 1849 photograph show?

A woman escapes slavery and returns, again and again, to free others (1849). Harriet Tubman escaped from a Maryland plantation around 17 September 1849, walking almost ninety miles to Pennsylvania. She then went back roughly thirteen times to lead about seventy others out. She later served the Union army as a scout, and in 1863 guided a raid that freed more than 700 people in a single night.

Which event does this 1978 photograph show?

Two old enemies sign a peace framework after thirteen days at a country retreat (1978). Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat signed the Camp David Accords on 17 September 1978 after thirteen days of talks brokered by Jimmy Carter, who at one point shuttled between cabins because the two men would not sit in the same room. Begin and Sadat shared that year's Nobel Peace Prize. Sadat was assassinated three years later.

What happened on September 17? the signing of the US Constitution, the Battle of Antietam and 3 more

What happened on September 17

All 5 specimens from this file, spanning 1787 to 1978, with the story behind each photograph.

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Politics · 1787

Thirty-nine delegates sign a constitution that is still in force

The Constitutional Convention finished its work in Philadelphia on 17 September 1787 and 39 of the 55 delegates signed. Benjamin Franklin, at 81 the oldest man in the room, had to be carried in each day in a sedan chair. The document is the oldest written national constitution still in use.
Conflict · 1862

The bloodiest single day in American history

About 23,000 men were killed, wounded or missing at Antietam on 17 September 1862 - still the costliest single day in American history. Alexander Gardner photographed the field before the dead were buried, and the pictures went on show in New York weeks later. It was the first time the public had seen war photographed like this.
Technology · 1908

A passenger becomes the first person killed in an aeroplane crash

Orville Wright was demonstrating the Flyer to the US Army at Fort Myer on 17 September 1908 when a propeller split and the machine fell from about a hundred feet. His passenger, Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge, died of a fractured skull, the first aeroplane fatality. Orville broke a leg and several ribs, and the Army bought the aircraft anyway.
Society · 1849

A woman escapes slavery and returns, again and again, to free others

Harriet Tubman escaped from a Maryland plantation around 17 September 1849, walking almost ninety miles to Pennsylvania. She then went back roughly thirteen times to lead about seventy others out. She later served the Union army as a scout, and in 1863 guided a raid that freed more than 700 people in a single night.
Politics · 1978

Two old enemies sign a peace framework after thirteen days at a country retreat

Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat signed the Camp David Accords on 17 September 1978 after thirteen days of talks brokered by Jimmy Carter, who at one point shuttled between cabins because the two men would not sit in the same room. Begin and Sadat shared that year's Nobel Peace Prize. Sadat was assassinated three years later.