Which event does this 1783 photograph show?

A sheep, a duck and a rooster become the first air passengers (1783). The Montgolfier brothers flew a balloon at Versailles on 19 September 1783 in front of Louis XVI, carrying a sheep, a duck and a rooster in a basket. Nobody knew whether the air was breathable that high up, so the animals went first. They landed safely about two miles away after eight minutes.

Which event does this 1881 photograph show?

A president dies eleven weeks after being shot (1881). James Garfield was shot at a Washington railway station on 2 July 1881 and died on 19 September. The bullet was not the main problem: his doctors probed the wound repeatedly with unwashed fingers and instruments, and he died of infection. Alexander Graham Bell built a metal detector to find the bullet, and it failed, apparently confused by the bedsprings.

Which event does this 1893 photograph show?

A country becomes the first in the world to let women vote (1893). New Zealand became the first self-governing country to give women the vote when the governor signed the Electoral Act on 19 September 1893. Kate Sheppard, pictured, had gathered a petition of nearly 32,000 signatures, glued into a roll longer than a cricket pitch. She is on the New Zealand ten dollar note.

Which event does this 1985 photograph show?

An earthquake flattens the centre of a capital city (1985). The earthquake that struck on the morning of 19 September 1985 killed at least 5,000 people in Mexico City, and possibly several times that. The old lake bed the city sits on amplified the shaking, so tall buildings swayed themselves apart while low ones nearby survived. Volunteer rescue brigades formed within hours and are still organised today.

Which event does this 1991 photograph show?

Hikers find a 5,000 year old body melting out of a glacier (1991). Two German hikers found a body in the ice on the Austrian-Italian border on 19 September 1991 and assumed it was a lost climber. It turned out to be about 5,300 years old, with copper axe, bearskin hat and tattoos intact. An arrowhead was found in his shoulder ten years later: he had been shot from behind. The figure shown is a museum reconstruction.

What happened on September 19? the Montgolfier balloon at Versailles, the death of James Garfield and 3 more

What happened on September 19

All 5 specimens from this file, spanning 1783 to 1991, with the story behind each photograph.

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Technology · 1783

A sheep, a duck and a rooster become the first air passengers

The Montgolfier brothers flew a balloon at Versailles on 19 September 1783 in front of Louis XVI, carrying a sheep, a duck and a rooster in a basket. Nobody knew whether the air was breathable that high up, so the animals went first. They landed safely about two miles away after eight minutes.
Politics · 1881

A president dies eleven weeks after being shot

James Garfield was shot at a Washington railway station on 2 July 1881 and died on 19 September. The bullet was not the main problem: his doctors probed the wound repeatedly with unwashed fingers and instruments, and he died of infection. Alexander Graham Bell built a metal detector to find the bullet, and it failed, apparently confused by the bedsprings.
Society · 1893

A country becomes the first in the world to let women vote

New Zealand became the first self-governing country to give women the vote when the governor signed the Electoral Act on 19 September 1893. Kate Sheppard, pictured, had gathered a petition of nearly 32,000 signatures, glued into a roll longer than a cricket pitch. She is on the New Zealand ten dollar note.
Disaster · 1985

An earthquake flattens the centre of a capital city

The earthquake that struck on the morning of 19 September 1985 killed at least 5,000 people in Mexico City, and possibly several times that. The old lake bed the city sits on amplified the shaking, so tall buildings swayed themselves apart while low ones nearby survived. Volunteer rescue brigades formed within hours and are still organised today.
Science · 1991

Hikers find a 5,000 year old body melting out of a glacier

Two German hikers found a body in the ice on the Austrian-Italian border on 19 September 1991 and assumed it was a lost climber. It turned out to be about 5,300 years old, with copper axe, bearskin hat and tattoos intact. An arrowhead was found in his shoulder ten years later: he had been shot from behind. The figure shown is a museum reconstruction.