Which event does this 1571 photograph show?

Two fleets of oared galleys meet in the last great battle fought under oars (1571). A Christian league and the Ottoman fleet met off western Greece on 7 October 1571 with over four hundred galleys between them. It was the last major battle in which ships were rowed rather than sailed into action. Tens of thousands died in about four hours, and roughly fifteen thousand Christian galley slaves were freed from the captured ships.

Which event does this 1959 photograph show?

A probe sends back the first pictures of the side of the Moon nobody had seen (1959). Luna 3 photographed the far side of the Moon on 7 October 1959. It carried a tiny film laboratory: the craft shot the pictures on film, developed and fixed them on board, then scanned the negatives and radioed the result home. The images were poor, but they showed the far side has almost none of the dark plains that cover the near side.

Which event does this 1913 photograph show?

A car factory starts moving the work past the men instead of the other way round (1913). Ford started pulling car chassis past stationary workers with a rope and windlass on 7 October 1913. Assembly time for a Model T fell from over twelve hours to about ninety minutes. The work was so monotonous that turnover reached 370 per cent a year, which is the real reason Ford started paying five dollars a day.

Which event does this 1777 photograph show?

An invading army is broken in a second battle and surrenders ten days later (1777). The second battle at Saratoga was fought on 7 October 1777 and wrecked Burgoyne's army, which surrendered on the 17th. Benedict Arnold, who had been relieved of command after a row, rode into the fighting anyway and was shot in the leg. The victory convinced France to enter the war openly on the American side.

Which event does this 1849 photograph show?

A writer dies days after being found delirious in another man's clothes (1849). Edgar Allan Poe died in a Baltimore hospital on 7 October 1849, four days after being found semi-conscious outside a tavern, wearing clothes that were not his. He never explained what had happened, all his medical records are lost, and the causes proposed since include rabies, alcohol, a brain tumour and being seized by an election gang and made to vote repeatedly.

What happened on October 7? the Battle of Lepanto, the far side of the Moon and 3 more

What happened on October 7

All 5 specimens from this file, spanning 1571 to 1959, with the story behind each photograph.

Reveal the full answer key

Conflict · 1571

Two fleets of oared galleys meet in the last great battle fought under oars

A Christian league and the Ottoman fleet met off western Greece on 7 October 1571 with over four hundred galleys between them. It was the last major battle in which ships were rowed rather than sailed into action. Tens of thousands died in about four hours, and roughly fifteen thousand Christian galley slaves were freed from the captured ships.
Space · 1959

A probe sends back the first pictures of the side of the Moon nobody had seen

Luna 3 photographed the far side of the Moon on 7 October 1959. It carried a tiny film laboratory: the craft shot the pictures on film, developed and fixed them on board, then scanned the negatives and radioed the result home. The images were poor, but they showed the far side has almost none of the dark plains that cover the near side.
Industry · 1913

A car factory starts moving the work past the men instead of the other way round

Ford started pulling car chassis past stationary workers with a rope and windlass on 7 October 1913. Assembly time for a Model T fell from over twelve hours to about ninety minutes. The work was so monotonous that turnover reached 370 per cent a year, which is the real reason Ford started paying five dollars a day.
Conflict · 1777

An invading army is broken in a second battle and surrenders ten days later

The second battle at Saratoga was fought on 7 October 1777 and wrecked Burgoyne's army, which surrendered on the 17th. Benedict Arnold, who had been relieved of command after a row, rode into the fighting anyway and was shot in the leg. The victory convinced France to enter the war openly on the American side.
Mystery · 1849

A writer dies days after being found delirious in another man's clothes

Edgar Allan Poe died in a Baltimore hospital on 7 October 1849, four days after being found semi-conscious outside a tavern, wearing clothes that were not his. He never explained what had happened, all his medical records are lost, and the causes proposed since include rabies, alcohol, a brain tumour and being seized by an election gang and made to vote repeatedly.