Which event does this 1604 photograph show?

A new star appears in the sky and outshines every planet for three weeks (1604). A star flared up in the constellation Ophiuchus on 9 October 1604, bright enough to see in daylight for about three weeks. Johannes Kepler tracked it for a year and wrote it up, which is why it carries his name. It remains the last supernova in our own galaxy that anyone has seen without a telescope.

Which event does this 1934 photograph show?

A king is shot in the back of an open car on a state visit to an ally (1934). Alexander I of Yugoslavia was shot in Marseille on 9 October 1934, minutes after coming ashore, along with the French foreign minister. The gunman was killed by the crowd and a mounted officer. Newsreel cameras were already running, which made it one of the first assassinations of a head of state ever caught on film.

Which event does this 1919 photograph show?

A championship series ends in a result eight of the losing players had sold (1919). Cincinnati beat Chicago on 9 October 1919 to take the World Series. A year later eight Chicago players were charged with having taken money from gamblers to lose it. A jury acquitted them all, and the sport's new commissioner banned every one of them for life the next day anyway.

Which event does this 1936 photograph show?

A dam in a desert canyon begins sending power to a city 260 miles away (1936). The first generator at the Hoover Dam sent electricity to Los Angeles on 9 October 1936, down a transmission line about 266 miles long that was itself a record. The dam had been dedicated the year before. Its power output is now a small part of the western grid, but the line proved that electricity could be moved that far at all.

Which event does this 1888 photograph show?

A monument that stood half built for twenty-two years finally opens to the public (1888). The Washington Monument opened to the public on 9 October 1888. Work had stopped in 1854 when the money ran out and a political faction stole the stones, and the stump sat unfinished for over twenty years. If you look at it in daylight you can still see the change in the colour of the marble where building started again.

What happened on October 9? Kepler's supernova, the assassination of King Alexander of Yugoslavia and 3 more

What happened on October 9

All 5 specimens from this file, spanning 1604 to 1936, with the story behind each photograph.

Reveal the full answer key

Astronomy · 1604

A new star appears in the sky and outshines every planet for three weeks

A star flared up in the constellation Ophiuchus on 9 October 1604, bright enough to see in daylight for about three weeks. Johannes Kepler tracked it for a year and wrote it up, which is why it carries his name. It remains the last supernova in our own galaxy that anyone has seen without a telescope.
Crime · 1934

A king is shot in the back of an open car on a state visit to an ally

Alexander I of Yugoslavia was shot in Marseille on 9 October 1934, minutes after coming ashore, along with the French foreign minister. The gunman was killed by the crowd and a mounted officer. Newsreel cameras were already running, which made it one of the first assassinations of a head of state ever caught on film.
Baseball · 1919

A championship series ends in a result eight of the losing players had sold

Cincinnati beat Chicago on 9 October 1919 to take the World Series. A year later eight Chicago players were charged with having taken money from gamblers to lose it. A jury acquitted them all, and the sport's new commissioner banned every one of them for life the next day anyway.
Engineering · 1936

A dam in a desert canyon begins sending power to a city 260 miles away

The first generator at the Hoover Dam sent electricity to Los Angeles on 9 October 1936, down a transmission line about 266 miles long that was itself a record. The dam had been dedicated the year before. Its power output is now a small part of the western grid, but the line proved that electricity could be moved that far at all.
Engineering · 1888

A monument that stood half built for twenty-two years finally opens to the public

The Washington Monument opened to the public on 9 October 1888. Work had stopped in 1854 when the money ran out and a political faction stole the stones, and the stump sat unfinished for over twenty years. If you look at it in daylight you can still see the change in the colour of the marble where building started again.