Past In Frames

September 18 in history — On This Day

Space shuttle Discovery during the STS-48 mission
1991

Discovery Returns from an Atmospheric Research Mission

On September 18, 1991, Discovery landed at Edwards Air Force Base after deploying an observatory to study Earth’s atmosphere. Its return to Kennedy Space Center came eight days later.

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This Week in History

History

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SEP 26 · 1983

Stanislav Petrov Assesses a False Nuclear Alarm

Crime & Justice

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AI-generated historical recreation.
OCT 10 · 1933

Seven Lives Lost: The Unsolved Mystery of United Air Lines Flight 23

Science

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1846

Galle and d’Arrest identify Neptune at Berlin Observatory

Medicine & Health

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1846

Ether Day: The Demonstration That Changed Surgery

Nature & Disasters

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Black-footed ferret standing in prairie habitat
SEP 26 · 1981

A Wyoming Discovery Brings the Black-Footed Ferret Back Into View

Exploration

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U.S. Army Douglas World Cruiser aircraft during the 1924 round-the-world flight
SEP 28 · 1924

The First Flight Around the World Returns to Seattle

Film & TV

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1895

The Lumière Cinématographe Is Shown to a Paying Paris Audience

The Story Behind the Photo

Chicago After the Fire: From Burned Blocks to a New Skyline

A photograph taken after the 1871 fire can make Chicago look as though its future had been decided by a wall of flame. A view from around 1905 tells a different story: tall offices, busy transport routes and commercial streets crowded again.

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