175 years ago today
The New York Times Publishes Its First Edition
On September 18, 1851, Henry Jarvis Raymond and George Jones published the first edition of The New-York Daily Times from a small office on Nassau Street in lower Manhattan, priced at one cent a copy. Raymond, a former managing editor of the New York Tribune, envisioned a paper that would cover news with cool-headed objectivity rather than the partisan fire of competing papers. The first issue ran ten pages and covered local New York news, crime reports, and foreign dispatches. The paper dropped "Daily" from its name in 1857 and eventually moved to a new building in what became known as Times Square. Over the following 170 years it would win more Pulitzer Prizes than any other news organization, break stories from the Pentagon Papers to Watergate to NSA surveillance, and become the defining newspaper of the English-speaking world.
Samuel Johnson
English Lexicographer & Literary Critic
The towering figure of 18th-century English letters, whose Dictionary of the English Language (1755) was the definitive work of English lexicography for over 150 years. His wit, his literary criticism, and his biography by James Boswell made him one of the most documented personalities in literary history.
Greta Garbo
Swedish-American Actress
One of the greatest stars of Hollywood's golden age, whose luminous screen presence in films like Camille, Anna Karenina, and Ninotchka set a standard for film acting that few have matched. She retired at the height of her fame in 1941, at 35, and spent the rest of her life as a famously reclusive New Yorker.
Leonhard Euler
Swiss Mathematician & Physicist
The most prolific mathematician in history, who made foundational contributions to calculus, graph theory, mechanics, and optics. He introduced most of the standard mathematical notation still in use today, including f(x), π, e, i, and Σ. He continued producing mathematics even after going blind.
James Gandolfini
American Actor
Best known for his towering performance as Tony Soprano in HBO's The Sopranos (1999–2007), one of the most acclaimed characters in television history. Gandolfini brought brutal, vulnerable complexity to a role that helped launch the golden age of prestige television.
Emperor Domitian Assassinated in Rome
The feared Roman Emperor Domitian is stabbed to death in a palace conspiracy involving court freedmen and Praetorian Guard officers. The Senate immediately declares him a public enemy and appoints the elderly Nerva as emperor.
Constantine Defeats Licinius
Constantine the Great defeats his co-emperor Licinius at the Battle of Chrysopolis near Constantinople, becoming the sole ruler of the entire Roman Empire. His victory paved the way for the Christianization of Rome.
George Washington Lays the Capitol Cornerstone
President George Washington, dressed in full Masonic regalia, lays the cornerstone of the United States Capitol building in Washington D.C. The ceremony was conducted with Masonic rites, fueling centuries of conspiracy theories about Freemasonry and the founding of America.
Chile Declares Independence
Chilean patriots establish the First National Government Junta in Santiago, marking the beginning of Chile's independence from Spain. Full independence would be secured after years of warfare in 1818.
New York Times Prints First Edition
The New-York Daily Times publishes its inaugural edition. Raymond and Jones aimed for sober, objective journalism — a novelty in an era of raucous partisan newspapers. Within years it would become the most influential paper in America.
Columbia Broadcasting System Goes on Air
CBS launches its radio network, initially consisting of 16 stations. Within a decade it would become one of the dominant forces in American broadcasting, and later television, shaping American culture through news, entertainment, and Edward R. Murrow's wartime dispatches.
UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld Dies
UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld is killed when his plane crashes in Northern Rhodesia while he is traveling to negotiate a ceasefire in the Congo. His death remains one of the Cold War's most contested mysteries — investigations have suggested possible sabotage.
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Start a conversation →Leonhard Euler
Swiss Mathematician & Physicist
Euler died in Saint Petersburg, Russia, reportedly working on a mathematical problem on the afternoon he collapsed — true to form for a man who dictated papers even after losing his sight. He left behind over 800 publications, a body of work so vast that mathematical journals were still publishing his papers decades after his death.
Dag Hammarskjöld
UN Secretary-General
The Swedish diplomat died in a plane crash in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) under circumstances that have never been fully explained. He was posthumously awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Multiple inquiries have raised questions about possible assassination during the Congo Crisis.
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