What Happened on September 26?

September 26 is National Johnny Appleseed Day — honoring frontier tree-planter John Chapman — on the same date Francis Drake finished circling Earth in 1580, Kennedy and Nixon held the first televised presidential debate in 1960, and West Side Story opened in 1957.

• 1580 — Francis Drake completes his circumnavigation of Earth

  On September 26, 1580, Francis Drake sailed the Golden Hind into Plymouth Harbor after circling the globe. Read the full story →

• 1789 — Washington appoints Thomas Jefferson the first Secretary of State

  On September 26, 1789, George Washington named Thomas Jefferson the nation's first Secretary of State. Read the full story →

• 1957 — West Side Story opens on Broadway

  On September 26, 1957, West Side Story premiered at the Winter Garden Theatre — a groundbreaking musical of love and rivalry. Read the full story →

• 1960 — Kennedy and Nixon hold the first televised U.S. presidential debate

  On September 26, 1960, John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon debated on live television — changing American campaigns forever. Read the full story →

• 1969 — The Brady Bunch premieres on ABC

  On September 26, 1969, The Brady Bunch first aired — a sitcom about a blended family that became a pop-culture staple. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

T.S. Eliot (1888–1965) · Serena Williams (1981) · John Chapman (Johnny Appleseed) (1774–1845) · Olivia Newton-John (1948–2022)

Days & observances

National Johnny Appleseed Day · National Pancake Day · National Dumpling Day · European Day of Languages