Edition No. 48 · GlobalEst. 2026
PLANET EARTH NEWS
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This Day in History

This Day in History: September 12

Test your historical knowledge with these five questions highlighting landmark moments that took place across the globe on September 12.

Date: 2026-09-12

1. According to traditional historical accounts, which famous ancient battle took place on September 12, 490 BCE, where Athenian forces defeated an invading Persian army?

2. On September 12, 1683, allied European forces led by King John III Sobieski of Poland lifted the siege of which European capital, marking a decisive turning point in the Ottoman–Habsburg wars?

3. On September 12, 1940, four teenagers in southwestern France made an extraordinary archaeological discovery when they entered which prehistoric site?

4. On September 12, 1959, which Soviet spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, ultimately becoming the first human-made probe to reach the surface of the Moon?

5. On September 12, 1992, aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour mission STS-47, which American astronaut made history by becoming the first African American woman to travel into space?