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Good morning. Do you remember when Saturday night meant choosing one of three networks, dropping a record on the turntable and hoping nobody changed the channel? We’ll visit that living-room ritual in a moment. First, September 19 brings us a battlefield, a farewell and a remarkable discovery in the ice.
📅 On This Day — September 19
1777 — The first battle at Saratoga. British and American forces fought for hours around Freeman’s Farm. The British held the field, but their costly tactical victory left the American army blocking the route south.
1796 — Washington’s farewell appeared in print. President George Washington’s Farewell Address was published in a Philadelphia newspaper, offering advice to the young republic as he prepared to leave office.
1893 — New Zealand expanded the vote. Governor Lord Glasgow signed the Electoral Act, making New Zealand the first self-governing country where women could vote in parliamentary elections.
1957 — A nuclear test went underground. The United States conducted Rainier at the Nevada Test Site, its first fully contained underground nuclear explosion.
1991 — Ötzi emerged from the ice. Hikers Erika and Helmut Simon discovered the naturally preserved remains of a Copper Age man high in the Ötztal Alps.
2022 — Britain said farewell to its queen. Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral was held at Westminster Abbey after her 70-year reign.
From a president’s parting counsel to a 5,000-year-old traveler emerging from a glacier, September 19 reminds us that the past has many ways of finding the present. Now, turn the television dial to a year when a new federal drama arrived—and familiar Sunday-night television began showing its colors.
⏪ REWIND: 1965
📰 The Headlines
🗞️ The F.B.I. opened a new case on Sunday night
On September 19, 1965, ABC premiered The F.B.I., with Efrem Zimbalist Jr. starring as Inspector Lewis Erskine. The series drew its stories from closed Bureau cases and opened with “The Monster,” an investigation involving an escaped extortionist.
Executive producer Quinn Martin was already known for The Fugitive and 12 O’Clock High. His new drama gave Sunday night another polished hour of procedural suspense, built around Erskine and the agents working beside him.
The premiere arrived as television itself was changing. That same evening, The Ed Sullivan Show presented its first regular color episode, making September 19 a tidy snapshot of familiar formats moving into a brighter broadcast era.
🎬 At the Movies
The Sound of Music was still filling roadshow theaters six months after its New York premiere. Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer turned the von Trapp story into one of the era’s defining moviegoing experiences—complete with reserved seats, an intermission and songs audiences carried home.
🎵 On the Charts
On the Billboard Hot 100 dated September 18, the Beatles’ “Help!” held No. 1. Just behind it at No. 2 was Barry McGuire’s urgent “Eve of Destruction,” which would take the top spot the following week.
🏁 In Sports
Six days earlier, Willie Mays hit the 500th home run of his career off Houston pitcher Don Nottebart. Mays became only the fifth player in AL/NL history to reach the milestone—and he did it during a 52-homer season at age 34.
📺 On Television
Sunday prime time was rolling out a new season in color and black and white. Local affiliates could vary, but the national network picture looked like this:
ABC — Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, the series premiere of The F.B.I., and The ABC Sunday Night Movie.
CBS — Lassie, My Favorite Martian, The Ed Sullivan Show, Perry Mason, Candid Camera and What’s My Line?
NBC — Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color, Branded, Bonanza and The Wackiest Ship in the Army.
FOX was still more than two decades away. Which of those three network buttons would your family have pressed?
🏰 Disney Vault
Disneyland was celebrating its tenth anniversary when Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln moved into the Opera House on Main Street, U.S.A. The lifelike Audio-Animatronic president had impressed visitors at the New York World’s Fair; in 1965, the presentation found a lasting home in Walt Disney’s original park.
❤️ Health Snap
The weekly activity goal can be easier to picture in smaller pieces. The CDC recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity each week for adults, plus muscle-strengthening activity on two days—and those minutes can be spread across the week.
Ready for a quick health check-in? Take the free Health Assessment.
🎂 September 19 Birthdays
Jeremy Irons turns 78 — born in 1948, the actor won an Oscar for Reversal of Fortune and is also known for Brideshead Revisited and voicing Scar in The Lion King.
Nile Rodgers turns 74 — born in 1952, the Chic co-founder shaped “Le Freak” and “Good Times” before producing landmark records for David Bowie, Madonna and others.
Sanaa Lathan turns 55 — born in 1971, the actor is recognized for Love & Basketball, The Best Man and Alien vs. Predator.
Jimmy Fallon turns 52 — born in 1974, the Saturday Night Live alumnus became host of The Tonight Show.
Was 1965 part of your story? Share this with someone who remembers three network buttons—or Sunday night television turning to color.
Until tomorrow, keep looking back. You never know what you’ll find.
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