Every day has a story. Discover yours.
Good morning.
In 2004, a flip phone could still feel futuristic, an MP3 player could hold an impossibly large music collection, and plenty of homes were still deciding whether broadband was worth the upgrade. The world was getting more connected, but it had not yet moved completely into our pockets.
We'll head there in a moment — to a California earthquake scientists had spent years preparing to record, a box-office mystery, an Ichiro record chase, and a busy Tuesday night on television. First, here's what happened on September 28.
📅 On This Day — September 28
1781 — The Siege of Yorktown began. American and French forces started the operation that would end with a decisive British surrender in the Revolutionary War.
1924 — The first round-the-world flight was completed. U.S. Army aviators landed in Seattle after a journey that had taken 175 days.
1928 — Alexander Fleming made the observation that led to penicillin. His work with mold and bacteria opened the door to one of medicine's most important antibiotic breakthroughs.
1941 — Ted Williams finished the season batting .406. No major-league player has finished a season at .400 or better since.
1962 — A federal appeals court held Mississippi Gov. Ross Barnett in civil contempt during the fight over James Meredith's admission to the University of Mississippi.
2000 — The FDA approved mifepristone for medication abortion under specified conditions, bringing a treatment already used in other countries into the U.S. market.
Now let's rewind to Tuesday, September 28, 2004.
⏪ REWIND: 2004
The early 2000s were a strange in-between moment. DVDs were everywhere, music was moving onto pocket-sized players, text messages were becoming routine, and the Internet was fast enough to feel essential — at least when you could get a broadband connection.
In central California, though, the day's biggest story came from something much older than the digital age: the San Andreas Fault.
📰 The Headlines
🗞️ Parkfield's long-watched fault finally moves
At 10:15 on the morning of September 28, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck near Parkfield, California.
Parkfield was not just another small town along the San Andreas Fault. For years, scientists had packed the area with instruments because moderate earthquakes had repeatedly occurred along that section of the fault.
When the 2004 quake arrived, those instruments captured an unusually rich record of what happened before, during and after the shaking.
The earthquake caused relatively limited damage, but scientifically it was a remarkable event: a long-watched section of one of the world's best-known faults had finally moved while researchers were ready for it.
🎬 At the Movies
Julianne Moore had the weekend's No. 1 movie.
The Forgotten opened atop the domestic box office for September 24–26 with about $21 million.
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow was second with about $6.7 million, while the baseball comedy Mr. 3000 was third with about $5.1 million.
It was a very 2004 mix: psychological mystery, retro-futurist adventure and Bernie Mac chasing a baseball milestone.
🎵 On the Charts
The Billboard Hot 100 dated September 25 had Ciara at No. 1 with "Goodies," featuring Petey Pablo.
Terror Squad's "Lean Back" was No. 2, and Lil' Flip's "Sunshine," featuring Lea, was No. 3.
Three songs, three different corners of the mid-2000s radio sound — all packed into the top three.
🏁 In Sports
Ichiro Suzuki was closing in on history.
On September 28, Seattle beat Oakland 7–2, and Ichiro went 2-for-5.
That left him three hits away from tying George Sisler's 84-year-old single-season record of 257 hits — and four from breaking it.
The loss also dropped Oakland into a tie with Anaheim atop the American League West, giving the final days of the season two races to watch at once.
📺 On Television
Tuesday night in 2004 offered sitcoms, crime dramas, reality shows and a few series that were just getting started.
ABC — My Wife and Kids, George Lopez, According to Jim, Rodney, NYPD Blue
CBS — NCIS, Clubhouse, Judging Amy
NBC — Last Comic Standing, Father of the Pride, Scrubs, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
FOX — Trading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy, The Next Great Champ
This was still appointment television: pick a network, set the VCR or TiVo if you had one, and hope nobody spoiled the episode the next morning.
🏰 Disney Vault
Earlier in 2004, Disney added a familiar group of characters to its family.
The company acquired The Muppets and Bear in the Big Blue House from The Jim Henson Company.
For the Muppets, it marked another turn in a long history that had already stretched from television and movies to theme parks and generations of fans.
Two decades later, Kermit and company were still finding new audiences — but in 2004, their Disney chapter was just beginning.
❤️ Health Snap
Your ears need breaks, too.
Current CDC guidance notes that hearing damage depends on both how loud a sound is and how long you are exposed to it.
If a place is uncomfortably loud, simple steps can help: turn the volume down, move farther from the sound, take a quiet break, or use hearing protection when you cannot avoid the noise.
Want a broader look at your everyday health habits? Take the free Health Assessment.
🎂 September 28 Birthdays
Mira Sorvino — 59 (born 1967) — The actor won an Academy Award for Mighty Aphrodite and built a career across film and television.
Naomi Watts — 58 (born 1968) — The actor became known for films including Mulholland Drive and earned Academy Award nominations for 21 Grams and The Impossible.
Dita Von Teese — 54 (born 1972) — The performer and entrepreneur became one of the best-known figures in the modern revival of burlesque.
St. Vincent — 44 (born 1982) — The singer, songwriter and guitarist built an acclaimed career around adventurous art-rock and distinctive guitar work.
Hilary Duff — 39 (born 1987) — The actor and singer became a defining Disney Channel star as Lizzie McGuire before moving into music and later television roles.
That's our trip through September 28 — from Yorktown and penicillin to a 2004 Tuesday of earthquakes, hit records, box-office mysteries and prime-time television.
If today's rewind brought back a memory, share Yesterday Today with someone who remembers flip phones, TiVo and the world of 2004 — or someone who would enjoy discovering it.
Every day has a story. Discover yours.
Until tomorrow, keep looking back — you never know what you'll rediscover.
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