September 28, 1980 – Carl Sagan’s Cosmos: A personal voyage makes its debut

The widely popular 13-episode science television documentary series was broadcast on Public Broadcasting Service. It was presented by astronomer Carl Sagan and written by Ann Druyan, Sagan, and Steven Soter. It was, and remains, one of the most watched science-based TV documentaries.

September 29, 1972 – First Canadian satellite

Canada launched its first ever satellite, Alouette 1, on this day from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, United States. A joint venture between NASA and Defence Research and Development Canada, the satellite was sent to study the Earth's ionosphere.

September 30, 1960 – Premier of The Flintstones

The animated series The Flintstones premiered on TV. It was set in the Stone Age and it detailed the lives of the Flintstone and Rubble families. It ran for six years until April 1 1966.

October 1, 1957 – Thalidomide launched

Thalidomide, an anti-nausea drug and sleep-aid, was launched. For about five years it was commonly prescribed to pregnant women as a drug to deal with morning sickness. It was finally withdrawn from the market after it was determined that it caused birth defects.

October 2, 1950 – Peanuts published for the first time

Charles M. Schulz's comic strip, Peanuts, was printed for the first time in nine newspapers around the U.S.

October 3, 1995 – OJ Simpson acquitted in the killings of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Lyle Goldman

The former football player had been accused of murdering his ex-wife and her friend on June 13, 1994. The high profile case and the subsequent trial of Simpson captured widespread media and public attention in the United States and around the world.

October 4, 1895 – First U.S. Open for Golf

The now annual event was played at the Newport Country Club in Newport, Rhode Island, for the first time. 11 people played the 36-hole competition in a single day. Horace Rawlins, a 21-year old Englishman won the tournament and took home a trophy and $150 cash.