September 13: Facts & Historical Events On This Day

“UFO expert” Jaime Maussan presented the bodies of two alleged aliens before the Mexican Congress.

Maussan had made several debunked claims in the past, and on this day, he presented the mummified "aliens" with the claim that they are "not part of our terrestrial evolution." Scientists worldwide have since decried the entire thing as yet another elaborate hoax.

The pilot episode of “Supernatural,” created by Eric Kripke, aired on The WB Television Network.

Elton John released the single “Candle in the Wind” as a tribute to Princess Diana of Wales.

The legal drama TV series “Law & Order” aired for the first time on NBC.

The show had great success and went on to have 20 seasons with 456 episodes.

“Uncle Sam” became the official nickname of the United States.

Congress designated the personification of the United States of America as "Uncle Sam," and this day became known as "Uncle Sam Day." September 13 was the birthday of Samuel Wilson, a descendant of one of the oldest families of Boston, and is thought to have been where the nickname came from.

Super Mario Bros was released for the Nintendo Family Computer in Japan.

The Family Computer, popularly known as the Famicom, was the first version of the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Super Mario Bros is one of the best-selling games of all time, with over 58 million copies sold across all platforms.

American sitcom “Soap” became the first show to display the warning “Viewer discretion advised.”

The animated mystery-comedy “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!” first aired on CBS.

The Beatles released their hit single “Yesterday.”

The Soviet Union’s Luna 2 space probe became the first spacecraft to reach the moon’s surface.

The entire purpose of the Luna 2 mission was to crash a probe into the moon's surface - something neither the US nor the USSR had achieved.

Swiss engineer George de Mestral patented velcro.

Howard Hughes designed and built the world’s fastest plane called the H-1 racer, then, on this day, flew it at a new world speed record at 352 miles per hour in Santa Fe, California.

Henry Bliss became the first person killed in an automobile accident in the United States.

Chemist Michael Faraday discovered the Faraday Effect.

The Faraday effect is when there is a reaction between both a magnetic field and light when inside a medium.

Michelangelo began his three-year project sculpting the Statue of David.