MONDAY, Sept. 14, 2026
Summary
Today in History for Monday, Sept. 14, 2026 lists several milestone events across medicine, aviation, language, computing, energy, astronomy, and public health. It notes the first prefrontal lobotomy in America at George Washington University Hospital in 1936 and the first tethered flight of Sikorsky’s VS-300 in 1939. The entry also cites India’s adoption of Hindi as an official language in 1949, IBM’s RAMAC 305 in 1956, and the formation of OPEC in 1960.
Key Facts
- Walter Freeman and James W. Watts performed the first prefrontal lobotomy in America at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C. in 1936.
- Igor Sikorsky’s VS-300, described as the world’s first practical helicopter, took a short tethered flight in Stratford, Connecticut in 1939.
- IBM introduced the RAMAC 305 in 1956, calling it the first commercial computer with a hard drive featuring magnetic disk storage, and it weighed over a ton.
1936-First prefrontal lobotomy in America performed by Walter Freeman and James W. Watts at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C.
1939-World's first practical helicopter, the VS-300, designed by Igor Sikorsky, takes a short tethered flight in Stratford, Connecticut
1949-India's Constituent Assembly adopts Hindi as an official language, celebrated today as Hindi Day
1956-IBM introduces the RAMAC 305, the first commercial computer with a hard drive featuring magnetic disk storage, which weighs over a ton
1960-Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela form the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
2020-Astronomers report a possible sign of life on Venus after detecting phosphine in the planet's atmosphere through a telescope
2021-One in 500 Americans has died of COVID-19 as the nation's known death toll reaches 663,913 (Johns Hopkins)
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