🛰️ This Week In History - We Saw Neptune

Welcome back History Nerds,

What an action pact week in history. We’ve got a really interesting one in store for you. Distract yourself from the modern history being made with this week’s edition of the LOL History Newsletter! In this one, you’ll read about the discovery of the Pacific, the first time Neptune was spotted, and the first televised presidential debate. Pour yourself up a nice big cup of coffee for this one, and enjoy!

Did You Know? On April 2, 2006, NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter entered orbit around the Red Planet after traveling over 300 million miles. Its job was to scout landing spots and send back high-res images of the Martian surface. It ended up taking some of the most detailed space photos ever captured and even spotted dust devils swirling across the planet. One of its cameras is so powerful, it could see a dinner plate from space.

During Your History Lesson You’ll Learn About:

• Vasco Núñez de Balboa and the Discovery of the Pacific

• Neptune Officially Spotted in the Night Sky

• The First Televised Debate: Kennedy, Nixon, and the Birth of Media Politics

• Troops Sent to Little Rock to Protect 9 Brave Students

Balboa’s Historic Expedition of 1513

On September 25, 1513, Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Panama and became the first European to see the Pacific Ocean from the Americas. He had set out with a small group of men, trekking through thick jungle and unfamiliar territory. When he finally reached the summit of a mountain, Balboa looked out and saw the vast ocean stretching before him—a moment that would mark a turning point in European exploration.

Balboa claimed the ocean and all the lands it touched for Spain, calling it the "South Sea." His discovery was significant because it confirmed that another ocean lay beyond the New World, sparking interest in finding a westward route to Asia. Though Balboa would later fall victim to political rivalries and be executed, his journey left a lasting impact. It opened the door to future expeditions and changed how Europeans viewed the world’s geography.

Neptune Officially Spotted in the Night Sky

On September 23, 1846, a German astronomer named Johann Gottfried Galle looked through his telescope and became the first person to lay eyes on the planet Neptune. But Galle didn’t just stumble upon it by chance. He had a little help from math wizards Urbain Le Verrier in France and John Couch Adams in England, who had both predicted Neptune's location based on the wobbly orbit of Uranus. That’s right, Neptune was found not by luck, but by equations.

Using Le Verrier’s calculations, Galle pointed his telescope to a very specific patch of sky and there it was, a faint blue dot nearly 3 billion miles away. It was a massive breakthrough for astronomy and proved that math could actually lead you to discover new planets. Talk about a cosmic treasure hunt.

Neptune became the eighth planet in our solar system, and it’s still out there doing its thing, howling with supersonic winds and taking 165 Earth years to orbit the Sun just once. So the next time you glance up at the stars, remember: one of them is a cold, stormy giant we only found thanks to some sharp pencils and a whole lot of brainpower.

Kennedy vs. Nixon: The Debate That Shaped Modern Elections

On September 26, 1960, history was made when John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon faced off in the first-ever televised U.S. presidential debate. Watched by over 70 million Americans, the event brought politics into living rooms like never before. Kennedy appeared calm, confident, and youthful, while Nixon, recovering from illness and refusing makeup, looked pale and tense. For many viewers, appearance mattered as much as words—and Kennedy gained a clear edge.

The debate marked a major shift in how political campaigns were run. Television became a powerful force, emphasizing image, charisma, and media presence over traditional speech-making. While radio listeners thought Nixon had won, TV viewers overwhelmingly favored Kennedy, highlighting the medium's influence. This moment redefined campaigning in the television age and set the standard for how candidates would engage with the public for decades to come. It was the dawn of modern media politics.

Troops Sent to Little Rock to Protect 9 Brave Students

On September 24, 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower made a bold move: he sent federal troops into Little Rock, Arkansas to enforce the Supreme Court’s ruling that public schools must be desegregated. The spotlight was on Central High School, where nine Black students, later known as the Little Rock Nine, were being blocked from entering by both an angry mob and the Arkansas National Guard, which the governor had called in to defy integration.

These students weren’t just showing up for class. They were making history. Despite death threats, insults, and being physically blocked from entering the school, the Little Rock Nine stood their ground. Eisenhower, realizing the world was watching, federalized the National Guard and ordered the 101st Airborne Division to escort the students safely into school. Yes, paratroopers with rifles were used to walk kids into a classroom.

The whole situation was a massive test of the federal government’s commitment to civil rights, and it became one of the most iconic moments of the Civil Rights Movement. While the students still faced daily abuse, their courage helped crack the walls of segregation and forced the country to take a hard look at justice and equality in its own backyard.

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See You Next Time!

We hope that you enjoyed this edition of the LOL History newsletter! See you next week!

— Evan & Derek - LOL History Co-Founders