Tuesday, September 8, 2026, brings us Star Trek Day—and the comforting idea that every unexplored planet apparently comes with breathable air.

How does America’s oldest continuously occupied European-established city end up in Florida, and how do seven Navy destroyers follow one another onto the rocks?

Today we explore the founding of St. Augustine decades before Jamestown and Plymouth, the Van Buren sisters’ grueling cross-country motorcycle ride, and the devastating navigation error behind the Honda Point disaster.

Along the way, we celebrate Peter Sellers, the comic genius who could become almost anyone—and sometimes seemed unsure who remained when the character disappeared.

Sometimes the facts are right in front of us; they simply don’t match the story we’ve already decided to believe.