September 20: Cosby Show, Tennis Legends & Speedy Ships

September 20 has served up TV royalty, a tennis showdown for the ages, and a ship so fast it made everyone else look like they were paddling. Buckle up — history was showing off today.

Game, Set, Mic Drop

In 1973, Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in straight sets at the Astrodome in Houston in a match so gloriously theatrical it earned the title "Battle of the Sexes." Riggs did a lot of talking beforehand. King did all the winning afterward, on international television, in front of everyone. It remains one of history's great examples of a man learning a lesson he definitely could have skipped.

Speaking of grand entrances, in 1984 The Cosby Show premiered with its pilot, going on to become one of only three U.S. television shows to hold the highest ratings five years in a row. That's a streak that would make most modern streaming executives weep into their algorithms.

Big Boat Energy

In 1906, the ocean liner RMS Mauretania — the largest and fastest ship in the world at the time — was launched in Tyneside, England. "Largest AND fastest" is a flex most objects can only dream of. It's the maritime equivalent of being the tallest person in the room who also wins the marathon.

And back in 1498, a tsunami caused by the Meiō earthquake washed away the building housing the Great Buddha at Kōtoku-in in Kamakura, Japan. The statue, unbothered and eternally serene, has stood peacefully in the open air ever since. Roof optional, enlightenment intact.

Blow Out the Candles

Today's birthday crew is stacked with athletes. Born on September 20, 1993, is German footballer Julian Draxler, a World Cup winner who knows a thing or two about big moments. He shares the date with American-Chinese basketball player Kyle Anderson, nicknamed for his famously unhurried style — proof that you don't have to rush to be great.

Also celebrating: Dutch sailor Laura Dekker (born 1995), who became the youngest person to sail solo around the world. Fittingly born on the same day as the Mauretania's launch, because September 20 clearly has a thing for people and vessels that go far, fast.

A Feast Worth Noting

Today is the Christian feast day of Saint Eustace in Western Christianity, patron saint of hunters and, according to legend, people in difficult situations. Given everything this date has witnessed — from tennis upsets to a Buddha losing his roof — that patronage feels remarkably on-brand. Happy September 20, everyone.