September 29: The Catch, Two Kevin Durants of Talent, and Angels

Every calendar page has its greatest hits, and September 29 arrives strutting like it invented sports highlights, animation, and the concept of two planes deciding to become one plane. Let's dig in.

The Catch, and Other Gravity-Defying Moments

In 1954, Willie Mays of the New York Giants made The Catch, one of the most famous defensive plays in the history of Major League Baseball. It's the kind of over-the-shoulder grab that makes highlight reels weep with gratitude and turns everyone watching into an instant baseball philosopher.

But 1954 wasn't the only aerial drama. Back in 1940, during a Royal Australian Air Force training exercise over Brocklesby, two planes collided and interlocked in mid-air — and, remarkably, the pilot of the upper plane landed safely using the lower plane's engines. That's not a training accident, that's carpooling with extra steps and considerably more adrenaline.

Happy Birthday to a Genuine Superstar

September 29, 1988 gave us Kevin Durant, American basketball player and one of the most effortlessly unstoppable scorers the game has ever seen. He shares his birthday with Halsey (born 1994), the American singer with a voice built for stadiums, and Calvin Johnson (born 1985), the American football player known for catching things with the casual grace of a man who considers gravity a personal suggestion.

Throw in actress Sasha Lane (1995) and actor Nicholas Galitzine (1994), and September 29 has quietly assembled a red carpet's worth of talent. Not bad for a random Tuesday-adjacent date.

Michaelmas: The Holiday You Forgot to Celebrate

Today is Michaelmas, the Christian feast day of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, and one of the four quarter days in the Irish calendar in England and Ireland. Historically it marked the end of the harvest and the start of settling debts, which means your ancestors were doing spreadsheets long before you dreaded them.

Michaelmas also had a fine tradition of eating goose, presumably because nothing says "celebrate the archangels" like a well-roasted bird. If you're not near a goose, a very determined chicken will forgive the substitution.

A Beast of a Premiere

Finally, in 1991, the award-winning Disney animated film Beauty and the Beast premiered while unfinished at the New York Film Festival. Yes, unfinished — parts of it were reportedly still in rough sketch form. It went on to become a beloved classic, proving that showing up early and slightly undressed can occasionally work out beautifully. So on this day, aim high, catch the impossible, and eat the goose.