September 21’s events span politics, literature, and public life. In 1792, France’s National Convention abolished the monarchy, opening the way for the First Republic. The date also marks a change of worlds in fiction: J.R.R. Tolkien’s *The Hobbit* appeared in 1937, inviting readers into Middle-earth. A decade later, Stephen King was born; his novels would make horror and suspense familiar to generations of readers. In 1981, the U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Sandra Day O’Connor as the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court.
Across nearly two centuries, this list moves from a nation remaking its government to writers creating worlds and a barrier-breaking appointment in American public life. It offers a reminder that historical change can take very different forms: a political institution can be overturned, a book can shape popular imagination, and a new voice can enter a powerful institution. The date falls near the Northern Hemisphere’s transition toward autumn, a season often associated with change. Here, too, the entries suggest a turning-point theme—but they also show that turning points may arrive through public decisions, cultural works, or the milestones of individual lives.