This Day in Disney History

On September 23, 1980, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad debuted at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in Florida, Imagineer Tony Baxter's runaway mine train and the wildest ride in the wilderness. Plus: Mickey Mouse stars in Brave Little Tailor, the 1938 Academy Award-nominated cartoon.

On September 22, 2004, ABC premiered Lost, the J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof drama that became the most expensive TV pilot ever made, drew 18.6 million viewers, and ran six seasons. Plus: the Disney+ docuseries Magic of Disney's Animal Kingdom premieres in 2020, and a baby giraffe is born at Disney's Animal Kingdom on the very same day.

On September 21, 2012, thousands of guests watched the Space Shuttle Endeavour's farewell flyover above Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, riding a Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft to its final home at the California Science Center. Plus: the 1970 premiere of Monday Night Football on ABC, the opening and closing of EPCOT's IllumiNations, and the birth of Looney Tunes animator Chuck Jones.

On September 20, 2011, Disney CEO Bob Iger and James Cameron announced an exclusive partnership with Lightstorm Entertainment and Fox to bring Avatar to Disney parks, leading to Pandora – The World of Avatar at Disney's Animal Kingdom with Avatar Flight of Passage and Na'vi River Journey. Plus: Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away opens in the U.S. in 2002 and the We the People All-America Parade debuts at Magic Kingdom in 1987.

Meet Alex and Jordan and hear what the daily five-minute trip through Disneyland history is all about.

Alex and Jordan revisit September 19, 1959, when Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev was barred from visiting Disneyland, plus the 2000 home video release of The Little Mermaid II. AI Generated

Alex and Jordan look back at September 18, 1986, when Michael Jackson's Captain EO premiered at Disneyland, plus the 1987 premiere of DuckTales. AI Generated