September 1, 1902: "A Trip to the Moon" Premieres

September 1, 1902: The 1st science fiction film premieres. It is Le voyage dans la lune (A Trip to the Moon), directed by Georges Méliès.

The film is black & white, silent, and runs 18 minutes. It was inspired by Jules Verne's 1865 novel From the Earth to the Moon, and its 1870 sequel Around the Moon. A group of astronomers get into a capsule, and are fired from a cannon to the Moon, where they find aliens. It is widely agreed to be an anti-imperialist satire.

The image of the capsule landing in the eye of "the Man in the Moon" became an icon. It may also have helped to further the trope that "the Moon is made of green cheese."

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September 1, 1902 was a Monday. It was Labor Day, so all 16 teams then in what would later be called Major League Baseball played doubleheaders:

* The St. Louis Cardinals swept the New York Giants, 6-4 and 8-2 at the Polo Grounds. In the 2nd game, Stan Yerkes outpitched Christy Mathewson.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates swept the Brooklyn Superbas, 4-3 and 8-7 at Washington Park in Brooklyn. The Superbas became the Dodgers in 1911. Honus Wagner went 2-for-8 on the day.

* There was a split at the South End Grounds in Boston. The Boston Beaneaters won the opener, 7-6. The Cincinnati Reds won the nightcap, 7-4. The Beaneaters became the Braves in 1912.

* There was a split at National League Park (later renamed Baker Bowl) in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Phillies won the 1st game, 11-3. The Chicago Cubs won the 2nd game, 6-1.

* The Cleveland Bronchos not only swept the Boston Americans, they shut them out, 10-0 and 8-0. The team later known as the Naps, the Indians and the Guardians got 6-hit shutouts from both Earl Moore and Bill Bernhard.

* The Detroit Tigers swept the Washington Senators, 4-2 and 13-1 at Bennett Park in Detroit. In the 1911-12 off-season, Bennett Park was torn down, and what would eventually be named Tiger Stadium was built on the site.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles, 8-4 at South Side Park in Chicago. This was followed by a 2nd game that was tied, 5-5 after 9 innings, when it was called due to darkness. The Orioles had already been bought and stripped of their best players, and the franchise was returned to the American League at the end of the season. A new franchise was granted to New York for 1903, and it would eventually become the Yankees. But they and the 1901-02 Orioles were not the same team.

* And the St. Louis Browns swept the Philadelphia Athletics, 5-1 and 4-3 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis.