Today in History

On This Day In History, October 14th

1994 Two Israelis and a Palestinian Share the Nobel Peace Prize
The Israeli Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin, and Foreign Minister, Shimon Peres shared the Nobel Peace Prize, which is annually awarded by the Norwegian Nobel Committee based in Oslo, with the President of the Palestinian National Authority, Yasser Arafat. The Award was given out to the two parties for their efforts and work on the Oslo Accords, a series of agreements between the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel. The Accords created the Palestinian Authority and made it the official governing body to interact with Israel on issues that affect the lives of Palestinians in Israel.

1984 Joseph Kittinger Starts on his Solo Gas Balloon Flight Across the Atlantic
4 days later, on September 18, Kittinger became the first person to traverse the Atlantic in a balloon called the Balloon of Peace. As a member of the US Armed Forces, Kittinger jumped from a height of 102,800 feet on August 16, 1960, becoming the first person in ever to jump from that height.

1947 First Human to Fly Faster than the Speed of Sound
American Air Force test pilot, Chuck Yeager, flew the Bell X-1, an experimental aircraft at Mach 1.07 at an altitude of 45,000 ft. In doing so, he became the first person to break the sound barrier.

1926 Winnie-the-Pooh Makes his Literary Debut
The popular children’s book character was created by British author A.A. Milne and first appeared in a collection of short stories called Winnie-the-Pooh. Winnie, a teddy bear, lives in Ashdown Forest, Sussex, England. The book followed his adventures in the forest with his friends Piglet, Owl, Rabbit, and Eeyore.

1913 Senghenydd Colliery Disaster
In what is considered to be one of the worst mine disasters in recorded history, 440 people were killed when an explosion ripped through the Senghenydd coal mine in Wales.
 
Births On This Day, October 14th 🎂

1978 Usher
American singer-songwriter, dancer, actor

1930 Mobutu Sese Seko
Congolese politician, President of Zaire

1906 Hannah Arendt
German/American theorist, philosopher

1644 William Penn
English businessman, founder of Pennsylvania

1542 Akbar
Mughal Emperor

Deaths On This Day, October 14th 🪦

2012 Arlen Specter
American politician

1990 Leonard Bernstein
American conductor, pianist, composer

1977 Bing Crosby
American singer, actor

1959 Errol Flynn
Australian actor

1944 Erwin Rommel
German field marshal
 
14th October

1066 The Battle of Hastings was fought, on Senlac Hill, near Pevensey. An English army, commanded by King Harold, was defeated by the invasion force of William of Normandy. Harold was killed and Edgar the Ætheling was proclaimed king, but never crowned. William I 'The Conqueror' and the first Norman King of England, was subsequently crowned at Westminster Abbey on 25th December 1066.

1322 Robert the Bruce of Scotland defeated King Edward II of England at the Battle of Old Byland in Yorkshire, forcing Edward to accept Scotland's independence.

1881 189 men died when the Berwickshire fishing fleet was caught in a hurricane. The tragedy, which became known locally as Black Friday, remains Scotland's worst fishing disaster. 129 of the victims came from the village of Eyemouth.

1929 The world's largest airship, the R101, made its maiden voyage.

1939 The Royal Navy battleship, HMS Royal Oak, was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine while at harbour in Scapa Flow, off the northern coast of Scotland, a little more than a month after the start of World War II. 810 British seamen were killed.
 
On This Day In History, October 15th

2003 Shenzhou 5, China's first human space flight mission launched
Launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the middle of the Gobi desert in northern China, this launch brought the Chinese into the exclusive club of countries that have achieved manned space flight. The other countries are the USA and the Soviet Union/Russia.

1990 Mikhail Gorbachev is Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
The then President of the Soviet Union received the prestigious award given out by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, for his role in lessening tensions during the Cold War.

1987 Thomas Sankara killed
Thomas Sankara, the President of Burkina Faso, was killed during a coup led by Blaise Compaoré.

1951 I Love Lucy Airs for the First Time
The American sitcom aired on CBS and featured real-life couple Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. The popular show lasted for 6 years and it had several spin-offs after it went off the air.

1783 World’s First Manned Balloon Flight
Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier, a teacher from France, spent about 4 minutes in the air in a balloon made by flight pioneers Joseph-Michael and Jacques-Ètienne Montgolfier. The Montgolfier brothers were responsible for the world’s first balloon flight and for sending the first living being – a duck – on a balloon.
 
Births On This Day, October 15th 🎂

1938 Fela Kuti
Nigerian singer-songwriter, musician, activist

1931 A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
Indian scientist, politician, 11th President of India

1926 Michel Foucault
French philosopher

1881 P. G. Wodehouse
English author

1844 Friedrich Nietzsche
German philosopher

Deaths On This Day, October 15th 🪦

1964 Cole Porter
American composer

1959 Stepan Bandera
Ukrainian politician

1946 Hermann Göring
German military leader, politician, Minister-President of Prussia

1917 Mata Hari
Dutch spy

1817 Tadeusz Kościuszko
Polish/American general
 
On This Day In History, October 16th

1986 First Person to Scale all Eight-Thousanders
Italian Mountaineer, Reinhold Messner, scaled the Lhotse, in Nepal. It is the world’s 4th tallest peak, and it is one of the 14 eight-thousanders – mountains that are more than 8000 meters above sea level.

1978 First Non-Italian to Win the Papacy since 1523
Karol Józef Wojtyła, the Archbishop of Kraków, won the papal elections that were held after his predecessor Pope John Paul I died after only 33 days in office. As Pope, Wojtyła took on the name of John Paul II. He was the second-longest serving pope in modern history, after Pope Pius IX, who was in office for over 31 years.

1964 First Chinese Nuclear Test
Codenamed Chic-1 or 596, the 22-kiloton uranium fission device was dropped at Lop Nur. With this test, China became the fifth nuclear power state in the World. The other four are the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, and France. Israel is thought to have nuclear weapons, however, they do not publicly admit the fact.

1945 Food and Agriculture Organization established
The Food and Agriculture Organization, popularly known as the FAO was established in Quebec City, Canada.

1923 The Walt Disney Company is Founded
A leader in the international entertainment industry, the company was created by brothers Walt and Roy as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio. Today, the company is synonymous with cartoon and animated movies and characters.
 
Births On This Day, October 16th 🎂

1977 John Mayer
American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer

1974 Paul Kariya
Canadian ice hockey player

1925 Angela Lansbury
English/American actress, singer

1888 Eugene O'Neill
American playwright, Nobel Prize laureate

1886 David Ben-Gurion
Israeli politician, 1st Prime Minister of Israel

Deaths On This Day, October 16th 🪦

2011 Dan Wheldon
English race car driver

1981 Moshe Dayan
Israeli general, politician, 5th Minister of Foreign Affairs for Israel)

1951 Liaquat Ali Khan
Indian/Pakistani lawyer, politician, Prime Minister of Pakistan

1793 Marie Antoinette
Austrian wife of Louis XVI of France

1791 Grigory Potemkin
Russian military leader, politician
 
On This Day In History, October 17th

1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake Rocks California
Santa Cruz County was the most affected by the 6.9 magnitude earthquake. About 60 people died as a result of falling buildings and landslides. It was the first major earthquake on the San Andreas fault since the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

1973 OPEC Declares Oil Embargo
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries or OPEC led by Arab countries declared an oil embargo on any country that supported Israel during the Yom Kippur War, which was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab states. The embargo led to a massive oil shortage and had long-lasting economic effects in the United States and Europe. The embargo was lifted in March 1974.

1956 Bobby Fischer Wins the Game of the Century
The chess match between 13-year-old Fischer and Donald Byrne took place at the Marshall Chess Club in New York City.

1861 Cullin-la-Ringo Massacre
In what is thought to be the largest massacre of white settlers by Australian aborigines, the killings occurred after a group of settlers from Victoria led by politician Horatio Wills, set up a camp at Cullin-la-Ringo, which is located in present-day Central Queensland. 19 people were killed during the massacre.

1814 London Beer Flood
Vats of beer at the Meux and Company Brewery burst, flooding city streets with 610,000 liters of beer. The almost 15 feet tall wave of porter killed 8 people, some of whom were gathered for a funeral.
 
Births On This Day, October 17th 🎂

1979 Kimi Räikkönen
Finnish race car driver

1972 Eminem
American rapper, producer, actor

1918 Rita Hayworth
American actress, dancer

1912 Pope John Paul I

1817 Syed Ahmad Khan
Indian educator, politician

Deaths On This Day, October 17th 🪦

1967 Puyi
Emperor of China

1965 Bart King
American cricketer

1937 J. Bruce Ismay
English businessman

1868 Laura Secord
Canadian war heroine

1849 Frédéric Chopin
Polish pianist, composer
 
On This Day In History, October 18th

2007 Benazir Bhutto returns to Pakistan
The former Prime Minister of Pakistan and daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the 9th PM of Pakistan, Benazir returned to Pakistan after living 8 years in London and Dubai in self-imposed exile. Two months later she was assassinated in a bombing while campaigning for the forthcoming elections.

1998 Jesse Pipeline Explosion in Nigeria Kills Over 200
The oil pipeline, which was owned by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, was situated just outside the city of Lagos. Over 200 people died in the resulting fire that raged for 6 days before it could be put out.

1967 First Space Probe to Enter the Atmosphere of Another Planet
The Soviet Probe Venera 4 entered Venus’ atmosphere and sent back information to Earth for about 90 minutes before it lost contact. When Venera 7 landed on Venus a few years later, it became the first probe to land on another planet.

1867 Alaska Becomes a Part of the United States
The US had purchased the large and sparsely populated territory of Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million. The purchase was not seen as a positive acquirement by many American citizens who believed that adding Alaska to the US’s territory was a waste of taxpayers’ money. Many called the act, Seward's folly after Secretary of State William H. Seward, who was responsible for making the purchase. Alaska was admitted to the Union as a state in 1959. October 18 is annually celebrated as Alaska Day in Alaska.

1851 Moby Dick is Published for the First Time
The epic written by American novelist, Herman Melville, is about a sailor's obsession with tracking down and killing an elusive whale that took his leg in a previous encounter. The book was published as The Whale in London for the first time and then a month later as Moby Dick in the United States. It is thought to be one of the best works of fiction written in modern times.
 
Births On This Day, October 18 🎂

1987 Zac Efron
American actor, singer

1984 Lindsey Vonn
American skier

1960 Jean-Claude Van Damme
Belgian martial artist, actor, director

1921 Jesse Helms
American politician

1919 Pierre Trudeau
Canadian politician, 15th Prime Minister of Canada

Deaths On This Day, October 18th 🪦

1973 Leo Strauss
German/American philosopher

1931 Thomas Edison
American businessman, who invented the light bulb, phonograph

1871 Charles Babbage
English mathematician, and engineer, invented the Difference engine

1744 Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough

1541 Margaret Tudor
English wife of James IV of Scotland
 
1867
United States legally acquires Alaska from Russia paying $7.2 million
1910
E.M. Forster's book'Howard's End' is published. The story is about 2 different social status class members,their differences.The movie version came out in '92 starring Anthony Hopkins,Emma Thompson
1921
Charles Strite receives U.S. patent for his invention of the pop-up toaster
1954
Texas Instruments announces the 1st transistor radio,costing $49.95
1968
Circus Circus Hotel in Las Vegas opens which has the world's largest permanent big top,still open today
1992
The 1st non -American baseball team, Toronto Blue Jays win the World Series by defeating Atlanta Braves in 6 games
 
Oct 18th Birthdays:
1919
Pierre Trudeau, Canada's 19th Prime Minister '68-'79. His son,Justin is now Canada's PM
1926
Chuck Berry- rock n roll guitarist/singer/songwriter 'Roll Over Beethoven,Sweet Little 16'
1935
Peter Boyle- actor' The Candidate, Young Frankenstein{he played the monster},best known TV role' Frank Barone' CBS sitcom'Everybody Loves Raymond'
1947
Laura Nyro singer/songwriter'Wedding Bell Blues, Stoned Soul Picnic'
1951
Pam Dawber- actress best known TV role' Mindy' in ABC sitcom' Mork&Mindy' costarred with Robin Williams She's married to actor, Mark Harmon
1984
Lindsay Vohn- U.S. alpine skier, won Gold Medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics, won 4 World Cup Championships
Deaths:
1931
Thomas Edison- U.S. Inventor of lightbulb, phonograph, motion picture camera 84
1973
Walt Kelly-cartoonist'Pogo' 60
2000
Gwen Verdon- singer/ actress/dancer 'Sweet Charity,Cotton Club,Cocoon 75
 
On This Day In History, October 19th

2005 Trial of Saddam Hussein Begins
The Iraqi Special Tribunal started the trial of the deposed President of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, and 7 other defendants for crimes against humanity. Hussein, who was the fifth President of Iraq was found guilty and was executed by hanging a year later on December 30, 2006.

1954 Cho Oyu Scaled for the First Time in Recorded History
The 6th highest mountain peak in the world, Cho Oyu is part of the Himalayan mountain range and lies on the Nepal-China border. It was scaled by Nepalese Pasang Dawa Lama and Austrians Joseph Jöchler and Herbert Tichy.

1950 Battle of Chamdo (Qamdo) Ends
Also known as the Liberation of Tibet in China, the war between China and Tibet began on October 6, when Chinese military forces under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping entered the country from Sichuan. At the end of the battle, the Chinese had taken over the border city of Chamdo. The battle was the starting point for negotiations between the two countries over the status of Tibet.

1943 Streptomycin is Discovered
The miracle antibiotic that became the first line of offense against tuberculosis in the mid-20th century was isolated for the first time by graduate student Albert Schatz while working under Selman Abraham Waksman at Rutgers University. Schatz later sued Waksman to gain a portion of the profits and notoriety that came from the discovery. Waksman eventually received the Nobel Prize for the achievement. However, there was controversy as the award went to Waksman only.

1914 First Battle of Ypres
Part of the Battle of Flanders during the First World War, the First Battle of Ypres was fought in the Belgian city of Ypres. It was fought between German forces on one side and the Belgian, French, and British troops on the other. Fighting continued until November 22, when harsh weather forced the two sides to take a break from the hostilities.
 

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