Today in History

Oct 15th:
1917
exotic dancer, Mata Hari is excuted by firing squad for spying for Germany during WWI near Paris
1924
U.S. President, Calvin Coolidge declares the Statue of Liberty a national monument
1951
classic sitcom' I Love Lucy' starring real life couple, Lucille Ball &Desi Arnaz as "Lucy&Ricky Ricardo" debuts on CBS runs for 10 yrs
1977
Debby Boone's single' You Light Up My Life hits #1 on music charts, stays there for 10 weeks
It was her only hit single
1993
Nelson Mandela&South African President, F.W. de Klerk win Nobel Peace Prize
2018
U.S retailer, Sears files for bankruptcy
 

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-foot-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
 

17th October

1091 A tornado struck London. It was Britain's earliest reported tornado. The wooden London Bridge was demolished, and the church of St. Mary-le-Bow in the city of London was badly damaged. Other churches in the area were demolished, as were over 600, mostly wooden, houses. According to William of Malmesbury, the foremost English historian of the 12th century, 'Churches and houses, enclosures and walls were left in heaps. Huge timbers, as long as five men, were ripped from the roof of St Mary and lodged into the ground to a depth of six metres.' John or Florence of Worcester chronicled “a violent whirlwind… shuck and demolished more than six hundred houses and a great number of churches in London.'

1346 At the Battle of Neville's Cross, near Durham, the Scots were routed and King David II of Scotland was captured by Edward III of England and imprisoned in the Tower of London for eleven years.

1860 The world's first professional golf tournament was held, at Prestwick in Scotland. A field of eight professionals played three rounds of Prestwick's 12-hole course in one day.

1956 Queen Elizabeth II opened Calder Hall in Cumbria - Britain's first large scale atomic energy station.

1980 The Queen made history after becoming the first British monarch to make a state visit to the Vatican. Pope John Paul II welcomed Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh, for what was described as a "warm and relaxed" encounter.
 
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 18th 🎂

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
 
18th October

1016 The Battle of Assandun was fought between Danish invaders under King Cnut and an ‘English’ army under King Edmund Ironside. The battle was the conclusion to the Danish reconquest of England. The Vikings, led by Canute the Great were victorious over the Anglo-Saxons led by King Edmund Ironside.

1910 The trial began at the Old Bailey of the American Dr. Crippen, accused of murdering his wife Cora Henrietta Crippen. Born in Michigan in 1862 Hawley Harvey Crippen moved to Camden in 1897 and became the first suspect to be captured using the aid of wireless telegraphy.

1922 The British Broadcasting Company, as the BBC was originally called, was formed on 18 October 1922 by a group of leading wireless manufacturers including Marconi. It established a nationwide network of radio transmitters to provide a national broadcasting service.

1966 The Queen granted a royal pardon to Timothy Evans, wrongly convicted and hanged in 1950 for the murder of his wife and child. The real murderer was John Reginald Christie who had been hanged for mass murder in 1953.

2014 A flock of sheep was left feeling rather woolly-headed after accidentally munching on £4,000 worth of cannabis plants that had been dumped in their field, at the edge of Fanny’s Farm in Merstham, Surrey. By the time that the police arrived, much of the evidence had been eaten. 🐑🐑🐑
 
1867
U.S. formally takes posession of Alaska after paying Russia $7.2. million
1921
Charles Strite receives patent for his invention,automatic pop up toaster
1961
movie' West Side Story' which was adaption of the 1957 Broadway musical is released directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins.It stars Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer George Chakiris, Rita Moreno
The movie won 10 Oscars inc picture,direction, score by Leonard Bernstein&Stephen Sondheim
1973
U.S. Congress authorizes bi-centennial quarter, half dollar,dollar coin
1992
The 1st non U.S. baseball team,Toronto Blue Jays defeated Atlanta Braves for their 1st World Series win
2019
The 1st all female spacewalk with NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Jessica Meir when they walked outside of the International Space station
 
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.
 
Births On This Day, October 19th 🎂

1962 Evander Holyfield
American boxer

1958 Michael Steele
American politician, 7th Lieutenant Governor of Maryland

1946 Philip Pullman
English author

1945 John Lithgow
American actor

1944 Peter Tosh
Jamaican singer-songwriter, guitarist

Deaths On This Day, October 19th 🪦

1893 Lucy Stone
American activist

1813 Józef Poniatowski
Polish general

1745 Jonathan Swift
Irish author

1682 Thomas Browne
English author

1216 John, King of England
 
On This Day In History, October 20th

2011 Muammar Gaddafi is Captured
The deposed leader of Libya, Muammar Gaddafi, is captured by the National Transitional Council Forces. He was killed by the troops soon after.

1982 Luzhniki Disaster
A stampede during a UEFA Cup soccer (football) match between Dutch club Haarlem and the Moscovian football club, Spartak at the Lenin Stadium in Moscow left about 60 people dead.

1973 Sydney Opera House Opens its Doors
The iconic building, which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, was designed by Danish architect Jørn Oberg Utzon. Construction on the performing arts center began in March 1959 and cost over $100 million.

1968 Jacqueline Kennedy marries Aristotle Onassis
Former American First Lady, Jacqueline Kennedy, married Greek shipping magnate, Aristotle Onassis

1962 War Breaks Out Between India and China
The month-long border dispute began after the Chinese launched a two-pronged attack on the border between the two countries. During the duration of hostilities, China and India did not officially declare war on each other nor cut off any diplomatic ties. The conflict ended with China taking control of Aksai Chin and both countries accepting a de facto border along what is now known as the Line of Control.
 
Births On This Day, October 20th 🎂

1971 Snoop Dogg
American rapper, producer, actor

1958 Viggo Mortensen
American actor

1950 Tom Petty
American singer-songwriter, musician

1931 Mickey Mantle
American baseball player

1859 John Dewey
American philosopher, psychologist

Deaths On This Day, October 20th 🪦

2011 Muammar Gaddafi
Libyan politician, Prime Minister of Libya

1984 Paul Dirac
English physicist, Nobel Prize laureate

1964 Herbert Hoover
American politician, 31st President of the United States

1950 Henry L. Stimson
American statesman, lawyer, politician

1890 Richard Francis Burton
English soldier, geographer, diplomat
 
On This Day In History, October 21st


2014 Oscar Pistorius Convicted for 5 Years
The South African Paralympic Champion was on trial for the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. He was sentenced to a maximum of five years for culpable homicide. He was released on parole for good behavior in October 2015. However, in December 2015, South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal upgraded the charges to murder and found him guilty of murder.

1983 The 17th General Conference on Weights and Measures Ends
The conference passed a resolution defining a meter as the distance traveled by light in a vacuum during a time interval of about three hundred millionth of a second. Before this, the meter or meter was assigned several different definitions. In 1793, it was defined as one ten-millionth of the distance between the Earth's Equator and the North Pole. In 1960, it was once again redefined by the 11th General Conference of Weights and Measures as equal to “1650763,73 wavelengths in vacuum of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the levels 2p10 and 5d5 of the krypton 86 atom.”

1969 Coup in Somalia
Siad Barre staged a military coup against the government the day after the death of Abdirashid Ali Shermarke, the then-president of Somalia.

1959 The Guggenheim Opens its Doors
The Guggenheim Museum displays works from some of the world’s most celebrated and sought-after contemporary artists. Situated in the Manhattan area of New York, the museum was first opened in 1939 as the Museum of Non-Objective Painting. It was then named the Guggenheim Museum in 1952, after the death of the founder of the foundation that runs it, Solomon R. Guggenheim. The current museum building was designed by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright and was opened to the public on this day.

1943 Provisional Government of Free India Declared by Subhas Chandra Bose
Bose, an exiled Indian nationalist and a key figure in the Indian Independence Movement declared the creation of Azad Hind, or Free India during a mass rally in Singapore. Netaji (leader), as he was fondly called by his followers, was unanimously declared as the Head of State, Prime Minister, and Minister for War of the new government. The government-in-exile did not have any territory to govern until Japan gave them the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, occupied by the Japanese in 1942, to run. A few days later after declaring the existence of Azad Hind, the provisional government joined the Second World War by declaring war on the Allies.
 
Births On This Day, October 21st 🎂

1986 Natalee Holloway
American missing person

1980 Kim Kardashian
American model, actress

1956 Carrie Fisher
American actress, screenwriter, author

1949 Benjamin Netanyahu
Israeli politician, 9th Prime Minister of Israel

1772 Samuel Taylor Coleridge
English poet, philosopher

Deaths On This Day, October 21st 🪦

2014 Gough Whitlam
Australian politician, 21st Prime Minister of Australia

2012 George McGovern
American politician, historian, author

2003 Elliott Smith
American singer-songwriter, guitarist

1969 Jack Kerouac
American author, poet

1805 Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson

English Admiral
 
21st October

1805 At about 11.30 hrs in the morning of Monday 21 October 1805, as the British fleet was sailing into action against the Combined Fleets of France and Spain at the Battle of Trafalgar, Nelson ordered a special signal to be flown: 'England Expects That Every Man Will Do His Duty'.

1956 Kenyan rebel leader Dedan Kimathi was captured by the British Army, signalling the ultimate defeat of the Mau Mau Uprising, and essentially ending the British military campaign in Kenya.

1960 Britain launched its first nuclear submarine, HMS Dreadnought, at Barrow. Built by Vickers Armstrong, in Barrow-in-Furness, the boat was seen as a revolution in the defence of the realm and, to emphasize the fact, she was launched by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, on Trafalgar Day, in 1960.

1966 144 people, 116 of them children, were killed in the small Welsh mining village of Aberfan when tons of slush, from a nearby coal slag tip weakened by rain, slid downhill and engulfed the village school, a farm and a row of terraced houses. The tragedy occurred at the beginning of the school day and on the day before the school closed for the half-term holiday.

2011 St Paul's Cathedral was closed to visitors for the first time since World War II because of anti-capitalist demonstrators (the 'Occupy London Stock Exchange' movement) 'camping on its doorstep'. The Right Reverend Graeme Knowles said that the decision had been taken with a heavy heart, for health and safety reasons.
 
1744
The 1st display of word' Liberty' on a flag raised by colonists in Taunton,Massachusetts in defiance of British rule in Colonial America
1854
nurse, Florence Nightingale with staff of 38 nurses is sent to the Crimean War
1945
women in France allowed to vote for 1st time
1959
Guggenheim Museum,designed by architect, Frank Lloyd Wright opens in NYC. His goal was to create a museum that where 'building and art work together' Its located at the edge of Central Park, one of the city's popular tourist attraction
1964
movie'My Fair Lady' directed by George Cukor is released, stars Audrey Hepburn, Rex Harrison{ reprising the role of 'Henry Higgins'he played in original Broadway production} Stanley Holloway, Gladys Cooper, Winfrid Hyde- White. The movie won 8 Oscars inc picture/director, actor
1988
former Philipine 1st couple, Ferdinand&Imelda Marcos are indicted on racketeering charges
2019
world's oldest pearl 8,000yrs old is discovered during excavations at Marawah Island near Abu Dhabi,UAE
 
On This Day In History, October 22nd

2008 India Launches its First Lunar Mission
The unmanned space probe called Chandrayaan-1 was launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation. The probe successfully landed on the Moon on November 14, 2008, making India the 5th country to land a spacecraft on the Moon.

1957 François Duvalier takes office
François Duvalier, also known as Papa Doc, became the President of Haiti.

1936 End of the Long March in China
The Long March, a 6000-mile journey made by members of the Red Army led by Mao Zedong came to an end. The March was undertaken as a way to escape the Nationalist army of Chiang Kai-shek. The end of March is also known in China as the “Union of the Three Armies”.

1884 International Meridian Conference Adopts Greenwich, England as the initial longitudinal Meridian
26 countries participated in the conference which was held in Washington, D.C. In addition to making the meridian passing through the Observatory of Greenwich as the initial meridian for longitude or 0-degree longitude, the conference also defined a universal day that would “begin for all the world at the moment of mean midnight at the initial meridian, coinciding with the beginning of the civil day and date of that meridian; and is to be counted from zero up to twenty-four hours”.

1797 First Person to Jump With a Parachute
French balloonist André-Jacques Garnerin jumped out of a balloon over Parc Monceau in Paris using a silk parachute that he made himself.
 
Births On This Day, October 22nd 🎂

1973 Ichiro Suzuki
Japanese baseball player

1949 Arsène Wenger
French footballer, manager

1870 Ivan Bunin
Russian author, poet, Nobel Prize laureate

1844 Louis Riel
Canadian politician

1811 Franz Liszt
Hungarian pianist, composer

Deaths On This Day, October 22nd 🪦

2002 Richard Helms
American diplomat, 8th Director of Central Intelligence

1995 Kingsley Amis
English author, poet, critic

1954 Jibanananda Das
Bengali poet

1906 Paul Cézanne
French painter

741 Charles Martel
Frankish military leader, politician
 
Sydney Opera House celebrated its 50th anniversary on 20th October 2023. It was designed by Danish architect Jorn Utson. Construction began in 1959. It was funded largely by the sale of lottery tickets and completed in 1973. We were there at the opening and have films of Queen Elizabeth arriving to do the official honours.
 
On This Day In History, October 23rd

2002 Dubrovka Theater Hostage Crisis
About 50 Chechen rebels led by Movsar Barayev took over the Dubrovka Theater in Moscow during the performance of Nord-Ost, a musical. The rebels took about 850 hostages and demanded the withdrawal of Russian troops from Chechnya. The siege lasted for about 3 days and ended after Russian security forces released a chemical gas in the theater. All of the rebels and about 170 hostages died during the siege.

2001 Apple announces the first iPod Player
The iPod is the world's best-selling portable media player. Already 6 years after its initial launch, Apple announced that 100 million devices had been sold. The company has been criticized for its aggressive policies forcing users to use only original batteries and preventing them from freely sharing content with others.

1998 Swatch Announces Internet Time
The Swiss watch company invented a new unit of time called the .beat, which corresponds to 1 minute and 26.4 seconds. Under the Internet Time system, a day is divided into 1000 beats.

1983 Beirut Barracks Bombing
Two bombs exploded in front of American and French barracks during the Lebanese Civil War, killing about 300 French and American military personnel. Islamic Jihad took responsibility for the bombings.

1964 Jean-Paul Sartre Turns Down Nobel Prize
The French existentialist philosopher and writer published a letter in the newspaper Le Figaro to explain why he did not want to accept the Nobel Prize for Literature he had been awarded the day before on October 22. In his letter, he said he did not want to take sides in the East and West struggle of the Cold War, by accepting an award that was given out by Western institutions.
 
Births On This Day, October 23rd 🎂

1959 "Weird Al" Yankovic
American singer-songwriter, comedian, actor

1957 Paul Kagame
Rwandan politician, 6th President of Rwanda

1942 Michael Crichton
American author, screenwriter, director, producer

1940 Pelé
Brazilian footballer

1925 Johnny Carson
American television host

Deaths On This Day, October 23rd 🪦

2000 Yokozuna
American wrestler

1957 Christian Dior
French fashion designer founded S.A.

1950 Al Jolson
Lithuanian/American singer, actor

1921 John Boyd Dunlop
Scottish businessman, co-founded Dunlop Rubber

1915 W. G. Grace
English cricketer
 
On This Day In History, October 24th

2007 China Launches Chang'e 1
It was the first spacecraft of China’s Lunar Exploration Program, which is responsible for sending unmanned robotic space probes to the Moon and the lunar orbit in order to better understand Earth’s largest natural satellite. The space probe crashed into the lunar surface on March 2, 2009, after orbiting the Moon for over a year.

1964 Zambian independence
The African country gained independence from British rule with the passage of the Zambia Independence Act of 1964 by the UK Parliament.

1945 United Nations founded
The U.N. charter was ratified by the then 5 permanent members and 46 member states.

1930 Coup in Brazil
President Washington Luís was deposed by the heads of the armed forces just 4 years after he came to office. The coup prevented President-elect Júlio Prestes from coming to power and the military junta instead installed Getúlio Vargas as the de facto President of the country. The coup was in part a response to the government’s “coffee with milk policy”, which allowed governance power to be alternated between the coffee-producing state of São Paulo and the milk-producing state of Minas Gerais. This policy led to a rebellion in some parts of the country, which in turn prompted the army to take action against the government.

1926 Last performance of Houdini
The world-famous escape artist performed for the last time at the Garrick Theater in Detroit, Michigan.
 
Births On This Day, October 24th 🎂

1985 Wayne Rooney
English footballer

1981 Tila Tequila
American model, actress, singer

1966 Roman Abramovich
Russian businessman, politician

1962 Dave Blaney
American race car driver

51 Domitian
Roman Emperor

Deaths On This Day, October 24th 🪦

2005 Rosa Parks
American activist

1972 Jackie Robinson
American baseball player

1945 Vidkun Quisling
Norwegian soldier, politician, traitor

1944 Louis Renault
French businessman co-founded Renault

1601 Tycho Brahe
Danish astronomer, chemist
 
On This Day In History, October 25th

1983 Invasion of Grenada
A U.S.-led invasion called Operation Urgent Fury was triggered by a coup that ended with the murder of Prime Minister Maurice Bishop. The invasion ended with a U.S. victory.

1962 Uganda joins the UN
Uganda became a member state of the United Nations.

1940 First African-American made general in US military
Benjamin Oliver Davis became the first African-American general in the United States Army.

1854 Battle of Balaclava
An alliance of Britain, France, and the Ottoman Empire fought the Battle of Balaclava against the Russian Empire during the Crimean War.

1760 George III starts his reign
George III started his reign as the King of Great Britain and Ireland.
 
Births On This Day, October 25th 🎂

1984 Katy Perry
American singer-songwriter, actress

1979 Rosa Mendes
Canadian wrestler

1970 Peter Aerts
Dutch kickboxer

1940 Bob Knight
American basketball player, coach

1881 Pablo Picasso
Spanish painter, sculptor

Deaths On This Day, October 25th 🪦

1992 Roger Miller
American singer-songwriter, actor

1955 Sadako Sasaki
Japanese victims of the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima, Nagasaki

1806 Henry Knox
American general

1400 Geoffrey Chaucer
English poet

1154 Stephen, King of England
 

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