October 17th: This Day in History

    

Once again, it should be reiterated, that this does not pretend to be a very extensive history of what happened on this day (nor is it the most original - the links can be found down below). If you know something that I am missing, by all means, shoot me an email or leave a comment, and let me know!

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history 

Here's a more detailed look at events that transpired on this date throughout history:

On this day in 539 BCE, King Cyrus the Great of Persia marched into the city of Babylon, releasing the Jews from almost 70 years of exile and making the first Human Rights Declaration.  In 532 on this day, Boniface II ended his reign as Catholic Pope  The Battle at Poitiers was fought on this day in 733, with Charles Martel defeating Abd al-Rachmans Omajjaden. The Battle of Neville's Cross was fought on this day in 1346, when King David II of Scotland was captured by Edward III of England at Calais, and imprisoned in the Tower of London for eleven years.

1387 - Swells convent Windesheim initiated

1404 - Cosma de' Migliorati elected Pope Innocentius VII

1415 - Jewish autonomy in Palestine ends, as Raban Gamliel leaves office

1448 - Second Battle of Kosovo, where the mainly Hungarian army led by John Hunyadi were defeated by an Ottoman army led by Sultan Murad II.

1456 - The University of Greifswald is established, making it the second oldest university in northern continental Europe (also for a period the oldest in Sweden, and Prussia)

1483 - Tomas de Torquemada appointed inquisitor-general of Spain

1556 - Ex-emperor Karel departs Netherland for Spain

1651 - Future King Charles II flees from England

1660 - Nine Regicides, the men who signed the death warrant of Charles I, are hanged, drawn and quartered, another is hanged.

1691 - New royal charter for Massachusetts, now including Maine, Plymouth

1720 - Pierre de Marivaux' "Arlequin Poli Par l'Amour," premieres in Paris

1740 - Ivan VI becomes Czar of Russia

1777 - British General John Burgoyne surrenders at Saratoga NY

1781 - Cornwallis defeated at Yorktown

1787 - Boston blacks, petition legislature for equal school facilities

King of England Edward IIIKing of England Edward III 1797 - Peace of Campo Formio: Austrian Dutch possessions & France

1800 - Dutch colony Curacao transfered to England

1806 - Former leader of the Haitian Revolution, Emperor Jacques I of Haiti was assassinated after an oppressive rule.

1808 - Political rights of Jews suspended in Duchy of Warsaw

1814 - London Beer Flood occurs in London killing nine.

1815 - Napoleon arrives in St Helena

1825 - 1st French Liszts operette Don Sanche premieres in Paris

1829 - Delaware River & Chesapeake Bay Canal formally opens

1829 - 1st supposed attack on abandoned German teenager Kaspar Hauser

1831 - Felix Mendelssohn's 1st Piano concert in G, premieres

1850 - Knickerbocker Engine Co Number 5 organized

1855 - Bessemer steelmaking process patented

1860 - 1st British Golf Open: Willie Park Snr shoots a 164 at Prestwick Club, Scotland

1862 - Battle of Leetown & Thoroughfare Gap, VA

1868 - Constitution of Grand Duchy of Luxembourg comes into effect

1871 - Great Britain annexes Griqualand South Africa

1871 - President Grant suspends writ of habeas corpus

1876 - Henry Morton Stanley's reaches Lualaba River

1877 - Henry Morton Stanley reaches Boma during trip cross Africa

1885 - Baseball sets all players salaries at $1,000-$2,000 for 1885 season

Inventor Thomas EdisonInventor Thomas Edison 1888 - Thomas Edison files a patent for the Optical Phonograph (the first movie).

1894 - Ohio national guard kills 3 lynchers while rescuing a black man

1896 - Anton Tsjechovs "Chayka," premieres in St Petersburg

1899 - Sutro railroad sold to Robert F Morrow for $215,000

1904 - Bank of Italy (Bank of America) opens its doors

1907 - Guglielmo Marconi's company begins the first commercial transatlantic wireless service between Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada and Clifden, Ireland.

1912 - Bulgaria, Greece & Serbia declares war on Turkey

1916 - Dutch women demonstrate for female suffrage

1917 - 1st British bombing of Germany

1918 - De Kooy airport in Netherlands opens

1918 - Yugoslavia proclaims itself a republic

1919 - Radio Corporation of America (RCA) created

1920 - Chicago Bears (as Decatur Staleys) play 1st NFL game, win 7-0

1921 - Belgium's public library law goes into force

1922 - Scottish worker begins hunger march from Glasgow on London

Inventor and Nobel Laureate Guglielmo MarconiInventor and Nobel Laureate Guglielmo Marconi 1923 - Catholic University of Nijmegen Neth opens

1927 - Ban Johnson, in failing health, retires as AL president

1931 - Al Capone convicted of tax evasion, sentenced to 11 years in prison

1933 - Albert Einstein arrives in US, a refugee from Nazi Germany

1934 - "The Aldrich Family" premieres on radio

1935 - Pacific Association of AAU votes not to participate in Berlin Olympics

1940 - German occupiers issue identity cards

1941 - 1st US destroyer (Kearney) torpedoed in WW II, off Iceland

1943 - Liberators sink U-540 & U-631

1945 - Juan Peron becomes dictator of Argentina

1951 - Egyptian army fires on British troops

1954 - Phila Eagle Adrian Burk passes for 7 touchdowns vs Wash (49-21)

1955 - Lee Merriwether joins Today Show panel

1956 - England's 1st large scale nuclear power station opens

1956 - Pakistan defeat Australia by nine wickets at 1st attempt

Theoretical Physicist Albert EinsteinTheoretical Physicist Albert Einstein 1957 - "Copper & Brass" opens at Martin Beck Theater NYC for 36 performances

1957 - Britain's Queen Elizabeth & Prince Philip visit the White House

1957 - Dike Marken-Dutch mainland closed

1957 - French author Albert Camus awarded Nobel Prize in Literature

1957 - II Tsjoendrigar becomes premier of Pakistan

1959 - "Billy Barnes Revue" closes at John Golden Theater NYC after 87 perfs

1959 - Queen Elizabeth is fined $140 for withdrawing her race horse

1959 - Stinchcomb Memorial in Cleveland Metroparks' dedicated

1960 - "Tenderloin" opens at 46th St Theater NYC for 216 performances

1960 - US & Britain sign accord for nuclear sub bases

1961 - 22nd congress of CPSU opens in Moscow

1961 - Battle of Paris-police kill 210 Algerians

1961 - NASA civilian pilot Joseph A Walker takes X-15 to 33,100 m

1961 - NY Museum of Modern Art hangs Henri Matisse's "Le Bateau" upside-down It wasn't corrected until December 3rd

1962 - Yanks beat Giants for 20th world championship

Impressionist Painter Henri MatisseImpressionist Painter Henri Matisse 1963 - "Jennie" opens at Majestic Theater NYC for 82 performances

1964 - Yanks fire Manager Yogi Berra

1965 - "On A Clear Day You Can See Forever" opens in NYC for 280 perfs

1965 - WBMG TV channel 42 in Birmingham, AL (CBS) begins broadcasting

1967 - "Hair" premieres on Broadway

1967 - Barbra Streisand stars on "Belle of 14th Street" special on CBS

1967 - Memorial service for Brian Epstein at New London Synagogue

1967 - Pete Knight in X-15 reaches 85 km

1967 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR

1969 - NY Nets move from Comack to Island Garden, Hempstead NY

1969 - Plastic Ono Band's "Cold Turkey" is released in UK

1969 - Soyuz 7 returns to Earth

1970 - Anwar Sadat sworn in as president of Egypt

1971 - Cleveland Metroparks' Rocky River Nature Center opens

1971 - Judy Rankin wins LPGA Quality-First Golf Classic

Singer-songwriter & Actress Barbra StreisandSinger-songwriter & Actress Barbra Streisand 1971 - Pittsburgh Pirates beat Balt Orioles, 4 games to 3 in 68th World Series

1972 - 1st time Islanders shut-out-5-0 vs Penguins

1972 - Bob Randall's "6 Rooms Riv Vu," premieres in NYC

1972 - Chuck Berry's "My Ding-a-ling," is #1

1973 - 5-mo oil embargo by Arab states against US & Netherlands begins

1973 - Arabs decrease oil production

1974 - "Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope" closes at Playhouse NYC after 1065 per

1974 - NBA New Orleans Jazz begin a 28 game road losing streak

1974 - Washington Capitals 1st NHL home victory, beating Chicago 4-3

1974 - Oakland A's beat LA Dodgers, 4 games to 1 in 71st World Series makes A's only team other than Yanks to win 3 straight series

1975 - 1st Space Shuttle main engine test at Natl Space Tech Labs, Miss

1975 - UN passes resolution saying "Zionism is a form of racism"

1976 - China PR performs nuclear test at Lop Nor PRC

1976 - Coldest World Series game Yankees vs Cincinnati, 39 degrees F (until 1997)

1977 - Canada begins regular live TV coverage of Parliament

1977 - West German commandos storm hijacked Lufthansa in Mogadishu, Somalia freeing all 86 hostages & killing 3 of 4 hijackers

1978 - NY Islanders start a streak of 23 undefeated games at home (15-0-8)

1978 - NY Yankees beat Dodgers, 4 games to 2 in 75th World Series

1978 - Pres Carter signs bill restoring Jefferson Davis citizenship

1978 - USSR performs underground nuclear test

1978 - Yanks win 22nd World Championship capping their great comeback year

1979 - "Beatlemania" closes at Winter Garden Theater NYC after 920 perfs

1979 - D Bautista of Mexico completes 20,000 m walk in record 1:20:06.8

Catholic Missionary Mother TeresaCatholic Missionary Mother Teresa 1979 - Mother Teresa of India, awarded Nobel Peace Prize

1979 - Pittsburgh Pirates beat Balt Orioles, 4 games to 3 in 76th World Series

1979 - Pres Carter signs legislation creating Dept of Education

1980 - 1st-class debut of Mike Whitney, NSW v Qld (2-52 & 1-39)

1982 - 1st live orch on commerical network since 1954 (National Symphony)

1982 - Emmy News & Documentaries Award presentation

1982 - Robin Yount is 1st to have 2 4-hit games in a World Series

1982 - Sam Shepard's "True West" premieres in NYC

1982 - USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR

1983 - Nobel prize for economy awarded to Gerard Debreu

1983 - STS-9 vehicle moves to Vandenberg AFB due to SRB nozzle problem

1984 - Nobel prize for chemistry awarded to Bruce Merrifield

1985 - French author Claude Simon won the Nobel Prize in literature

1985 - Lou Piniella named NY Yankee manager

1986 - US Senate approved immigration bill prohibiting hiring of illegal aliens & offered amnesty to illegals who entered prior to 1982

1986 - Yitzak Rabin forms Israeli government

1987 - "Late Nite Comic" closes at Ritz Theater NYC after 4 performances

1987 - 1st indoor World Series game (Minnesota Metrodome)

1987 - 1st Lady Nancy Reagan undergoes a modified radical mastectomy

1988 - 31 reported dead as Ugandan jetliner crashes in fog near Rome

1988 - Dallas Green replaces Lou Pinella as manager of NY Yankees

1988 - Lyndon LaRouche pleads innocent to fraud, conspiracy indictment

1988 - Phillip Morris announces $11 Billion tender offer for Kraft

1988 - Rockin Robin beats "Sensational" Sherri Martel for WWF woman's title

1988 - Traveling Wilbury's 1st release "Handle With Care"

1989 - Earthquake in SF (6.9) cancels 3rd game of World Series, kills 67

1990 - "Jackie Mason - Brand New" opens at Neil Simon NYC for 216 perfs

1990 - "Les Miserables," opens at Imperial Theatre, NY & His Majesty's Theatre, Perth

1991 - Angel Cordero is 3rd jockey to win 7,000 horse races

1991 - Atlanta Braves beat Pittsburgh Pirates for NL pennant in 7 games

1991 - News anchor Bree Walker Lampley files an FCC complaint that LA radio KFI-AM personally attacked her by discuss her having a disformed baby

1991 - Pitts Penguin Paul Coffey sets NHL defenseman scoring record with 1,053 career points (309 goals & 744 assists)

1992 - 1st World Series with non-US team, Toronto loses 3-1 to Braves

1993 - Dottie Mochrie wins LPGA World Championship of Women's Golf

1994 - Beth Daniel wins LPGA World Championships of Women's Golf

The Pianoman Billy JoelThe Pianoman Billy Joel 1994 - Billy Joel performs opening concert at Cleveland's Gund Arena

1994 - Kapil Dev's final one-day international (v West Indies)

1995 - Keith Moore sentenced to 6 years for robbing Sting of $9,000,000

1996 - "Taking Sides," opens at Atkinson Theater NYC

1998 - At Jesse, in the Niger Delta, Nigeria, a petroleum pipeline explodes killing about 1200 villagers, some of whom are scavenging gasoline.

2000 - Train crash at Hatfield, north of London, leading to collapse of Railtrack.

2003 - The pinnacle was fitted on the roof of Taipei 101, a 101-floor skyscraper in Taipei, allowing it to surpass the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur by 50 meters (165 feet) and become the World's tallest highrise.

2003 - Eunuchs in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh float the political party Jiti Jitayi Politics.

2005 - The Colbert Report first airs.

2006 - The United States population reaches 300 million.

2007 - The Dalai Lama receives the United States Congressional Gold Medal.

2012 - The exoplanet Alpha Centauri Bb is discovered orbiting Alpha Centauri

2012 - Lance Armstrong loses a host of endorsements in the wake of his doping scandal

2012 - Tens of thousands protest austerity measures in Greece

1777 - American troops defeated British forces in Saratoga, NY. It was the turning point in the American Revolutionary War.  1888 - The first issue of "National Geographic Magazine" was released at newsstands.   1931 - Al Capone was convicted on income tax evasion and was sentenced to 11 years in prison. He was released in 1939.   1933 - "News-Week" appeared for the first time at newsstands. The name was later changed to "Newsweek."   1933 - Dr. Albert Einstein moved to Princeton, NJ, after leaving Germany.   1939 - "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" premiered.   1945 - Ava Gardner and Artie Shaw were married.   1945 - Colonel Juan Peron became the dictator of Argentina after staging a coup in Buenos Aires.   1973 - The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) began an oil-embargo against several countries including the U.S. and Great Britain. The incident stemmed from Western support of Israel when Egypt and Syria attacked the nation on October 6, 1973. The embargo lasted until March of 1974.   1978 - U.S. President Carter signed a bill that restored full U.S. citizenship rights to Confederate President Jefferson Davis.   1979 - Mother Teresa of India was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.   1987 - U.S. First Lady Nancy Reagan underwent a modified radical mastectomy at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland.   1989 - An earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter Scale hit the San Francisco Bay area in California. The quake caused about 67 deaths, 3,000 injuries, and damages up to $7 billion.   1994 - Israel and Jordan initialed a draft peace treaty.   1994 - The Angolan government and rebels agreed to a peace treaty that ended their 19 years of civil war.   1997 - The remains of revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara were laid to rest in his adopted Cuba, 30 years after his execution in Bolivia.   2000 - In New York City, Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum opened to the public. The 42nd Street location joined Tussaud's other exhibitions already in London, Hong Kong, Amsterdam and Las Vegas.   2000 - Patrick Roy (Colorado Avalanche) achieved his 448th victory as a goalie in the NHL. Roy passed Terry Sawchuck to become the record holder for career victories.   2001 - Israel's tourism minister was killed. A radical Palestinian faction claimed that it had carried out the assassination to avenge the killing of its leader by Israel 2 months earlier.   2001 - Pakistan placed its armed forces on high alert because of troop movements by India in the disputed territory of Kashmir. India said that the movements were part of a normal troop rotation.   2001 - Italian priest Giuseppe "Beppe" Pierantoni was kidnapped by the terrorist group the "Pentagon." He was released on April 8, 2002.   2003 - In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration approved a drug, known as memantine, to help people with Alzheimer's symptoms.   2003 - In Taipei, Taiwan, construction crews finished 1,676-foot-tall-building called Taipei 101. The building was planned to open for business in 2004.   2003 - In northwest England, the Carnforth railway station reopened as a heritage center.

1777 British Gen. Burgoyne surrendered in Saratoga, N.Y. during the American Revolution. 1931 Mobster Al Capone was convicted of income tax evasion for which he was sentenced to 11 years in prison. 1933 Albert Einstein arrived in the United States as a refugee from Nazi Germany. 1979 Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work with the poor in Calcutta, India. 1989 An earthquake measuring 7.1 in magnitude killed 67 and injured over 3,000 in San Francisco. 2011 Occupy Wall Street, an organized protest in New York's financial district, expands to other cities across the U.S., including Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Occupy Wall Street defines itself as a group of activists who stand against corporate greed, social inequality, and the disproportion between the rich and poor.

The following links are to web sites that were used to complete this blog entry:

http://www.historyorb.com/today/events.php

http://on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/alldays/oct17.htm

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history

http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory

October 16th: This Day in History

   

Once again, it should be reiterated, that this does not pretend to be a very extensive history of what happened on this day (nor is it the most original - the links can be found down below). If you know something that I am missing, by all means, shoot me an email or leave a comment, and let me know!

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history 

Here's a more detailed look at events that transpired on this date throughout history:

On this day in 456, Magister Militum Ricimer defeated the Emperor Avitus at Piacenza and became the master of the western Roman Empire. In 1311 on this day, the Council of Vienne (15th ecumenical council) opened. Jadwiga was crowned King of Poland on this day in 1384, although she was a woman. Columbus' fleet anchored at "Fernandina" (Long Island, Bahamas) on this day in 1492. In 1502 on this day, a storm ravaged the Friese coast. English Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, was re-arrested on this day in 1551. On this day in 1600, the ships of Olivier van Noorts reached the Philippines. Emperor Leopold I fired Chancellor Furst Wenzel Lobkowitz on this day in 1674. British troops occupied Port Royal, Nova Scotia, on this day in 1710. On this day in 1757, Austrian troops occupied Berlin. In 1775 on this day during the American Revolution, the city of Portland, Maine, was burned by the British. On this day in 1780 in Royalton, Vermont and Tunbridge, Vermont, there was the last major raid of the American Revolutionary War. Washington took Yorktown on this day in 1781. The Battle of Wattignies was fought on this day in 1793.

 

The guillotine, which was invented during, and became one of the most fearful symbols of,  the French Revolution. It got the nickname "the razor of the nation."

On this day in 1793, in one of the defining events of the French Revolution, former Queen Marie Antoinette was publicly guillotined in Paris on the grounds of treason. 

1795 - M von Böhms "Oorlogscantate" premieres

1813 - Battle at Leipzig (Napoleon vs Prussia, Austria & Russia)

1829 - Tremont Hotel, 1st US modern hotel opens (Boston)

1834 - Much of the ancient structures of the Palace of Westminster (parliament) in London is burnt down.

1841 - Queens University in Kingston is chartered

Explorer of the New World Christopher ColumbusExplorer of the New World Christopher Columbus 1843 - Sir William Rowan Hamilton comes up with the idea of quaternions, a non-commutative extension of complex numbers.

1846 - Dentist William T Morton demonstrates effectiveness of ether

1847 - Charlotte Bronte's book "Jane Eyre" published

1848 - 1st US homeopathic medical college opens in Pennsylvania

1849 - Avery College establishes in Allegheny, Pennsylvania

1849 - British seize Tigre Island in Gulf of Fonseca from Honduras

1852 - Dutch government recognize Catholics right to organize

1859 - John Brown leads 21 in raid on federal arsenal, Harper's Ferry, Va

1861 - Confederacy starts selling postage stamps

1863 - Grant is given command of Union forces in West

1867 - Alaska adopts Gregorian calendar, crosses intl date line

1869 - Hotel in Boston becomes 1st to have indoor plumbing

1875 - 1st Quebec vs Ontario football game, Ontario wins

1875 - Brigham Young University is founded in Provo, Utah.

1876 - Race riot at Cainhoy SC (5 whites & 1 black killed)

Abolitionist John BrownAbolitionist John Brown 1882 - The Nickel Plate Railroad opens for business.

1900 - Queen Wilhelmina leaves duke Heinrich "Henry" von Mecklenburg-Schwerin

1903 - Homel, 1st Jewish self defense organization founded in Russia

1904 - Russian Baltic fleet departs to Port Arthur

1905 - The Partition of Bengal (India) occurred.

1907 - Belasco Theater opens at 111 W 44th St NYC

1907 - David Belasco's "Grand Army Man," premieres in NYC

1908 - Edmonton Rugby Foot-ball Club re-organizes as Esquimoux

1909 - Jack Johnson KOs Stanley Ketchel in 12 for heavyweight boxing title

1909 - Pirates beat Tigers 4 games to 3 in 6th World Series

1912 - Arnold Schoenberg's "Pierrot Lunaire," premieres

1912 - Boston beats NY Giants, 4 games to 3 with a tie in 9th World Series

1913 - Booth Theater opens at 222 W 44th St NYC

1915 - Great Britain declares war on Bulgaria

1916 - Dodger manager Wilbert Robinson given $5,000 bonus

Nurse Margaret SangerNurse Margaret Sanger 1916 - Margaret Sanger opens 1st birth control clinic (46 Amboy St, Bkln)

1916 - T E Lawrence (of Arabia) meets with Fasal Hoessein

1921 - Babe Ruth, Bob Meusel, & Bill Piercy defy Landis ban on World Series

1921 - Jim Conzelman takes over as coach of Rock Island Independents from Frank Coughlin-only mid-game coaching change in NFL history

1923 - Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio founded

1923 - John Harwood patents self-winding watch (Switzerland)

1925 - Peace accord of Locarno signed (Rhine Pact)

1925 - Texas School Board prohibits teaching of evolution

1926 - Mohammed Nadir Khan begins coup in Afghanistan, 1200 killed

1926 - Troop ship sinks in Yangtze River, killing 1,200

1928 - Mickey Cochrane wins AL MVP honors, edging Heinie Manush by 2 points

1931 - Trunk murderess Winnie Ruth Judd chops 1st

1934 - Mao Tse-tung & 25,000 troops begin 6,000 mile Long March

1936 - Lou Gehrig, is voted AL MVP by BBWAA

1939 - Sugar rationing begins in Netherlands

Chinese Communist Revolutionary and Politician Mao Tse-TungChinese Communist Revolutionary and Politician Mao Tse-Tung 1940 - Benjamin Oliver Davis Sr named 1st black general in regular army

1940 - Lottery for 1st US WW II draftees held; #158 drawn 1st

1940 - Warsaw Ghetto forms

1941 - "Gordo" comic strip (by Gus Arriola) 1st appears in newspapers

1941 - Germany advances within 60 miles (96 K) of Moscow

1941 - Romanian Legionnaires enter Odessa Russia

1942 - Aaron Copland/de Milles ballet "Rodeo," premieres in NYC

1942 - Cyclone in Bay of Bengal kills some 40,000 south of Calcutta India

1942 - Natl Boxing Association freezes titles of those serving in armed services

1943 - Anti Jewish riot in Rome

1943 - Chicago Mayor Ed Kelly opens city's new subway system

1943 - Jewish quarter of Rome surrounded by Nazis, they are sent to Auschwitz

1943 - US 1st Army establishes headquarter in Bristol

1944 - Hungary: Horthy government falls/nazi count Szalasi becomes premier

1945 - UN's Food & Agriculture Organization comes into existence

1946 - 10 Nazi leaders hanged as war criminals after Nuremberg trials

1948 - "Red Mill" opens at Ziegfeld Theater NYC for 831 performances

1948 - Demonstration by Moscow Jews honoring Israeli ambassador Golda Meir

1949 - WDAF TV channel 4 in Kansas City, MO (NBC) begins broadcasting

1951 - The first Prime Minister of Pakistan, Liaquat Ali Khan, is assassinated in Rawalpindi.

1952 - Pakistan's 1st Test starts, v India at Delhi

1952 - Woolworth's at Powell & Market (SF) opens

Cuban President Fidel CastroCuban President Fidel Castro 1953 - Fidel Castro sentenced to 15 years (Havana)

1956 - "Love Me Tender" with Elvis Presley premieres

1956 - William J Brennan Jr becomes a Supreme Court Justice

1957 - Queen Elizabeth & Prince Philip visits Williamsburg Virginia

1957 - USAF sends 2 aluminium bullets into space

1958 - Benjamin Britten's "Nocturne," premieres

1958 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site

1960 - NL votes to admit Houston & NY to league

1962 - Byron R White becomes a Supreme Court Justice

1962 - Cuban missile crisis began as JFK becomes aware of missiles in Cuba

1962 - KTXT TV channel 5 in Lubbock, TX (PBS) begins broadcasting

1962 - Yanks (20th championship) beat SF Giants 4 games to 3 in World Series

1962 - NY Yankees appear in 12 & win 9 of last 14 World Series

1963 - 2 secret US military satellites launched from Cape Canaveral

1963 - NY newspaper "Mirror" last edition

US President John F. KennedyUS President John F. Kennedy 1964 - China becomes world's 5th nuclear power

1964 - Harold Wilson's Labour party wins British election

1964 - Indians' directors vote to keep franchise in Cleveland, rejecting bids by Seattle, Oakland & Dallas

1965 - "Drat! - The Cat!" closes at Martin Beck Theater NYC after 8 perfs

1966 - Joean Baez & 123 other ani-draft protestors arrested in Oakland

1967 - WETK TV channel 33 in Burlington, VT (PBS) begins broadcasting

1967 - WGNO TV channel 26 in New Orleans, LA (ABC) begins broadcasting

1968 - China reports removal of president Li Sjao-tji

1968 - Czechoslovakia & Russian "accord" rules allies Soviet forces

1968 - During Olympics Tommie Smith & John Carlos give black power salute

1968 - Milwaukee Bucks play their 1st game losing 89-84 to Chicago Bulls

1968 - Jim Dorey sets Toronto Maple Leaf penalty records (48 mins on 9 penalties in a game & 44 minutes on 7 penalties in a period)

1969 - 100-1 shot NY Mets beat Orioles 5-3 & win 66th World Series in 5

1969 - Soyuz 6 returns to Earth

1969 - Met Cleon Jones awarded 1st base when shoe polish on ball proves he is hit by a pitch, he scores on a HR in World Series

1970 - Anwar Sadat elected president of Egypt, succeeding Gamal Abdel Nasser

1971 - Amphitheater in McLaren Park is dedicated in SF

1972 - "Pacific Paradise" opens at Palace Theater NYC for 5 performances

1972 - Creedence Clearwater Revival breaks up

1973 - Israeli tanks under Gen Sharon move through Suez Canal

1973 - Kissinger & Le Duc Tho jointly awarded Nobel peace prize

1973 - Maynard Jackson elected 1st black mayor of Atlanta

1973 - Monks Heng Yo & Heng Ju, start 1000 mile SF to Seattle pilgrimage

1974 - A's Ken Holtzman, who hasn't batted all season, belts 3rd inning home run in Game 4 & gets the win, 5-2

1976 - Soyuz 23 returns to Earth

1976 - Toronto Maple Leaf Lanny McDonald scores a hat trick in 2 min 54 sec

1978 - Nobel prize for economy awarded to Herbert A Simon

264th Pope John Paul II264th Pope John Paul II 1978 - Polish Cardinal Karol Wojtyla elected supreme pontiff John Paul II

1978 - Test debut of Kapil Dev, India v Pakistan at Faisalabad

1980 - "Brigadoon" opens at Majestic Theater NYC for 133 performances

1980 - China PR performs nuclear test at Lop Nor PRC

1981 - 2nd Dutch government of Van Agt resigns

1981 - Harvey Fierstein's "Torch Song Trilogy," premieres in NYC

1982 - Devils 1st road victory 6-5 over Penguins

1982 - Mt Palomar Observatory 1st to detect Halley's comet on 13th return

1982 - Shultz warns US will withdraw from UN if they vote to exclude Israel

1982 - USSR performs underground nuclear test

1983 - "Zorba" opens at Broadway Theater NYC for 362 performances

1983 - 25th Ryder Cup: US, 14½-13½ at PGA National Golf Club (Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, US)

1983 - Balt Orioles beat Philadelphia Phillies, 4 games to 3 in 80th World Series

1984 - Baboon heart transplanted into a 15-day-old baby girl

1984 - Desmond Tutu, black Anglican Bishop, wins Nobel Peace Prize

1985 - Challenger vehicle moves to launch pad for STS 61A mission

1985 - Intel introduces 32-bit 80386 microcomputer chip

1985 - KC Royals & St Louis Cardinals win their league championships

1985 - Nobel prize for chemistry awarded to Herbert Hauptman & Jerome Karle

1986 - "Raggedy Ann" opens at Nederlander Theater NYC for 5 performances

1986 - Armand Hammer returns to US with Jewish refusenik David Goldfarb

1986 - US government closes down due to budget problems

1986 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site

1987 - 175-kph winds cause blackout in London, much of southern England

1987 - 338,500,000 shares traded on NY stock exchange (record)

1987 - Dow Jones for 1st time falls more than 100 pts (108.35)

1987 - Jessica McClure rescued 58 hrs after falling 22' into a well shaft

Heavyweight Boxing Champion Mike TysonHeavyweight Boxing Champion Mike Tyson 1987 - Mike Tyson TKOs Tyrell Biggs in 7 for heavyweight boxing title

1987 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR

1987 - Great Storm of 1987: hurricane force winds to hit much of the South of England killing 23 people.

1988 - "Smile Jamaica" concert for Hurricane Gilbert victims held in London

1988 - Orel Hirsheiser, 1st to pitch shutout in playoff & World Series

1989 - Bikenibau Paeniu installed as premier of Tuvalu

1989 - Jan Syse becomes premier of Norway

1990 - "Stand Up Tragedy" closes at Criterion Theater NYC after 13 perfs

1990 - Reds Eric Davis is 22nd player to homer in his 1st World Series at bat

1990 - Reds beat A's 7-0, ending Oakland's 10-game post-season winning streak

1990 - US forces reach 200,000 in Persian Gulf

1991 - George Jo Hennard, 35, kills 23 & himself & wounds 20 in Texas

1991 - US Supreme Court begins to hear Joseph Doherty case

1991 - Dallas Mavericks Roy Tarpley becomes 7th to be banned from NBA for life under the league's anti-drug agreement

1991 - Jharkhand Chhatra Yuva Morcha is founded at a conference in Ranchi, India.

Comedian David LettermanComedian David Letterman 1992 - 1,700th David Letterman Show

1992 - 1964 "Gilligan's Island" TV pilot 1st shown on TV (TBS)

1993 - General Omar al-Bashir appointed Sudan president

1993 - IRA bomb attack on fish & chips restaurant in Belfast, 10 killed

1993 - Anti-Nazi riot breaks out in Welling in Kent, after police stop protesters approaching British National Party headquarters

1994 - Raul Julia, actor (Addams Family), suffers a stroke

1995 - Allan Donald takes 8-71 as South Africa defeat Zimbabwe

1995 - Brian Lara scores 169 in Sharjah ODI versus Sri Lanka

1995 - Million Man March held in Wash DC (over 800,000 black men attend)

1995 - ODI in Sharjah WI 7-333 in 50 overs beat Sri Lanka 329 all out

1996 - Eighty-four people are killed and more than 180 injured as 47,000 football fans attempt to squeeze into the 36,000-seat Estadio Mateo Flores in Guatemala City.

1997 - "Side Show," opens at Richard Rodgers Theater NYC for 91 performances

1998 - Former Chilean dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet is arrested in London on a warrant from Spain requesting his extradition on murder charges.

2002 - Bibliotheca Alexandrina in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, a commemoration of the Library of Alexandria that was lost in antiquity, is officially inaugurated.

2012 - Conflict in Maiduguri, Nigeria, leads to 24 militant deaths and several structures set ablaze

1701 - The Collegiate School was founded in Killingworth, CT. The school moved to New Haven in 1745 and changed its name to Yale College.   1829 - In Boston, MA, the first modern hotel in America opened. The Tremont Hotel had 170 rooms that rented for $2 a day and included four meals.   1859 - Abolitionist John Brown led a raid on Harper's Ferry, VA (now located in West Virginia).   1869 - A hotel in Boston became the first in the U.S. to install indoor plumbing.   1916 - Margaret Sanger opened the first birth control clinic in New York City, NY.   1923 - Walt Disney contracted with M.J. Winkler to distribute the Alice Comedies. This event is recognized as the start of the Disney Company.  Disney movies, music and books   1928 - Marvin Pipkin received a patent for the frosted electric light bulb.   1939 - "Right To Happiness" debuted on the NBC-Blue network.   1939 - "The Man Who Came to Dinner" opened on Broadway.   1941 - The Nazis advanced to within 60 miles of Moscow. Romanians entered Odessa, USSR, and began exterminating 150,000 Jews.   1942 - The ballet "Rodeo" premiered in New York City.   1943 - Chicago's new subway system was officially opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony.   1944 - "The Robe," by Lloyd Douglas, was published for the first time.   1945 - "His Honor the Barber" debuted on NBC Radio.   1955 - Mrs. Jules Lederer replaced Ruth Crowley in newspapers using the name Ann Landers.   1962 - U.S. President Kennedy was informed that there were missile bases in Cuba, beginning the Cuban missile crisis.   1964 - China detonated its first atomic bomb becoming the world's fifth nuclear power.   1967 - NATO headquarters opened in Brussels.   1970 - Anwar Sadat was elected president of Egypt to succeed Gamal Abdel Nassar.   1973 - Henry Kissinger and Le Duc Tho were named winners of the Nobel Peace Prize. The Vietnamese official declined the award.   1982 - China announced that it had successfully fired a ballistic missile from a submarine.   1987 - Rescuers freed Jessica McClure from the abandoned well that she had fallen into in Midland, TX. The was trapped for 58 hours.   1989 - U.S. President George H.W. Bush signed the Gramm-Rudman budget reduction law that ordered federal programs be cut by $16.1 billion.   1990 - Comedian Steve Martin and his wife Victoria Tennant visited U.S. soldiers in Saudi Arabia.   1993 - The U.N. Security Council approved the deployment of U.S. warships to enforce a blockade on Haiti to increase pressure on the controlling military leaders.   1994 - German Chancellor Helmut Kohl was re-elected to a fourth term.   1995 - The "Million Man March" took place in Washington, DC.   1997 - Charles M. Schulz and his wife Jeannie announced that they would give $1 million toward the construction of a D-Day memorial to be placed in Virginia.   2000 - It was announced that Chevron Corp. would be buying Texaco Inc. for $35 billion. The combined company was called Chevron Texaco Corp. and became the 4th largest oil company in the world.   2002 - It was reported that North Korea had told the U.S. that it had a secret nuclear weapons program in violation of an 1994 agreement with the U.S.   2002 - The Arthur Andersen accounting firm was sentenced to five years probation and fined $500,000 for obstructing a federeal investigation of the energy company Enron.   2008 - The iTunes Music Store reached 200 billion television episodes sold.

1793 French queen Marie Antoinette was guillotined for treason. 1859 Abolitionist John Brown his men captured the U.S. arsenal at Harper's Ferry. 1916 Margaret Sanger opened the first birth-control clinic in New York City. 1962 The Cuban Missile Crisis began. 1964 China detonated its first atomic bomb. 1978 John Paul II was elected pope. 1995 Hundreds of thousands of black men gathered in Washington for the "Million Man March" led by Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. 2001 Twelve Senate offices were closed when a letter to Sen. Tom Daschle was found to contain anthrax. 2002 The White House announced that North Korea had disclosed the existence of a secret nuclear weapons program.

The following links are to web sites that were used to complete this blog entry:

http://www.historyorb.com/today/events.php

http://on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/alldays/oct16.htm

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history

http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory

The Massive Amounts of Garbage Lining the Streets of Johannesburg

   

This was a picture (which I have since cropped) of the new South Africa flag of the post-apartheid era. I actually took this one at the apartheid museum, as this was the final display, if you will, of the museum, the symbol of the emergence of a "new South Africa."

The visit to Johannesburg was not quite as pleasant as I had hoped.

Admittedly, my expectations were not especially high. Jo'burg was a "boom town" after gold was discovered. It just continued to grow and grow, until it became a great huge metropolis, one of the largest cities in Africa, and the largest in South Africa.

However, while I kept hearing about how certain cities like Cape Town and Durban were quite blessed with tremendous natural beauty, and Pretoria definitely had nice spots and points of interest, Johannesburg was simply the biggest city. That was it's claim to fame. Sure enough, there was not all that much of interest for a visitor from out of town in that city.

Yet, it was worse than my not overly high expectation, even. It was very chaotic, for one. There were many people crossed streets at various points on a typical block, and the drivers (including mine) would just barely miss them by a few feet at most. What was more, nobody seemed even to notice, to pay the least attention. In my own lawsuit crazed country, I am almost positive that it might have resulted in law suits. Here, it seemed like the norm.

Another thing that was more than a little disappointing was the amount of garbage, literally, that was lining the streets. It was everywhere, lining the streets, and that is no exaggeration. 

This I found depressing, and at the time, I made a point of not getting any of this in the pictures that I took. It only occurred to me afterwards that, well, that was part of my experience visiting Johannesburg (and to a lesser extent, Pretoria), and that maybe I should have documented this.

In any case, I found this video clip of a news story about it from just a few months ago. It seemed worth sharing here, because this is real, and made my actual visit to central, or downtown, Johannesburg actively unpleasant at times. 

Uncollected rubbish in Joburg is fast becoming a health hazard

October 15th: This Day in History

  

Once again, it should be reiterated, that this does not pretend to be a very extensive history of what happened on this day (nor is it the most original - the links can be found down below). If you know something that I am missing, by all means, shoot me an email or leave a comment, and let me know!

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history 

Here's a more detailed look at events that transpired on this date throughout history:

 

On this day in 533, Byzantine General Belisarius made his formal entry into Carthage, having conquered it from the Vandals. In 1520 on this day, King Henry VIII of England ordered bowling lanes at Whitehall. Emperor Karel I named Hernan Cortes the Governor of Mexico on this day in 1522. On this day in 1552, Khanate of Kazan was conquered by troops of Ivan Grozny. Commissioned by Catherine De Medici, the first ballet "Ballet Comique de la Reine," was staged in Paris in 1581 on this day,

1582 - Many Catholic countries switch to Gregorian calendar, skip 10 days

1598 - Spanish general strategist Bernardino de Mendoza occupies fort Rhine

1641 - Paul de Chomedy de Maisonneuve claims Montreal

1654 - Prince Willem III appointed viceroy of Overijssel

1655 - Jews of Lublin are massacred

1660 - Asser Levy granted butchers license (kosher meat) in New Amsterdam

1705 - English fleet under Lord Peterborough occupies Barcelona

1724 - Cornelis Steenoven is 1st archbishop of Old-Catholic church

1756 - Saxon army surrenders to Prussia

1764 - Edward Gibbon observes a group of friars singing in the ruined Temple of Jupiter in Rome, which inspires him to begin work on The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

1777 - Mjr James Graves Simcoe appointed commandant of Queen's Rangers (Penn)

1783 - Jean Pilstre de Rozier makes captive-balloon ascent

1786 - Earliest 32°F (0°C) recorded temp in NYC

1789 - 1st presidental tour-George Washington in New England

French Emperor Napoleon BonaparteFrench Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte 1815 - Napoleon Bonaparte exiled on Island of St Helena at 51

1827 - Charles Darwin reaches Christ's Counsel, Cambridge

1842 - Karl Marx becomes editor-in-chief of Rheinische Zeitung

1846 - Dr William Thomas Green Morton 1st public use of ether

1860 - 11-year-old Grace Bedell writes to Lincoln, tells him to grow a beard

1863 - Cliff House opens in SF (1st of many on site)

1864 - Confederate troops occupy Glasgow, Missouri

1866 - Great fire in Quebec destroys 2,500 houses

1874 - Child labor law takes 12 year olds out of work force

1877 - 45th Congress (1877-79) convenes

1878 - Edison Electric Light Company incorporated

1880 - Koln cathedral completed, 633 years after it begun

1880 - Mexican soldiers kill Victorio, one of the greatest Apache military strategists.

1881 - 1st American fishing magazine, American Angler published

1883 - Supreme Court declares Civil Rights Act of 1875 unconstitutional

Communist Philosopher Karl MarxCommunist Philosopher Karl Marx 1885 - Hoss Radbourne pitches his 60th win of season

1889 - Amsterdam Central Station officially opens

1890 - Alabama Penny Savings Bank organizes in Birmingham

1894 - Capt Alfred Dreyfus arrested accused of espionage

1897 - Aaron/Samuel Bloch carry 1st Mail Pouch

1897 - King Leopold II takes Belgian crown

1899 - Cincinnati closes season with 16-1 & 19-3 victories over Cleve Spiders

1905 - Claude Debussy's "La Mer," premieres

1905 - Union workers at NVV rejects safety demands

1912 - Red Sox Tris Speaker's makes only world series unassisted double play, from the outfield

1913 - Train crash in Liverpool during "Black Week"

1914 - ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers) founded

1914 - Battle of Warsaw, begins (ends Oct 21)

1914 - Clayton Anti-trust Act passed (union & strike rights)

1917 - Chicago White Sox beat NY Giants, 4 games to 2 in 14th World Series

Exotic Dancer and German Spy Mata HariExotic Dancer and German Spy Mata Hari 1917 - World War I: At Vincennes outside of Paris, Dutch dancer Mata Hari is executed by firing squad for spying for Germany.

1918 - British Q-ship Cymric sinks British submarine J6

1919 - 14 horses begin 300-mile race from Vt to Mass for $1000 prize money

1923 - NY Yankees 1st World Series win beating NY Giants, 4 games to 2

1924 - Pres Calvin Coolidge declares Statue of Liberty a national monument

1925 - Pittsburgh Pirates beat Wash Senators, 4 games to 3 in 22nd World Series

1925 - Willem Landre's opera "Beatrice" premiers in The Hague

1926 - Austria government of Seipel, forms

1926 - Philip Barry's "White Wings!," premieres in NYC

1928 - German dirigible "Graf Zeppelin" lands in Lakehurst, NJ

1928 - Walter Johnson signs a 3-year contract to manage the Senators

1932 - Tata Airlines (later to become Air India) makes its first flight.

1933 - Philadelphia Eagles play 1st NFL game, lose to NY Giants 56-0

1935 - NHL's St Louis Eagles fold

1937 - Ernest Hemingway novel "To Have & Have Not" published

Nobel Laureate Author Ernest HemingwayNobel Laureate Author Ernest Hemingway 1937 - Rather than accept any trade offers, the Yanks release Tony Lazzeri

1938 - Robert Sherwoods "Abe Lincoln in Illinois," premieres in NYC

1939 - LaGuardia Airport opens in NYC

1939 - Yeshiva of Mir closes after 124 years

1940 - -16] Heavy German air raid on London, 400 killed

1940 - London's Waterloo Station bombed by Germans

1940 - "The Great Dictator", a satiric social commentary film by and starring Charlie Chaplin, is released.

1941 - 1st mass deportation of German Jews to Eastern Europe

1941 - Japan Tojo regime forms

1941 - Jews caught outside Polish Ghetto walls could be put to death

1942 - German 6th Army occupies Tractorenfabriek, 3,000 German's die

1944 - The Arrow Cross Party (very similar to Hitler's NSDAP (Nazi party)) takes over the power in Hungary.

1945 - Baseball Attendance hits record 10.28 million (Tigers 1.28 is highest)

1946 - Smallest World Series share since 1918 (Cards $3,748, Red Sox $2,140)

1946 - St Louis Cards beat Boston Red Sox, 4 games to 3 in 43rd World Series

Dictator of Nazi Germany Adolf HitlerDictator of Nazi Germany Adolf Hitler 1946 - Enos Slaughter scores from 1st on a single in World Series

1948 - China's Red army occupies Chinchov

1949 - Administration of territory of Manipur taken over by Indian government

1949 - Billy Graham begins his ministry

1949 - Tripura accedes to Indian union

1951 - "I Love Lucy" debuts on CBS TV

1951 - Egyptian parliament accept denounces Suez Canal Treaty

1951 - Mexican chemist Luis E. Miramontes synthesized the first oral contraceptive

1952 - Arthur Laurent's "Time of the Cuckoo," premieres in NYC

1953 - John Patrick's "Teahouse of the Red Moon," premieres in NYC

1953 - KOIN TV channel 6 in Portland, OR (CBS) begins broadcasting

1953 - WJNL (now WFAT) TV channel 19 in Johnstown, PA (IND) begins

1954 - Hurricane Hazel strikes US & Canada, 348 die

1954 - KLTV TV channel 7 in Tyler-Longview, TX (ABC) begins broadcasting

1956 - Pyotr Bolotnikov runs world record 10k (28:42.8)

1956 - William J Brennan Jr appointed to Supreme Court

1956 - Yankees Enos Slaughter scores from 1st on a single in World Series

1957 - Giants trade Minneapolis franchise to Red Sox for SF Seals-franchises only, not the players

1958 - Tunisia drops diplomatic relations with Egypt

1958 - USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR

1959 - "Untouchables" premieres

1959 - KNDO TV channel 23 in Yakima, WA (NBC) begins broadcasting

1960 - "Laughs & Other Events" closes at Barrymore Theater NYC after 8 perfs

1962 - Byron R White appointed to Supreme Court

1962 - WLOX TV channel 13 in Biloxi-Gulfport, MS (ABC) begins broadcasting

1963 - Ludwig Erhard follows Conrad Adenauer as West German Chancellor

1964 - Craig Breedlove sets auto speed record of 846.97 kph

Clergyman and Civil Rights Activist Martin Luther King Jr.Clergyman and Civil Rights Activist Martin Luther King Jr. 1964 - Dr Martin Luther King Jr awarded Nobel Peace Prize

1964 - St Louis Cardinals beat NY Yankees, 4 games to 3 in 61st World Series

1964 - NY Yankees appears in 14 & win 9 of last 16 World Series

1965 - Dodgers & Sandy Koufax win 7th game of 62nd World Series vs Twins

1965 - WEMT (now WVII) TV channel 7 in Bangor, ME (ABC) begins broadcasting

1966 - Australia bans Troggs' "I Can't Control Myself," as "terribly obscene"

1966 - LBJ signs a bill creating Dept of Transportation (DOT)

1966 - Black Panther Party was created by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale.

1968 - AL expansion draft, KC pick Roger Nelson & Pilots pick Don Mincher 1st

1969 - Bank of America World Headquarters (555 California) dedicated

1969 - Madison Square Garden TV Network begins (Rangers vs North Stars)

1969 - NY Met Ron Swoboda's spectacular diving catch of sinking liner with runners at 1st & 3rd in 9th, Mets win in 10th in World Series game

1969 - Oriole Earl Weaver becomes 1st manager ejected in a World Series

1969 - Vietnam Moratorium Day; millions nationwide protest the war

1970 - Anwar Sadat elected president of Egypt

36th US President Lyndon B. Johnson36th US President Lyndon B. Johnson 1970 - Baltimore Orioles beat Cin Reds, 4 games to 1 in 67th World Series

1970 - Bridge over Yarra River in Melbourne crashes; killing 35

1970 - Russian passenger flight hijacked to Turkey

1971 - The start of the 2500-year celebration of Iran, celebrating the birth of Persia.

1972 - 61st Davis Cup: USA beats Romania in Bucharest (3-2)

1972 - Omni in Atlanta opens - Hawks beat NY Knicks 109-101

1973 - 7th Country Music Association Award: Roy Clark wins

1973 - Tanks attack Thailand demonstrating students, 300 killed

1974 - National Guard mobilizes to restore order in Boston school busing

1974 - Nobel prize for chemistry awarded to Paul J Flory (macro molecules)

1974 - Washington Capitals 1st NHL tie, playing LA Kings to 1-1 tie

1975 - Iceland moves intl boundary from 50 to 200 miles

1976 - 1st debate of major-ticket VP nominees Mondale (D) vs Dole (R)

1976 - Ringo releases "A Dose of Rock 'n' Roll"

1977 - Arkansas' Steve Little kicks a record tying 67 yard field goal

1977 - Debbie Boone's "You Light Up My Life," goes #1 & stays #1 for 10 weeks

1977 - Don Ritchie runs world record 100 mile (11:30:51)

1978 - Silvia Bertolaccini wins LPGA Civitan Golf Open

1978 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR

1979 - 1st Monday night game from NYC, Jets beat Vikings 14-7 (Shea Stad)

1979 - Chinese premier Hwa Kwofeng visits Paris

1979 - Military coup in El Salvador: president/general Carlos Romero flees

1979 - NY Knicks retire 2nd number, # 10, Walt Frazier

1980 - George Brett is forced out of World Series with hemorrhoids

1980 - Nobel prize for economy awarded to Lawrence R Klein

1981 - NY Yankees capture 33rd AL pennant, sweeping 3 games from Oakland A's

1981 - Professional cheerleader Krazy George Henderson leads what is thought to be the first audience wave in Oakland, California.

1983 - Black Hawks & Maple Leafs combine for fastest 5 goals (84 seconds)

1983 - Columbia beats Yale 21-18 in football, will lose next 44 games

1983 - US Marine sharpshooters kill 5 snipers at Beirut Intl Airport

1984 - Central Intelligence Agency's Information Act passes

1984 - Centrum party expels 2nd Member of parliament Janmaat due to fraud

1985 - Nobel prize for economics awarded to Franco Modigliani

1985 - Shuttle Columbia carries Spacelab into orbit

1985 - Shelley Taylor of Australia makes fastest swim ever around Manhattan Island, doing it in 6 hours 12 minutes 29 seconds

1986 - Longest post season game, Mets beat Astros 7-6 in 16 & win NL pennant

1987 - "Late Nite Comic" opens at Ritz Theater NYC for 4 performances

1987 - 6th Belgium government of Martens falls

1987 - Coup in Burkina Faso, president Sankara dies

1987 - Lanford Wilson's "Burn This," premieres in NYC

1987 - NFL Players Association orders an end to 24 day strike

1987 - The Great Storm of 1987 hits France and England.

1988 - Amnesty International's Global Concert Tour ends in Buenos Aires

1988 - NCAA record rushing yardage (768 yards-Oklahoma)

1988 - With 2 outs in bottom of 9th, an injured Kirk Gibson hits dramatic 2 run HR to gives Dodgers a 5-4 win in 1st game of World Series

1989 - Billy Graham is given 1,900th star on Hollywood Blvd

1989 - South Africa president FW de Klerk frees Sisulu & 4 other political prisoners

1989 - South african ANC-founder/leader Walter Sisulu freed

NHL all-time top scorer Wayne GretzkyNHL all-time top scorer Wayne Gretzky 1989 - Wayne Gretzky passes Gordie Howes as NHL's all time top scorer

1990 - Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev wins Nobel Peace Prize

1991 - Clarence Thomas is confirmed as Supreme Court Justice (52-48)

1992 - Charles Taylor launches an offensive against Monrovia Liberia

1992 - Howard Stern radio show begins broadcasting on WLUP-AM, Chicago

1992 - NYC Subway motorman Robert Ray convicted of manslaughter in death of 5 riders, when he fell asleep drunk while in control of train

1993 - Amstel brewery on Curacao produces 1,000,000,000th bottle

1993 - Guardian Angel Lisa Evers Sliwa files for divorce from Curtis Sliwa

1993 - Nelson Mandela & South Africa president F W de Klerk awarded Nobel Peace Prize

1994 - Botswana Pres Ketumile Masires BDP wins parliamentary election

1994 - Pres Jean-Baptiste Aristide returns to Haiti

1995 - Annika Sorenstam wins LPGA World Championship of Women's Golf

1995 - Carolina Panthers win 1st game ever beating NY Jets 26-15

1997 - Britain's Andy Green sets jet-powered car record (763.035 mph)

1997 - Cleve Indians beat Balt Orioles 4 games to 2 in ALCS

Anti-apartheid activist/South African President Nelson MandelaAnti-apartheid activist/South African President Nelson Mandela 1997 - Former rep Dan Rostenkowski released from custody for mail fraud

1997 - NY jury awards boxer Mitch Green $45,000 in civil lawsuit against Mike Tyson, for street brawl in 1988

1997 - US launches nuclear powered Cassini to Saturn

2001 - NASA's Galileo spacecraft passes within 112 miles of Jupiter's moon Io.

2003 - China launches Shenzhou 5, its first manned space mission.

2003 - The Staten Island Ferry boat Andrew J. Barberi collides with a pier at the St. George Ferry Terminal in Staten Island, killing 11 people and injuring 43.

2005 - Iraqi constitution ratification vote

2005 - Riot in Toledo, Ohio breaks out during a National Socialist/Neo-Nazi protest; over 100 are arrested.

2007 - 17 Activists in Aotearoa New Zealand arrested in the country's first post 9/11 anti-terrorism raids across the country.

2011 - Global protests break out in 951 cities in 82 countries.

2011 - Legoland Florida in Winter Haven, Florida Opens. This is the world's largest Legoland theme park

2012 - Hilary Mantel wins the 2012 Man Booker Prize for her novel Bring Up the Bodies

1815 - Napoleon Bonaparte began his exile on the remote island of St. Helena in the Atlantic Ocean.   1860 - Grace Bedell, 11 years old, wrote a letter to presidential candidate Abraham Lincoln. The letter stated that Lincoln would look better if he would grow a beard.   1883 - The U.S. Supreme Court struck down part of the Civil Rights Act of 1875. It allowed for individuals and corporations to discriminate based on race.   1892 - The U.S. government announced that the land in the western Montana was open to settlers. The 1.8 million acres were bought from the Crow Indians for 50 cents per acre.   1914 - The Clayton Antitrust Act was passed by the U.S. Congress.   1931 - "Cat and the Fiddle" opened in New York for the first of 395 performances.   1937 - "To Have and Have Not" by Ernest Hemingway was published for the first time.   1939 - New York Municipal Airport was dedicated. The name was later changed to La Guardia Airport.   1945 - Pierre Laval, the former premier of Vichy France, was executed for treason.   1946 - Hermann Goering, a Nazi war criminal and founder of the Gestapo, poisoned himself just hours before his scheduled execution.   1951 - "I Love Lucy" premiered on CBS-TV.   1953 - "Teahouse of the August Moon" opened on Broadway. It ran for 1,027 performances.   1962 - The Cuban Missile Crisis began. It was on this day that U.S. intelligence personnel analyzing data discovered Soviet medium-range missle sites in Cuba. On October 22 U.S. President John F. Kennedy announced that he had ordred the naval "quarantine" of Cuba.   1964 - It was announced that Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev had been removed from power. He was replaced with Alexei N. Kosygin.   1966 - U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a bill creating the Department of Transportation.   1973 - "Tomorrow" debuted on NBC-TV.   1983 - U.S. Marines killed five snipers who had pinned them down in Beirut International Airport.   1984 - The Freedom of Information Act was passed.   1989 - South African officials released eight prominent political prisoners.   1989 - Wayne Gretzky, while playing for the Los Angeles Kings, surpassed Gordie Howe's NHL scoring record of 1,850 career points.   1993 - U.S. President Clinton sent warships to enforce trade sanctions that had been imposed on Haitian military rulers.   1993 - South Africa's President F.W. de Klerk and African National Congress President Nelson Mandela were named winners of the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to end the apartheid system in South Africa.   1997 - British Royal Air Force pilot Andy Green broke the land-speed record by driving a jet-powered car faster than the speed of sound.   1997 - The Cassini-Huygens mission was launched from Cape Canaveral, FL. On January 14, 2005, a probe sent back pictures of Saturn's moon Titan during and after landing.   1998 - The U.N. condemned the U.S. economic embargo on Cuba for the seventh year in a row.   2001 - NASA's Galileo spacecraft passed within 112 miles of Jupiter's moon Io.

1860 Eleven-year-old Grace Bedell of Westfield, N.Y., wrote a letter to presidential candidate Abraham Lincoln, suggesting he could improve his appearance by growing a beard. 1914 With the support of President Wilson, the Clayton Antitrust Act, which made it illegal for companies to buy competitors' stock, was passed. 1917 Mata Hari, World War I spy, was executed by a firing squad in Vincennes, France. 1951 I Love Lucy, starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, had its television debut. 1964 It was announced that Nikita Khruschev was removed from his positions as premier and secretary of the Communist Party of the USSR. 1966 The U.S. Department of Transportation was created. 1989 Wayne Gretzky topped Gordie Howe's NHL scoring record. 1991 Clarence Thomas got a narrow (52–48) Senate confirmation of his nomination to the Supreme Court. 1993 Nelson Mandela and F. W. de Klerk were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their work to end apartheid in South Africa. 2003 China became the third country to launch a staffed space mission.

The following links are to web sites that were used to complete this blog entry:

http://www.historyorb.com/today/events.php

http://on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/alldays/oct15.htm

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history

http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory