Halloween Humor - Onion Headline: Annabelle Opens Up About Struggle Of Being Typecast As Haunted Doll

Okay, so it's not quite Halloween just yet. Still, this is the Halloween season.

And so, a humorous post regarding Halloween felt like it was in order.

This one was pretty funny, too. A misunderstood haunted doll.

Take a look:

The Onion Facebook page, October 28, 2026:

https://www.facebook.com/stories/109072794584039/UzpfSVNDOjE2NTExNDkyNzMwNDU4NTM=/?bucket_count=9&source=story_tray

(1) Facebook

(1) Facebook

October 30th: 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 

On this day in 1502, Vasco da Gama returned to Calicut for the second time. In 1697 on this day, Germany signed a French/English/Spanish/Neth/Brandenburgs peace treaty ending Nine Year War. THe US Navy formed on this day in 1775. In 1886 on this day, Great-Britain and Germany divided the boundaries in East Africa between one another. On this day in 1893, the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, honoring the 400th anniversary of Columbus "discovering" America, closed. The beautiful "White City" built for this occasion burned down and was largely lost forever not long afterwards.  On this day in 1918, the Ottoman Empire came to peace terms with the Allied nations, ending their fight in World War I. In 1938 on this day, right here in the Garden State of New Jersey, the infamous radio broadcast of "War of the Worlds" was taken by many listeners as news reports of a real alien invasion, causing a bit of a panic regionally. On this day in 1995, advocates of a sovereign Québec very narrowly lost a referendum that might have given Québec independence. A narrow majority of voters there chose to remain a part of Canada.

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

• 637 - Antioch surrenders to the Muslim forces under Rashidun Caliphate after the Battle of Iron bridge.

• 701 - John VI of Greece begins his reign as Catholic Pope

• 942 - Alberic nominates Pope Marinus II (Martinus III)

• 1077 - German king Henry IV gives away bisdom Utrecht county Staveren

• 1137 - Battle of Rignano between Ranulf of Apulia and Roger II of Sicily.

• 1270 - The Eighth Crusade and siege of Tunis ends by agreement between Charles I of Sicily (brother to King Louis IX of France, who had died months earlier) and the sultan of Tunis.

1340 - Battle of Rio Salado.

Royal France

• 1389 - French king Charles VI visits pope Clemens VII

• 1468 - Charles the Stout occupies & plunders Luik

• 1470 - Henry VI of England returns to the English throne after Earl of Warwick defeats Yorkists in battle.

• 1485 - Henry VII of England crowned at Westminster Abbey, London

• 1489 - Peace of Tours, between emperor Maximilian I & Flemings

• 1502 - Vasco da Gama returns to Calicut for the second time.

1503 - Queen Isabella of Spain bans violence against indians

1534 - English Parliament passes Act of Supremacy, making King Henry VIII head of the English church - a role formerly held by the Pope

1611 - Gustaaf II Adolf (17) becomes king of Sweden

• 1629 - King Charles I gives Bahamas to Sir Robert Heath

• 1697 - Germany signs French/English/Spanish/Neth/Brandenburgs peace treaty ending 9 year War

Picture of a bust of John Adams

• 1735 - John Adams, the second President of the United States, was born in Braintree, MA. His son became the sixth President of the U.S. 

• 1739 - England declares war on Spain: War of Jenkin's Ear [NS=Oct 19]

King of England King Charles IKing of England King Charles I 

• 1768 - 1st Methodist church in US initiated (Wesley Chapel, NYC)

Picture of a statue of British explorer Captain James Cook

• 1772 - Captain James Cook arrived with ship Resolution in Cape Town

• 1775 - 1st navy in US forms

Pictures of the statue of Simón Bolívar just outside of Central Park in New York City.

•  1817 - The independent government of Venezuela was established by Simon Bolivar.  On October 30, 1817, Simón Bolívar was made President of the Third Republic of Venezuela. This event established an independent government in Venezuela and marked a key moment in the country's struggle for independence from Spain. 

• 1851 - Alfred de Mussets "Bettine," premieres in Paris

• 1864 - Helena, Montana's capital, founded

1866 - Jesse James gang robs bank in Lexington Missouri ($2000)

1868 - John Menard of Louisiana is 1st black elected to Congress

1871 - Phila Athletics beat Chicago for 1st Natl Association baseball pennant

1873 - P T Barnum's circus, "Greatest Show on Earth," debuts (NYC)

• 1883 - Austria-Hungary/Germany/Romania signs military treaty

\

• 1886 - Great-Britain/Germany divide boundaries in East Africa

1888 - John J Loud patents ballpoint pen

1888 - Ndebele-king Lobengula grants Cecil Rhodes, Mashonaland £100 per month

• 1893 - Senate approves repealing Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890

1894 - Daniel Cooper patents time clock

Outlaw Jesse JamesOutlaw Jesse James 1894 - Domenico Melegatti obtains a patent for a procedure to be applied in producing pandoro industrially.

1896 - Martha Hughes Cannon of Utah becomes 1st female senator

The Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria, South Africa.

• 1899 - Battle at Ladysmith Natal: Boers beat lt-general Whites army

Statue of soldier, author and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in Parliament Square, London

• 1899 - British Morning Post reporter Winston Churchill reaches Capetown

1900 - 1st-ever US auto show opens in Madison Square Garden in NYC

1901 - Battle at Bakenlaagte: lt-col Bensons unit vs Boers

• 1905 - "October Manifesto" Russian Tsar Nicholas II grants civil liberties

1905 - GB Shaw's "Mrs Warren's Profession," premieres in NYC

• 1905 - Tsar of Russia accepts 1st Duma (Parliament)

1911 - Clark Griffith is named manager of Wash Senators

1914 - Allied offensive at Ypres (Belgium) begins

• 1917 - British government gives final approval to Balfour Declaration

• 1918 - Slovakia asks for creation of Czechoslovakian state

1919 - Baseball league presidents call for abolishment of spitball

1920 - The Communist Party of Australia is founded in Sydney.

Absolute monarch Nicholas IIAbsolute monarch Nicholas II 1922 - Anxious to compete with the Yankees, the NY Giants pay $65,000 & 3 players for Jack Bentley (hits .349 & is 13-1 as pitcher in 1922)

• 1922 - Benito Mussolini forms government in Italy

1925 - KUT-AM in Austin TX begins radio transmissions

1929 - The Stuttgart Cable Car is constructed in Stuttgart, Germany.

• 1930 - Turkey & Greece sign a treaty of friendship

1931 - W2XB TV channel 1 in NYC, NY (NBC) begins broadcasting

• 1938 - Orson Welles panics a nation with broadcast of "War of the Worlds"

• 1939 - USSR & Germany agree on partitioning Poland, Hitler deports Jews

1939 - German U boat fails on attack of English battleship Nelson with Winston Churchill, Dudley Pound & Charles Forbes aboard

1940 - Cole Porters musical "Panama hattie," premieres in NYC

1941 - USS Reuben James torpedoed by Germans, even though US is not in war

1942 - 8th day of battle at El Alamein: new Australian assault

1942 - US aircraft carrier Enterprise reaches Noumea

• 1943 - Molotov-Eden-Cordell Hull accord over operations at UN

• 1943 - Soviet forces under Tolbuchin stick Sivash-bay about

Dictator of Nazi Germany Adolf HitlerDictator of Nazi Germany Adolf Hitler 1944 - Aaron Copland's "Appalachian Spring," premieres in Wash DC

• 1944 - Anne Frank (of Diary fame) is deported from Auschwitz to Belsen

Auschwitz

• 1944 - Last transport for Auschwitz arrives in Birkenau

• 1944 - Scottish Highlanders liberate Waalwijk

1944 - Sweden announces intention to stay neutral & refuse sanctuary in WW II

1944 - Tholen Island freed

1945 - Branch Rickey signs Jackie Robinson to a Montreal Royals

• 1945 - US government announces end of shoe rationing

• 1947 - 23 countries sign GATT agreement in Geneva

1947 - Darius Milhauds 3rd Symphony "Hymnus Ambrosianus," premieres in Paris

1948 - 20 die & 6,000 made ill by smog in Donora Pennsylvania

1948 - Operation Hiram: Israelis take control of Galilee

1949 - "Lost in the Stars" opens at Music Box Theater NYC for 281 perfs

1949 - Kurt Weill & Maxwell Anderson's musical premieres in NYC

1950 - David Diamond's 3rd Symphony, premieres

Baseball Player Jackie RobinsonBaseball Player Jackie Robinson 1950 - Pope Pius XII witnesses "The Miracle of the Sun" while at the Vatican.

1951 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site

1952 - Clarence Birdseye sells 1st frozen peas

Nobel Prize

• 1953 - Dr Albert Schweitzer & Gen George C Marshall win Nobel Peace Prize

• 1954 - Defense Department announces elimination of all segregated regiments

1954 - US Armed Forces end segregation of races

1954 - 1st use of 24-sec shot clock in pro basketball (Rochester vs Boston)

1955 - Imtiaz Ahmed scores 209 v NZ, the record for a no 8 batsman

1956 - Israel captures Egyptian militay post at El-Thamad

1956 - Dodgers sell Ebbets Field to a real estate group They agree to stay until 1959, with an option to stay until 1961

1957 - Dmitri Sjostakovitch's 11th Symphony premieres in Moscow

1957 - Soviet Union launches, Sputnik II, carrying a dog named Laika

1957 - WLWI (now WTHR) TV channel 13 in Indianapolis, IN (ABC) 1st broadcast

1957 - WYTV TV channel 33 in Youngstown, OH (ABC) begins broadcasting

1960 - Guatemala's "La Hora" reports plan for invasion on Cuba

1960 - Michael Woodruff performs the first successful kidney transplant in the United Kingdom at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

• 1961 - Soviet Union tests a 58 megaton hydrogen bomb

• 1961 - UN unanimously elects U Thant acting secretary general of the UN

Soviet Union Premier Joseph StalinSoviet Union Premier Joseph Stalin 

• 1961 - Soviet Party Congress unanimously approves a resolution removing Stalin's body from Lenin's tomb in Red Square 1961 - The Soviet Party Congress unanimously approved an order to remove Joseph Stalin's body from Lenin's tomb.  

1962 - US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Johnston Island

• 1963 - Morocco & Algeria signs cease fire

1963 - Sandy Koufax wins NL MVP award

1964 - Tran Van Huong appointed premier of South Vietnam

1965 - Clifford Ann Creed wins LPGA Las Cruces Golf Open

1965 - Fireworks explosions kill 50 in Cartagena, Colombia

1966 - Kathy Whitworth wins LPGA Las Cruces Ladies Golf Open

1967 - Arthur Allyn says White Sox will play 9 games in Milwaukee in 1968

1967 - Ferdinand Bracke bicycles world record time (48,093 km)

1967 - USSR Kosmos 186 & 188 make 1st automatic docking & Venmera 13 launch

1968 - Nobel prize for chemistry awarded to Lars Onsager (thermodynamics)

1968 - Nobel prize for physics awarded to Luis Alvarez (bubble chamber)

1968 - Queen Juliana opens IJ tunnel in Amsterdam

1969 - WXPO (now WNDS) TV channel 50 in Manchester, NH (IND) 1st broadcast

1970 - KVEW TV channel 42 in Kennewick, WA (ABC) begins broadcasting

1972 - 45 die in a train crash in Chicago Ill

1972 - Worst US rail accident in 14 years; 45 die in Chicago

1973 - Tom Seaver becomes 1st non-20-game winner to win Cy Young award

• 1973 - The Bosporus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey is completed, connecting the continents of Europe and Asia over the Bosporus for the first time.

1974 - California Angel Nolan Ryan throws fastest recorded pitch (100.9 MPH)

1974 - Catfish Hunter is named AL Cy Young Award

Heavyweight Boxing Champion Muhammad AliHeavyweight Boxing Champion Muhammad Ali 1974 - Muhammad Ali KOs George Foreman in 8th round in Kinshasa Zaire ('The Rumble in the Jungle')

1975 - Giants pitcher John "the Count of" Montefusco wins NL Rookie of Year

1975 - John Bucyk, Boston, became 7th NHLer to score 500 goals

1975 - Juan Carlos assumes power in Spain

1975 - NY Daily News runs headline "Ford to City: Drop Dead"

1976 - "Going Up" closes at John Golden Theater NYC after 49 performances

1976 - Jane Pauley becomes news co-anchor of Today Show

1976 - Rev Joseph Evans elected president of United Church of Christ

1977 - Panama 747SP lands after polar flight around Earth in record 54:07

1978 - Laura Nickel & Curt Noll find 25th Mersenne prime, 2 ^ 21701-1

1978 - Uganda troops attack Tanzania

1979 - NASA launches space vehicle S-203

1979 - Richard Arrington elected mayor of Birmingham

• 1980 - Honduras & El Salvador settle their boundary dispute

1980 - NASA launches Flt Satcom-4

Flag of Portugal

• 1982 - Portugal revises constitution

1983 - The first democratic elections in Argentina after seven years of military rule are held.

1984 - Tigers reliever Willie Hernandez wins AL Cy Young Award

Picture of the space shuttle at Expo Park in Los Angeles, California

• 1985 - 22nd Space Shuttle Mission (61-A)-Challenger 9-launched

1986 - Discovery moves to OPF where more than 200 modification are made

1987 - In Japan, NEC releases the first 16-bit home entertainment system, the TurboGrafx-16, known as PC Engine.

1988 - 2 gambling clubs & 1 player share 61.38 M California lotto jackpot

1988 - Beth Daniel wins Nichirei Ladies Cup US-Japan Team Golf Championship

1988 - Jim Elliott (US) completes 24-hr paced outdoor race for 548.9 mi

1988 - NY Jets finally beat Pittsburgh Steelers for 1st time

1989 - August A Busch III becomes CEO of St Louis Cards

1989 - Smith Dairy at Orrville Ohio, makes largest milk shake (1,575.2 gal)

1990 - England-France complete "Chunnel"

• 1991 - Colombian government negotiate with M-19-guerrilla

1991 - Mark Sauer becomes CEO of Pittsburgh Pirates

1991 - Mid East peace conference begins in Madrid Spain

1992 - MTA begins installing automated fare collection turnstiles

1993 - Toronto Maple Leafs lose 1st game of season after going 10-0-0

• 1994 - Leftist coalition wins Marcedonia parliamentary election

1994 - Thomas Nicely reports bug in Intel's Pentium-processor on Internet

1994 - US wins Nichirei LPGA Golf International

 

• 1995 - Quebec Referendum votes to remain part of Canada

1997 - "Cherry Orchard," opens at Martin Beck Theater NYC

1997 - Shirley Allen, 51, held Illinois police off for 39 days captured

2002 - British Digital terrestrial television (DTT) Service Freeview begins transmitting in parts of the United Kingdom.

• 2005 - The rebuilt Dresden Frauenkirche (destroyed in the firebombing of Dresden during World War II) is reconsecrated after a thirteen-year rebuilding project.

2012 - Walt Disney purchases Lucasfilm Ltd and its rights for Star Wars and Indiana Jones for $4.05 billion

   1831 - Escaped slave Nat Turner was apprehended in Southampton County, VA, several weeks after leading the bloodiest slave uprising in American history.   1875 - The constitution of Missouri was ratified by popular vote.   1893 - The U.S. Senate gave final approval to repeal the Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890.   1894 - The time clock was patented by Daniel M. Cooper of Rochester, NY.   1938 - Orson Welles' "The War of the Worlds" aired on CBS radio. The belief that the realistic radio dramatization was a live news event about a Martian invasion caused panic among listeners.   1943 - In Moscow, a declaration was signed by the Governments of the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States and China called for an early establishment of an international organization to maintain peace and security. The goal was supported on December 1, 1943, at a meeting in Teheran.   1944 - Martha Graham's ballet "Appalachian Spring" premiered at the Library of Congress.   1945 - The U.S. government announced the end of shoe rationing.   1953 - General George C. Marshall was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.   1961 - The Soviet Union tested a hydrogen bomb with a force of approximately 58 megatons.   1961 - The Soviet Party Congress unanimously approved an order to remove Joseph Stalin's body from Lenin's tomb.   1972 - U.S. President Richard Nixon approved legislation to increase Social Security spending by $5.3 billion.   1972 - In Illinois, 45 people were killed when two trains collided on Chicago's south side.   1975 - Prince Juan Carlos assumed power in Spain as dictator Francisco Franco was near death.   1975 - The New York Daily News ran the headline "Ford to City: Drop Dead." The headline came a day after U.S. President Gerald R. Ford said he would veto any proposed federal bailout of New York City.   1982 - Portugal's constitution was revised for the first time since it was ratified on April 25, 1976.   1984 - In Poland, police found the body of kidnapped pro-Solidarity priest Father Jerry Popieluszko. His death was blamed on four security officers.   1989 - Mitsubishi Estate Company announced it would buy 51 percent of Rockefeller Group Inc. of New York.   1993 - Martin Fettman, America's first veterinarian in space, performed the world's first animal dissections in space, while aboard the space shuttle Columbia.   1993 - The United Nations deadline concerning ousted Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide passed with country's military still in control.   1995 - Federalist prevailed over separatists in Quebec in a referendum concerning secession from the federation of Canada.   1997 - The play revival "The Cherry Orchard" opened.   1998 - The terrorist who hijacked a Turkish Airlines plane and the 39 people on board was killed when anti-terrorist squads raided the plane.   2001 - In New York City, U.S. President George W. Bush threw out the first pitch at Game 3 of the World Series between the New York Yankees and the Arizona Diamondbacks.   2001 - Michael Jordan returned to the NBA with the Washington Wizards after a 3 1/2 year retirement. The Wizards lost 93-91 to the New York Knicks.

1534 The English parliament passed the Act of Supremacy, making King Henry VIII head of the English church. 1938 Radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds, starring Orson Welles, caused nationwide panic among listeners. 1944 Martha Graham's ballet Appalachian Spring, with music by Aaron Copland, premiered. 1953 Gen. George C. Marshall won the Nobel Peace Prize for originating the Marshall Plan. 1974 Muhammad Ali knocked out George Foreman in the eighth round of a 15-round bout in Kinshasa, Zaire ("rumble in the jungle") to regain his world heavyweight title.

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/oct30.htm

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

http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory

2026 NFL Season Week 7 Thursday Night Football Preview: Panthers Head Up to Lambeau To Take On Packers

     

Carolina Panthers (3-3) at Green Bay Packers (4-3)

Is it the time of the year yet when Lambeau Field comes to be known as the "Frozen Tundra?"

Well, I may be jumping the gun with that one. After all, it is not yet even quite Halloween. The weather for tonight's game really is not supposed to be all that cold, although it is going to grow chillier as the night goes on. Gog is possible, also.

Still, not exactly the "Frozen Tundra" kind of a feel to the game, right?

Now, both teams are coming off disappointing divisional losses. The Packers just lost a tough one in the Motor City, while the Panthers absolutely got humiliated at home to the Bucs. I actually believe that this might help the Panthers in a way, as they will focus on filling some of the many holes which Tampa Bay so thoroughly exploited last weekend. In a way, getting absolutely embarrassed and torched might help Carolina to be unusually motivated to have a strong performance this week.

That said, going up to Green Bay is often a daunting task for the road team. The Packers are a decent and talented team as is. But they always seem to be especially tough at home, don't they?

Jordan Love and his offense struggling a bit lately. He has thrown 13 touchdowns to 5 interceptions, but that offense is still making mistakes at critical points in games. 

And that Packers defense looked pretty bad late in the game against the Lions. They made several crucial and highly visible mental mistakes which ultimately helped Detroit pull off a win on the game's final play.

So while Green Bay does not require quite the total overhaul that the Panthers need after their loss to the Bucs, both teams still surely felt the need for adjustments to crucial mistakes which proved costly in losses last weekend. 

Maybe the Panthers make those adjustments and play better than they otherwise might have. However, I still feel that the Packers are the better overall team. Plus, home field advantage for Green Bay tends to be more significant than it is for most other teams in the league.

All of which adds up to the home team likely coming up with the goods in this one.

My pick: Green Bay

2026 World Series: Milwaukee Brewers Win Game 5 & Clinch Their First Ever World Series Championship

 

This is an incredible time in sports. Granted, it does not last long. But right now, every major sports league in North America is active. The NBA season just started, and the NHL season started not long before that. The NFL is now more or less at its mid-season point. The MLS is winding down, with playoff time approaching. The WNBA Finals is happening right now. And of course in baseball, the World Series is happening. 

You cannot get much busier than that with sports in North America. 

Well, the World Series actually just ended last night. The Milwaukee Brewers closed out the series by winning Game 5 in Tampa Bay, thus clinching a 4-1 series win.

For the first time in franchise history, the Milwaukee Brewers are World Series champions.

The first two games in Milwaukee were tight, decided by one run. Yet, they were both won by the Brewers, as Milwaukee took a 2-0 series lead as the series then shifted to Tampa Bay.

Then the Brewers blasted the Rays in Game 3, 10-1. They made it look as if they had been merely toying with the Rays in the first two games.

Now to their credit, the Rays did manage to win Game 4 to avoid the sweep. It was a very tight game, going into extra innings. Tampa Bay won to stay alive, forcing a Game 5. They were hoping to win that one and get back into the series, force the Brewers to face the pressure of winning it all in front of their home fans.

However, that did not happen. 

While the Brewers did not obliterate the Rays like they did in Game 3, they still won Game 5 convincingly, 4-1. 

Milwaukee took an early 1-0 lead in the 2nd inning, then expanded it to 2-0 in the 5th inning. They then added two more in the fifth, to make it a commanding 4-0 lead. 

Now, Tampa Bay did manage to get on the scoreboard, making it 4-1 in the 9th and final inning. However, it was not nearly enough  The Rays simply had no answers against the Brewers in this game, or in this World Series more generally.

Tampa Bay now is 0-3 in their three World Series appearances. They enjoyed a very successful season, and managed to overcome a 1-2 series deficit in the ALCS to Cleveland in order to qualify for this World Series. Against the Brewers in this postseason, however, they simply ran out of gas. Apparently, the Brewers were just too much for them.

Indeed, the Milwaukee Brewers enjoyed a season of pure dominance. They were the dominant team during the regular season, earning an MLB best 103 wins. They then followed that up by going 11-2 in the postseason, en route to their first ever World Series title. 

While I am not the biggest baseball fan or historian, it was one of the most dominant postseasons by any MLB team that I have ever heard of.  But I did some research, and found that one team the 1976 Cincinnati Reds, actually are the only MLB team to go undefeated throughout their playoff run, going 7-0. They played fewer games back then, however.

Beyond that, however, two other teams in recent MLB history had likely more dominant playoff runs. The 1999 New York Yankees and the 2005 Chicago White Sox both went 11-1 en route to winning the World Series. Also, the 2022 Houston Astros also finished the postseason with an 11-2 record on their way to winning the World Series. 

So the Milwaukee Brewers succeeded in finishing a dominant season by leaving no doubt that they were far and away the best team in Major League Baseball this season.

Congratulations to the Brewers and the fans in Milwaukee, and Wisconsin more generally.

October 29th: 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 

On this day in 1618, Sir Walter Raleigh was beheaded. The Massachusetts Bay Colony declared itself independent on this day in 1652. John Hancock resigned as President of the Continental Congress on this day in 1777.  In 1787 on this day, Mozart's opera "Don Giovanni" premiered in Prague. The Stock Market crashed on this day in 1929 and started the Great Depression. On this day in 1956, Israel invaded Egypt, which began the Suez Canal Crisis. In 1998 on this day, South Africa's Truth & Reconciliation Commission condemned acts of violence by the apartheid government as well as the African National Congress (ANC). European Union established a Constitution for Europe on this day in 2004. China ended the one child policy on this day in 2015.

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

• On this day in 1618, Sir Walter Raleigh was beheaded under a sentence that had been brought against him 15 years earlier for conspiracy against King James I. 

Oct 29, 1618: Sir Walter Raleigh executed  

Sir Walter Raleigh, English adventurer, writer, and favorite courtier of Queen Elizabeth I, is beheaded in London, under a sentence brought against him 15 years earlier for conspiracy against King James I.    

During Elizabeth's reign, Raleigh organized three major expeditions to America, including the first English settlement in America, in 1587—the ill-fated Roanoke settlement located in present-day North Carolina. Raleigh later fell out of favor with Elizabeth after she learned of his secret marriage to Bessy Throckmorton, one of her maids-of-honor, and he was imprisoned with his wife in the Tower of London. After buying his freedom, Raleigh married Bessy and distanced himself from the jealous English queen.    

After Elizabeth died in 1603, Raleigh was implicated as a foe of King James I and imprisoned with a death sentence. The death sentence was later commuted, and in 1616 Raleigh was freed to lead an expedition to the New World, this time to establish a gold mine in the Orinoco River region of South America. However, the expedition was a failure, and when Raleigh returned to England the death sentence of 1603 was invoked against him.   

Oct 29, 1618: Sir Walter Raleigh executed  History.com Editors, May 28, 2025:

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/october-29/sir-walter-raleigh-executed

• In 1652 on this day, the Massachusetts Bay Colony proclaimed itself to be an independent commonwealth. 

• On this day in 1682, William Penn landed at what is now Chester, PA. He was the founder of Pennsylvania. 

Early version of the American flag used during the Revolutionary War for Independence

• On this day in 1777. John Hancock resigned as the President of the Continental Congress  

John Hancock resigns his position as president of the Continental Congress, due to a prolonged illness, on this day in 1777. Hancock was the first member of the Continental Congress to sign the Declaration of Independence and is perhaps best known for his bold signature on the ground-breaking document.    

First elected to the Continental Congress in 1774 as a delegate from Massachusetts, Hancock became its president upon the resignation of Peyton Randolph in May 1775. During his tenure as president, Hancock presided over some of the most historic moments of the American Revolution, culminating in the signing of the Declaration of Independence in July 1776.    

After resigning his position as president, Hancock returned to his home state of Massachusetts, where he continued his work in public service. After helping to establish the state's first constitution, Hancock was elected first governor of the commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1780 and served for five years. He declined to run for reelection in 1785, but returned after a two-year absence and was elected governor for a second time in 1787. He held the position until his death in 1793.    

Hancock will forever be remembered for his bold and defiant signature on the Declaration of Independence, but "bold" and "defiant" could also describe the way he lived. The wealthiest colonist in New England, Hancock risked losing everything he had for the cause of American independence. Nothing better exemplifies Hancock's defiance than the first words he spoke after signing the Declaration of Independence. In response to the bounty the British had placed on the heads of prominent revolutionary leaders, Hancock replied, "The British ministry can read that name without spectacles; let them double their reward."  Here's a more detailed look at events that transpired on this date throughout history:  

Bust of Composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

• In 1787 on this day, Mozart's opera Don Giovanni debuted in Prague. 

• The International Committee of the Red Cross was founded on this day in 1863.   

• On this day in 1901, Leon Czolgosz, the assassin of U.S. President McKinley, was electrocuted. 

Flag of Turkey

• On this day in 1923, Turkey formally became a republic after the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire. The first president was under Mustafa Kemal Ataturkl, later known as Kemal Ataturk. 

1929 The New York Stock Exchange crashed on Black Tuesday, precipitating the Great Depression. 

• The Great Depression began with the crash of the New York Stock Exchange in Wall Street on this day in 1929, on what came to be known as "Black Tuesday."

Oct 29, 1929: Stock market crashes  

Black Tuesday hits Wall Street as investors trade 16,410,030 shares on the New York Stock Exchange in a single day. Billions of dollars were lost, wiping out thousands of investors, and stock tickers ran hours behind because the machinery could not handle the tremendous volume of trading. In the aftermath of Black Tuesday, America and the rest of the industrialized world spiraled downward into the Great Depression.   

During the 1920s, the U.S. stock market underwent rapid expansion, reaching its peak in August 1929, a period of wild speculation. By then, production had already declined and unemployment had risen, leaving stocks in great excess of their real value. Among the other causes of the eventual market collapse were low wages, the proliferation of debt, a weak agriculture, and an excess of large bank loans that could not be liquidated.    

Stock prices began to decline in September and early October 1929, and on October 18 the fall began. Panic set in, and on October 24—Black Thursday—a record 12,894,650 shares were traded. Investment companies and leading bankers attempted to stabilize the market by buying up great blocks of stock, producing a moderate rally on Friday. On Monday, however, the storm broke anew, and the market went into free fall. Black Monday was followed by Black Tuesday, in which stock prices collapsed completely.   

After October 29, 1929, stock prices had nowhere to go but up, so there was considerable recovery during succeeding weeks. Overall, however, prices continued to drop as the United States slumped into the Great Depression, and by 1932 stocks were worth only about 20 percent of their value in the summer of 1929. The stock market crash of 1929 was not the sole cause of the Great Depression, but it did act to accelerate the global economic collapse of which it was also a symptom. By 1933, nearly half of America's banks had failed, and unemployment was approaching 15 million people, or 30 percent of the workforce. It would take World War II, and the massive level of armaments production taken on by the United States, to finally bring the country out of the Depression after a decade of suffering.      

Oct 29, 1929: Stock market crashes History.com Editors, May 28, 2025:

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/october-29/stock-market-crashes

• The first peacetime military draft began in the U.S. on this day in 1940. 

• 1945 - The first ballpoint pens to be made commercially went on sale at Gimbels Department Store in New York at the price of $12.50 each.   

Flag of Israel

• 1956 - Israel invaded Egypt's Sinai Peninsula during the Suez Canal Crisis.   

Oct 29, 1956: Israel invades Egypt; Suez Crisis begins   

Israeli armed forces push into Egypt toward the Suez Canal, initiating the Suez Crisis. They would soon be joined by French and British forces, creating a serious Cold War problem in the Middle East.    

The catalyst for the joint Israeli-British-French attack on Egypt was the nationalization of the Suez Canal by Egyptian leader General Gamal Abdel Nasser in July 1956. The situation had been brewing for some time. Two years earlier, the Egyptian military had begun pressuring the British to end its military presence (which had been granted in the 1936 Anglo-Egyptian Treaty) in the canal zone. Nasser's armed forces also engaged in sporadic battles with Israeli soldiers along the border between the two nations, and the Egyptian leader did nothing to conceal his antipathy toward the Zionist nation. Supported by Soviet arms and money, and furious with the United States for reneging on a promise to provide funds for construction of the Aswan Dam on the Nile River, Nasser ordered the Suez Canal seized and nationalized. The British were angry with the move and sought the support of France (which believed that Nasser was supporting rebels in the French colony of Algeria), and Israel (which needed little provocation to strike at the enemy on its border), in an armed assault to retake the canal. The Israelis struck first, but were shocked to find that British and French forces did not immediately follow behind them. Instead of a lightening strike by overwhelming force, the attack bogged down. The United Nations quickly passed a resolution calling for a cease-fire.    

The Soviet Union began to issue ominous threats about coming to Egypt's aid. A dangerous situation developed quickly, one that the Eisenhower administration hoped to defuse before it turned into a Soviet-U.S. confrontation. Though the United States sternly warned the Soviet Union to stay out of the situation, Eisenhower also pressured the British, French, and Israeli governments to withdraw their troops. They eventually did so in late 1956 and early 1957.   

Oct 29, 1956: Israel invades Egypt; Suez Crisis begins History.com Editors, May 28, 2025:

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/october-29/israel-invades-egypt-suez-crisis-begins

1956 - "The Huntley-Brinkley Report" premiered on NBC. The show replaced "The Camel News Caravan."   1959 - General Mills became the first corporation to use close-circuit television.   

• 1960 - Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay) won his first professional fight.   

• On this day in 1965, the Autobiography of Malcolm X was published nine months after he had been assassinated.

•  The National Organization for Women was founded on this day in 1966.   

• 1969 - The U.S. Supreme Court ordered an immediate end to all school segregation.   

• 1974 - U.S. President Gerald Ford signed a new law forbidding discrimination in credit applications on the basis of sex or marital status   

1985 - It was announced that Maj. Gen. Samuel K. Doe had won the first multiparty election in Liberia.   

Flag of the United Nations

• 1990 - The U.N. Security Council voted to hold Saddam Hussein's regime liable for human rights abuses and war damages during its occupation of Kuwait.  

 

• 1991 - The U.S. Galileo spacecraft became the first to visit an asteroid (Gaspra).   

Flag of Haiti

• 1991 - Trade sanctions were imposed on Haiti by the U.S. to pressure the new leaders to restore the ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to power.   

• 1992 - Depo Provera, a contraceptive, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration.   1995 - Jerry Rice of the San Francisco 49ers became the NFL's career leader in receiving yards with 14,040 yards.   

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."

• 1998 - South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission condemned both apartheid and violence committed by the African National Congress.   

Yes, on October 29, 1998, the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) released its final report, which condemned both the apartheid government and the African National Congress (ANC) for human rights violations and violence. The commission, headed by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, aimed to uncover the truth about the past and promote healing by hearing testimony from victims and perpetrators on all sides of the conflict. 

Picture of the space shuttle at Expo Park in Los Angeles, California

• 1998 - The space shuttle Discovery blasted off with John Glenn on board. Glenn was 77 years old. In 1962 he became the first American to orbit the Earth.   

• 1998 - The oldest known copy of Archimedes' work sold for $2 million at a New York auction.

Flag of the European Union (EU)

• On October 29, 2004, the leaders of the 25 European Union member states signed the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe in Rome. The treaty's goal was to streamline EU institutions, affirm shared values, and strengthen the role of citizens and fundamental rights. Although the treaty was approved by the European Parliament, it was ultimately rejected in referenda by France and the Netherlands and never came into force, leading to the Treaty of Lisbon in 2009. 

The flag of the People's Republic of China

• In 2015 on this day, China announced that it was ending it's highly controversial one child policy.

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/oct29.htm

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

http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory