October 19th: 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 

This day in history saw some monumental event occur. That includes the final victory over the British at Yorktown during the American War for Independence, with the assistance of French naval forces. Some years later in 1796, Thomas Jefferson was accused in an editorial of having an affair with a slave. On this day in 1812, Napoleon withdrew from Moscow on this day in 1812. Also on this day in 1935 in a precursor to World War II, Ethiopia stood alone after soft sanction conditions were imposed on fascist Italy's invasion of Ethiopia.

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

• On this day in 202 BCE, the Battle of Zama was fought, when Hannibal Barca, the leader of the invading Carthaginian army, was defeated by Roman legions under Scipio Africanus. 

• The Vandals, led by King Gaiseric, took Carthage in North Africa on this day in 439. 

• On this day in 615, St Deusdedit I began his reign as Catholic Pope. In 1031 on this day, Abbot Humbertus van Echternach opened the grave of Saint Willibrord. King John of England died at Newark-on-Trent and was succeeded by his nine-year-old son Henry on this day in 1216. In 1298 on this day, Rindfleisch-140 Jews of Heilbron Germany were murdered. The Second Battle at Castillon was fought on this day in 1453, with France defeating the English, marking the end of the Hundred Years War. On this day in 1466, the Thirteen Years' War ended with the Second Peace of Thorn, Germany. In 1492 on this day, Columbus sited "Isabela" (Fortune Island, Bahamas). Martin Luther became a doctor of theology (Doctor in Biblia) on this day in 1512. Dutch provinces began consultation about Spanish existence on this day in 1576. On this day in 1630 in Boston, the first general court was held.

• 1634 - Beach Island in North sea destroyed by a heavy storm flood

• 1682 - English Lord Shaftesbury flees to Holland

• 1722 - French C Hopffer patents fire extinguisher

• 1739 - England declares war on Spain [OS=Oct 30]

• 1765 - Stamp Act Congress met in NY, wrote decl of rights & liberties   1765 - In the U.S., The Stamp Act Congress met and drew up a declaration of rights and liberties.   

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

Statue of a Continental Soldier of the American Revolutionary War of Independence in Trenton, New Jersey

Statue: "George Washington Kneeling in Prayer" by Donald De Lue in Paramus, New Jersey

• On this day in 1781, British General Cornwallis surrendered to American and French forces at Yorktown, Virginia at 2 PM; ending the Revolutionary War and securing the independence of the newly forced United States. 

1781 - British General Charles Lord Cornwallis surrendered to U.S. General George Washington at Yorktown, Virginia. It was to be the last major battle of the American Revolutionary War. 

French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte

• In 1812 on this day, Napoleon began his retreat from Moscow. 1812 - Napoleon Bonaparte's French forces began their retreat out of Russia after a month of chasing the retreating Russian army.  

Founder of Protestanism Martin LutherFounder of Protestanism Martin Luther 

• 1818 - US & Chicasaw Indians sign a treaty

1822 - In Parnaíba; Simplício Dias da Silva, João Cândido de Deus e Silva and Domingos Dias declare the independent state of Piauí.

Picture of a bust of German composer Richard Wagner

• Richard Wagners opera "Tannhäuser," premiered on this day in 1845 in Dresden

1853 - 1st flour mill in Hawaii begins operations

1856 - James Kelly & Jack Smith fight bareknuckle for 6h15m in Melbourne

1859 - Wilhelm Tempel discovers diffuse nebula around Pleid star Merope

1863 - Battle of Buckland Mills, VA

1864 - Approx 25 Confederates make surprise attack on St Albans, Vermont

1864 - Battle of Cedar Creek, Virginia, Union beats back Conf attackers

1864 - US brig-gen Emory Upton (25) promoted to general-major

1870 - 1st (4) blacks elected to House of Reps

1870 - British cargo-passenger steamship SS Cambria wrecked off the north-west of Ireland with the loss of 178 lives

1872 - World's largest gold nugget (215 kg) found in New South Wales

• 1879 - Afghan's emir Mohammed Yakub forced to resign

Monuments to Thomas Edison at Menlo Park in Edison,  NJ 

• 1879 - Thomas Edison demonstrates electric light

Inventor Thomas EdisonInventor Thomas Edison 1882 - Pierre de Brazza meets Henry Morton Stanley

1888 - Moshav Gederah is attacked by Arabs

1900 - Henry O Tanner, painter, wins Medal of Honor at Paris Exposition

Statue of the most famous Boer leader and president of the South African Republic, Paul Kruger, located at Church Square in Pretoria, the capital of the old Transvaal Republic, and now still the executive capital of modern day South Africa.

• 1900 - South African President Paul Kruger departs for Europe

1901 - Edward Elgar's "Pomp & Circumstance March," premieres in Liverpool

1901 - Santos-Dumont proves airship maneuverable by circling Eiffel Tower

• 1904 - Polytechnic University of the Philippines founded as Manila Business School through the superintendence of the American C.A. O'Reilley.

1906 - Georges Chemenceau succeeds Sarien premier of France

1907 - 1st printing of Dutch Tribune (Wijnkoop/Van Ravesteyn/Ceton)

1911 - Royal Mint in London sends dies for $1 coin to Ottawa Branch

• 1912 - Tripoli (Libya) passes from Turkish to Italian control

1914 - US post office 1st used an automobile to collect & deliver mail

• 1915 - Russia/Italy declares war on Bulgaria  

• 1915 - The U.S. recognized General Venustiano Carranza as the president of Mexico. The U.S. imposed embargo to all parts of Mexico except where Carranza was in control.  

• 1917 - Love Field in Dallas, Texas is opened.

1919 - 1st Distinguished Service Medal awarded to a woman

1919 - Reds beat White Sox, 5 games to 3 in 16th World Series. This series is known as black sox scandal as 8 White Sox throw series

1921 - Portuguese Prime Minister António Granjo and other politicians are murdered in a Lisbon coup.

1923 - Ban Johnson persuades AL owners to prohibit boxing in their parks

1923 - Beierse government refuses to prohibit NSDAP newspaper Völkischer Beobachter

1924 - General Christian Worker's union demands 8 hr work day in Belgium

1925 - Italian army takes Somalia

1926 - John C Garand patents semi-automatic rifle

Russian Revolutionary Leon TrotskyRussian Revolutionary Leon Trotsky 1926 - Russian Politburo throws out Leo Trotsky & followers

1930 - Jules Ladoumègue runs world record 1 km (2:23.6)

1932 - Austria forbids demonstration by nazi's & anti fascists

1932 - British government signs trade agreement with Soviet Union

1932 - Henry Ford gives his 1st radio speech

1932 - Jimmie Foxx wins AL MVP & Chuck Klein wins NL MVP

1933 - Berlin Olympic Committee vote to introduce basketball in 1936

1935 - Mao Tse Tung's army reaches Shanxi

1936 - HR Ekins of "NY World-Telegram" beats 2 other reporters in a race around the world on commercial flights, by 18½ days

• 1939 - Hermann Goering begins plunder through Nazi's occupied areas

1941 - 1st woman jockey in North America, Anna Lee Wiley in Mexico

1943 - Conference of foreign ministers in Moscow

1943 - Theater Guild presentation of "Othello" opens at Shubert

1943 - Yankee 2nd baseman Joe Gordon announces retirement (hates NY)

1943 - Streptomycin, the first antibiotic remedy for tuberculosis, is isolated by researchers at Rutgers University.

Soldier, author, journalist, politician Winston ChurchillSoldier, author, journalist, politician Winston Churchill 1944 - British premier Winston Churchill flies back to London from Moscow

1944 - Canadian troops liberate Aardensburg

1944 - John Van Druten's "I Remember Mama," premieres in NYC

1944 - Navy says black women can join WAVES

1944 - US forces land in Philippines

1947 - De Gaulles RPF wins French municipal elections

1948 - "My Romance" opens at Shubert Theater NYC for 95 performances

1949 - A's trade 2nd baseman Nellie Fox to White Sox for Joe Tipton

1949 - Yanks trade Joe Gordon to Cleveland for Allie Reynolds

1950 - Bird Building at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is dedicated

Flag of the United Nations

• 1950 - UN forces entered Pyongyang, capital of North Korea

1951 - Babe Didrikson-Zaharias wins LPGA Texas Women's Golf Open

Bust of American President Harry Truman

• 1951 - Pres Harry Truman formally ends state of war with Germany

1952 - Louise Suggs wins LPGA Betty Jameson Golf Tournament

1953 - 1st jet transcontinental nonstop scheduled service

Nazi Politician Hermann GoeringNazi Politician Hermann Goering 1953 - Singer Julius LaRosa is fired on TV by Arthur Godfrey

1954 - Egypt & Great Britain sign treaty; British troops departs

1954 - KAKE TV channel 10 in Wichita, KS (ABC) begins broadcasting

1954 - First ascent of Cho Oyu

1957 - "Damn Yankees" closes at 46th St Theater NYC after 1,022 performances

1957 - Maurice "Rocket" Richard, Mont, became 1st NHLer to score 500 goals

1958 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site

1959 - Florence Henderson joins Today Show panel

1959 - William Gibson's "Miracle Worker," premieres in NYC

1960 - France grants Mauritania independence

1960 - KWCS (now KOOG) TV channel 30 in Ogden, UT (IND) begins broadcasting

Statue of Martin Luther King Jr in Denver, Colorado

• 1960 - Martin Luther King Jr arrested in Atlanta sit-in

1960 - US imposes embargo on exports to Cuba

• 1962 - Stalin-monument removed in Prague

1962 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site

Clergyman and Civil Rights Activist Martin Luther King Jr.Clergyman and Civil Rights Activist Martin Luther King Jr. 1963 - Beatles record "I Want to Hold Your Hand"

1966 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR

1966 - Yardbird 1st US tour (NYC)

1967 - Igor Ter-Ovanesyan of USSR, sets then long jump record at 27' 4 3/4"

1967 - Mariner 5 makes fly-by of Venus

1968 - Golden Gate Bridge charges tolls only for southbound cars

1969 - J Bock & S Harnicks musical "Rothschilds," premieres in NYC

1969 - Mary Mills wins LPGA Quality Chekd Golf Classic

1969 - Oakland Darryle Lamonica passes for 6 touchdowns vs Buffalo (50-21)

1970 - "Rothschilds" opens at Lunt-Fontanne Theater NYC for 505 performances

1970 - Amdahl Corp forms at Sunnyvale Calif

1970 - John Frazier kills Ohta's declares WW 3 has begun

1971 - Last issue of "Look" magazine is published

1972 - "Mother Earth" opens at Belasco Theater NYC for 12 performances

1973 - Ringo releases "Photograph"

1974 - Det Red Wing Mickey Redmond scores 1st hat trick against Wash Caps

1974 - Detroit Pistons beat Trailblazers in Portland (next win 6-1-90)

1974 - Niue becomes self-govering colony of New Zealand

1975 - "Chorus Line" opens at Shubert Theater NYC for 6137 performances

1975 - Cleveland Browns' Don Cockroft kicks club record 5 field goals

1975 - Hamlisch & Klebans musical "Chorus Line" premieres in NYC

1975 - Shelley Hamlin wins LPGA Japan Golf Classic

1976 - Battle of Aishiya in Lebanon. The same day, the Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) is placed on the List of Endangered Species.

1977 - Corpse of kidnapped West German, H M Schleyer, found

1977 - Supersonic Concorde jet's 1st landing in NYC

1980 - Steve McPeak rides 101'9" unicycle

1981 - LA Dodgers beat Montreal Expos for NL pennant

1981 - Nicolaas Bloembergen & Arthur Schawlow win Nobel for physics (laser)

1982 - Automaker John DeLorean arrested on cocaine charges (Not guilty)

1983 - Columbia moves to Orbiter Processing Facility

Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, DC (picture taken during visit in 2013)

• 1983 The Senate passed a bill (78–22) making Martin Luther King, Jr.'s, birthday a public holiday. 

1983 - Grenada general Hudson Austin forms "revolutionary council"

1983 - Phila Flyers begin 13 NHL game win streak

1983 - Senate establishes Martin Luther King Jr federal holiday

1986 - "Flamenco Puro" opens at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC for 40 perfs

1986 - "Raggedy Ann" closes at Nederlander Theater NYC after 5 performances

1986 - Allan Border scores the 1,000,000th run in Tests (v India, Bombay)

1986 - USSR expels 5 US diplomats

1987 - "Anything Goes" opens at Beaumont Theater NYC for 804 performances

1987 - "Black Monday" Dow Jones down 508.32 points, 4½ times previous record

1987 - Dow Jones Index drops 508.32 points (22%) (record)

1987 - US warships destroy 2 Iranian oil platforms in Persian Gulf

1987 - Woody Woodward resigns as NY Yankee GM, Lou Piniella is named GM & Billy Martin is named NY Yankee manager for 5th & final time

• 1988 - 3 Americans win Nobel in physics; 3 W Germans win chemistry Nobel

• 1988 - Britain bans broadcast interviews with IRA members

1988 - Car bomb kills 7 Israelis, wounds 11 near Lebanon border

1988 - Roxette releases "Roxette Look Sharp!" album

1988 - S Afr anti-apartheid leader Sisulu wins $100,000 Human Rights prize

1988 - Senate passes bill curbing ads during children`s TV shows

1989 - "Dangerous Games" opens at Nederlander Theater NYC for 4 performances

1989 - Astor Piazzolla & Wm Finn's musical "Dangerous Games" premieres in NYC

1989 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR

1990 - HCA, Helsinki Citizens Assembly, forms in Prague

1991 - Longest NCAA football game (3:52) as RI beats Maine 52-30 (6 OTs)

1991 - Lonnie Glieberman purchased Ottawa Rough Riders from CFL

1993 - UN authorizes arms, milt & police supply embargo against Haiti

1994 - 160 killed at battles in Tsjetsjenie

1994 - Palestinian bomb attack on bus in Tel Aviv, kills 22

1995 - "Hello Dolly!" opens at Lunt-Fontanne Theater NYC for 118 performances

1996 - Braves beat NY Yanks by record tying 11 runs, 12-1 in a World Series

1997 - "Annie," closes at Martin Beck Theater NYC

1997 - 700th World Series home run (Sandy Alomar, Cleve Indians)

1997 - David Duval wins Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Golf Classic

1997 - Hyatt Regency Maui Kaanapali Senior Golf Classic

1998 - The Earth Liberation Front sets fire to the Vail Mountain ski resort in Vail, Colorado, causing $12 million in damage.

2001 - SIEV-X, an Indonesian fishing boat en-route to Christmas Island, carrying over 400 asylum seekers, sank in international waters with the loss of 353 people.

Catholic Missionary Mother TeresaCatholic Missionary Mother Teresa 2003 - Mother Teresa is beatified by Pope John Paul II.

2004 - Myanmar prime minister Khin Nyunt is ousted and placed under house arrest by the SPDC on charges of corruption.

2004 - Care International aid worker Margaret Hassan is kidnapped in Iraq.

• 2005 - Saddam Hussein goes on trial in Baghdad for crimes against humanity.

• 2005 - Hurricane Wilma becomes the most intense Atlantic hurricane on record with a minimum pressure of 882 mb.

• 2007 - Philippines. Amidst corruption controversies hounding the Arroyo administration, a bomb explosion rocked Glorietta 2, a shopping mall in Makati, which killed 11 and injured more than 100 people.

• 2012 - 8 people are killed and 78 injured by a car bomb in Beirut, Lebanon

1914 - In the U.S., government owned vehicles were first used to pick up mail in Washington, DC.    1933 - Basketball was introduced to the 1936 Olympic Games by the Berlin Organization Committee.   1937 - "Woman's Day" was published for the first time.   1937 - "Big Town" made its debut on CBS.   1943 - The Moscow Conference of Foreign Ministers began in Russia during World War II. Delegates from the U.S.S.R., Great Britain, the U.S., and China met to discuss war aims and cooperation between the nations.   1944 - The play "I Remember Mama" opened on Broadway. Marlon Brando made his debut with his appearance.   1944 - The U.S. Navy announced that black women would be allowed into Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES).   1950 - The United Nations forces entered the North Korean capital of Pyongyang.   1951 - U.S. President Truman singed an act officially ending the state of war with Germany.   1959 - Patty Duke, at the age of 12, made her Broadway debut in "The Miracle Worker." The play lasted for 700 performances.   1960 - The United States imposed an embargo on exports to Cuba covering all commodities except medical supplies and certain food products.   1969 - U.S. Vice President Spiro Agnew referred to anti-Vietnam War protesters "an effete corps of impudent snobs."   1974 - The news program "Weekend" debuted on NBC.   1977 - The Concorde made its first landing in New York City.   1983 - The U.S. Senate approved a bill establishing a national holiday in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.   1984 - Four U.S. employees of the CIA were killed in El Salvador when their plane crashed.   1987 - The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 508 points. It was the worst one-day percentage decline, 22.6%, in history.   1989 - The U.S. Senate rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that barred the desecration of the American flag.   1993 - Benazir Bhutto was returned to the premiership of Pakistan.   1998 - In Washington, DC, Microsoft went on trial to defend against an antitrust case.   1998 - Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson got his boxing license back after he had lost it for biting Evander Holyfield's ear during a fight.   2003 - In London, magician David Blaine emerged from a clear plastic box that had been suspended by a crane over the banks of the Thames River. He survived only on water for 44 days. Blaine had entered the box on September 5.   2006 - The Dow Jones industrial average ended the day at 12,011.73. It was the first close above 12,000.

1781 British General Cornwallis surrendered to General George Washington at Yorktown, Va., bringing an end to the last major battle of the American Revolution. 1812 French troops under Napoleon Bonaparte began their retreat from Moscow. 1960 The United States imposes a partial embargo on goods exported to Cuba. 1983 The Senate passed a bill (78–22) making Martin Luther King, Jr.'s, birthday a public holiday. 1987 The stock market crashed on what came to be known as "Black Monday." Stocks dropped a record 508 points, or 22.6%, topping the drops on October 28 and 29 in 1929 that ushered in the Great Depression.

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/oct19.htm

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

http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory

Violent Protests in Europe

In recent days, there has been rioting in Europe, in places like Belgium, France, and Milan, Italy.

A lot of these protests have their official focus on the skyrocketing cost of living. These include the famous student protests throughout France, and which did considerable damage across the country. The town hall of Limoges was mostly destroyed. Buildings were set ablaze in Paris and elsewhere. There was rioting in several parts of France. It was the worst unrest seen in the country in years. There are reports that whole streets in Paris were completely devastated. Some witnesses suggested that it looked and felt like a war zone.

French President Macron said that he was angry. However, he stopped short of declaring a State of Emergency, at least for now. 

"Looking at these images, we have all asked ourselves: What was going ​through their minds? How can French people do this to France?" Macron said in a televised address to the nation. 

"Nothing justifies it, nothing explains it, nothing excuses it. Tonight, ​we all feel anger and shame."

Similar scenes occurred in Milan, Italy. There were protests which turned violent and saw parts of that city seeing damage as well. 

There are fears that this situation, and the tensions from the higher cost of living across Europe, are setting up a tinderbox situation just prior to a major election year for numerous European nations next year. That includes both France and Italy. 

Macron urges calm as France counts cost of worst unrest in years By Sybille de La Hamaide, Clotaire Achi and Abdul Saboor October 18, 2026:

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/france-faces-aftermath-worst-unrest-years-2026-10-18/

Macron urges calm as France counts cost of worst unrest in years | Reuters

Weekend Humor: Millions of Americans Offer Trump $90 to Resign by Andy Borowitz

Thought that this was pretty funny.

Let me tell you: I would give $90 to see Trump resign, and with no hesitation, at that. I would give another $90 not to have to hear his voice or see his orange face again, too, for that matter.

Another $90 to see that orange face just one more time: behind bars, where he belongs (but where I don't ever realistically expect to see him). 

Ah, nice daydreams to indulge in.

In any case, thought that this little piece by Andy Borowitz might put a smile on someone's face, as it did mine.

Enjoy.

Weekend Humor: Andy Borowitz October 17, 2026 · Millions of Americans Offer Trump $90 to Resign

Andy Borowitz - Millions of Americans Offer Trump $90 to Resign | Facebook

2026 NFL Season Week 6 Preview

    

Once again, this weekend kind of snuck up on me, and I forgot to do the preview.

So really quickly, below is my preview of the upcoming games for NFL 2026 week 6:

Houston vs. Jacksonville in London, UK - The Jaguars remain in London. They also remain hot. They are not destroying their opponents, but they still keep winning. Meanwhile, the Houston Texans finally earned their first win of the season last week, and look and feel rejuvenated. That makes this an interesting match-up, and I really could see either team winning this one. It feels like it could go either way. Still, I suspect the Jaguars will come up with the goods in the end.. My pick: Jacksonville

New Orleans at NY Giants - Some might look at this game and see a first place team with only one loss hosting a one win team, and think that it should be a relatively easy pick. But the Saints feel like a tougher team than their record suggests. Also, the Giants are still learning to win and prone to struggling. Still, I suspect that Big Blue is riding a tide, and it should allow them to earn another win in this one, which I suspect will be a tight game.. My pick: NY Giants

NY Jets at New England - The good news for the Jets is that they won, beating Cleveland last weekend. The bad news is that they head up to New England to take on the Patriots, who look really good right now. It's not impossible that Gang Green could pull off an upset. I just don't see why they would. If the Pats play up to their potential, they should earn a comfortable win.. My pick: New England

Tennessee at Indianapolis - The Colts have struggled at times this season. But the Titans are really struggling and desperately want to earn their first win of the season. They have a chance at exposing the vulnerabilities that the Colts sometimes show. However, expect Indy to play well and likely earn a win here in this one.. My pick: Indianapolis

Chicago at Atlanta - This is a tougher game than it might at first appear. Either team could conceivably earn a win in this one. However, the Bears have struggled following that stunning 59 point season opener, while the Falcons have played tough in recent weeks, especially at home. That's why I'm going with the home team. My pick: Atlanta

Carolina at Philadelphia - Believe it or not, I suspect that Carolina will make a real game of this. Philly dropped from an impressive 2-0 start to losing three straight and now ranking as a losing team. Still, they are at home and coming off a stunning loss last weekend. This is a test of how they respond. My suspicion is that they find a way to win this one. My pick: Philly

Baltimore at Cleveland - Lamar Jackson will not be playing in this one. That still makes this a tough game, because the Ravens have been playing so well. Still, the Browns are coming off a tough loss, but should play better at home. Also, they simply cannot afford to lose this one and allow the Ravens to open up a two-game lead. My pick: Cleveland

Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay - The Bucs finally earned a win last week. But the Steelers are tough and have a lot to play for right now. My suspicion is that the Steelers find a way to win this one. My pick: Pittsburgh

Arizona at LA Rams - Both the Rams and the Cardinals are struggling. However, the Rams clearly are a very talented team with realistic playoff hopes, possibly even title hopes. Their offense is dynamic and can be very dangerous and explosive. Also, they are desperately in need of a win. And the Cardinals have possibly the worst defense in the league and are in a serious rut. This one feels like a no-brainer. My pick: LA Rams

Buffalo at Las Vegas - The Raiders raced out to a 3-0 start and looked impressive. But now they have dropped two straight and host a very tough Bills team. The Bills look solid again and need a win to stay ahead of the Pats in the AFC East. They should earn a solid road win here. My pick: Buffalo

LA Chargers at Kansas City - An undefeated Chiefs team hosting a winless Chargers team. On paper, it should be a relatively easy win for KC. However, keep in mind that these two teams have familiarity with each other, which gives the Chargers a shot. Still, the way that things have been going this season, it would be madness to pick the Chargers or pick against the Chiefs in this one. My pick: Kansas City

Sunday Night Football: Dallas at Green Bay - Remember when this was possibly the key rivalry in football? Well, not anymore. Yet, both teams have realistic expectations of contending for the postseason. Only one team can win, although neither can afford to lose more ground within their division. Lambeau Field is always a tough place to play for road teams, and that is a factor. My pick: Green Bay

Monday Night Football: Washington at San Francisco 49ers - The 49ers are 5-0 right now. They have gotten off to impressive unbeaten starts under Shanahan before. Both prior times, they went to the Super Bowl. It feels like this 49ers team is that good, as well. They should have enough to get past a Washington team still stunned from the end of last week's game, where they were harshly criticized for poor clock management costing them a win.. My pick: San Francisco

October 18th: 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 

Today is an important date in American history. It was on this day in 1767 that Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon completed their survey and drew a line in the sand, almost literally. They set up the divide between North and South in the Americas, in what would soon come to be the United States. That line is still recognized today, and is in fact named after them. Indeed, the Mason-Dixon line is still largely recognized by many today as the de facto dividing point between the North and the South in the United States, and it figured prominently in American history, as well, particularly as the divide between slave states and those states opposed to slavery leading up to the Civil War. One century later, the United States took possession of Alaska on this day in 1867. And noted American inventor Thomas Edison died on this day in 1931. 

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

• 707 - John VII ends his reign as Catholic Pope

• 1009 - The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a Christian church in Jerusalem, is completely destroyed by the Fatimid caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, who hacks the Church's foundations down to bedrock

• 1016 - Danes defeat Saxons at Battle of Assandun (Ashingdon)

• 1081 - Battle at Durazzo/Durres: Normans under Robert Guiscard beat Byzantine

• 1267 - Battle at Marienholz: Henry III, Otto II van Gelre beat Keuls archbishop Engelbert III

• 1356 - Basel earthquake, the most significant historic seismological event north of the Alps, destroyed the town of Basel, Switzerland.

• 1386 - Opening of the University of Heidelberg

• 1534 - New pursuit of French protestants

• 1561 - Fourth Battle of Kawanakajima -- Takeda Shingen defeats Uesugi Kenshin in the climax of their ongoing conflicts.

• 1564 - John Hawkins begins 2nd trip to America

• 1572 - Spanish troops attack Maastricht

Statue of Louis XIII at the Place des Vosges in Paris

• 1622 - French King Louis XIII & Huguenots sign treaty of Montpellier

• 1648 - 1st US labor organization forms (Boston Shoemakers)

• 1667 - English fleet plunders Suriname plantations

• 1672 - Poland & Turkey sign Peace of Buczacz

Louis XIV, the "Sun King" of France

Bust of Louis XIV at the Basilique cathédrale Saint-Denis, near Paris

• On this day in 1685, French King Louis XIV, also known as the "Sun King," revoked the Edict of Nantes, which had established the legal toleration of the Protestant population. This revocation effectively cancelled the rights of French Protestants (the Huguenots) and outlawed Protestantism in France.

• The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, which ended the War of Austrian Succession, was signed on this day in 1748. 

Bust of Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Statue of Jean-Jacques Rousseau'in Paris

• This day in 1752 marked the premiere of Jean-Jacques Rousseau's opera "Le Devin du Village" ("The Village Soothsayer").

• The boundary between Maryland and Pennsylvania, the Mason-Dixon line, was agreed upon on this day in 1767.

• 1775 - African-American poet Phillis Wheatley freed from slavery.

1776 - In a NY bar decorated with bird tail, customer orders "cock tail"

1776 - Battle of Pelham: Col John Glover & Marblehead regiment meet British Forces in Bronx

• 1855 - Franz Liszt's "Prometheus," premieres

• 1860 - The Second Opium War finally ends at the Convention of Peking with the ratification of the Treaty of Tientsin, an unequal treaty.

1862 - Morgan's raiders capture federal garrison at Lexington, KY

1863 - Battle of Charlestown, WV

1867 - US takes formal possession of Alaska from Russia ($7.2 million)

1869 - Henrik Ibsen's "De Unges Forbund," premieres in Christiania (Oslo)

1873 - 1st football game between Toronto Argonauts & Hamilton Tigers

• On this day in 1873, the first rules for intercollegiate American football were drawn up by representatives from Rutgers, Yale, Columbia and Princeton Universities.  

Monuments to Thomas Edison at Menlo Park in Edison,  NJ 

• 1878 - Edison makes electricity available for household usage

1887 - Start of Sherlock Holmes adventure "A Case of Identity" (BG)

1889 - 1st all NYC World Series NY Giants (NL) play Bkln (AA)

Composer/Pianist Franz LisztComposer/Pianist Franz Liszt 1890 - John Owen is 1st man to run 100 yd dash in under 10 seconds

1891 - 1st international 6-day bicycle race in US (Madison Square Garden, NYC) begins

1892 - 1st commercial long-distance phone line opens (Chicago-NY)

1898 - American flag raised in Puerto Rico

1901 - Belgium's Louise of den Plas begins activities towards women rights

1904 - Gustav Mahler's 5th symphony premieres in Cologne

• 1908 - Belgium annexes Congo Free State

• 1909 - Comte de Lambert of France sets airplane altitude record of 300 m

1910 - Edward Forster publishes "Howards End"

1912 - Beginning of 1st Balkan War

1912 - Italo-Turkish war ends

• 1913 - Austrian-Hungary demands that Serbia & Albania leave

1914 - The Schoenstatt Movement is founded in Germany.

1915 - 3rd Italians offensive at Isonzo

• 1918 - Czechoslovakia declares Independence from Austro-Hungarian Empire

1918 - NHL's Quebec Bulldogs sold to a Toronto businessman P J Quinn

1918 - Russian 10th Army drives out White armies of Tsaritsyn (Stalingrad)

• 1922 - British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) forms

1924 - Harold "Red" Grange, finest collegiate football game (4 long TD runs)

1924 - Notre Dame beats Army 13-7, NY Hearld Tribune dubs them (4 Horsemen)

1925 - -20] French Gen Sarrail bombs Damascus

1925 - Salt Lake City (PCL) Tony Lazzeri hits his 60th HR of the season

Marxist Revolutionary Vladimir LeninMarxist Revolutionary Vladimir Lenin 1926 - Frankfurter Zeitung publishes Lenins political testament

 

• In 1929 on this day, the Judicial Committee of England’s Privy Council ruled that women were to be legally considered as persons in Canada.   

1930 - Joseph Sylvester becomes 1st jockey to win 7 races in 1 day

1932 - Belgium government of Renkin falls

• 1934 - Chinese Red leader under Mao Tse Tung begins Long March

1939 - R Rodgers & Lorenz Harts "Too Many Girls," premieres in NYC

1940 - Kaufman & Harts "George Washington Slept Here," premieres in NYC

1941 - Spy Richard Sorge arrested in Tokyo

• 1942 - Hitler orders allied commandos to be killed

1943 - US bombing of Bougainville, Solomon Island

1944 - Eisenhower, Bradley & Montgomery confer in Brussel

• 1944 - Soviet troops invade Czechoslovakia during WW II

• 1945 - Nazi war crime trial opens in Nuremberg

1945 - Paul Robeson wins Spingarn Medal for singing & acting achievements

1946 - Aaron Copland's 3rd Symphony, premieres

Dictator of Nazi Germany Adolf HitlerDictator of Nazi Germany Adolf Hitler 1948 - Operation 10 Plagues - Israeli offensive against Egyptian army

1950 - Connie Mack retires as manager of A's after 50 years

1951 - USSR performs nuclear test

1952 - "Buttrio Square" closes at New Century Theater NYC after 7 perfs

1952 - Vinoo Mankad takes 13 Pakistan wkts to win 1st India-Pak clash

1953 - WLJT TV channel 11 in Lexington, TN (PBS) begins broadcasting

1953 - WTVK TV channel 26 in Knoxville, TN (NBC) begins broadcasting

1953 - Willie Thrower becomes 1st black NFL quarterback in modern times

1954 - Hurricane Hazel (3rd of 1954) becomes most severe to hit US

1954 - WBTW TV channel 13 in Florence, SC (CBS/ABC) begins broadcasting

1954 - WNBC radio changes call letters to WRCA (NYC)

1954 - Texas Instruments announces the first Transistor radio.

1955 - Track & Field names Jesse Owens all-time track athelete

• 1955 - University of California discovers anti-proton

1960 - Casey Stengel retired by NY Yankees (won 10 pennants in 12 years)

Baseball Legend Connie MackBaseball Legend Connie Mack 1960 - In Britain, News Chronicle & Daily Mail merge, & London Evening Star merges with Evening News

• 1961 - Emergency crisis proclaimed in South Vietnam due to commun attack

• 1962 - JFK meets Soviet Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrei Gromyko

• 1962 - Tony Sheridan & Beat Brothers record "Let's Dance"

1962 - US launches Ranger 5 for lunar impact; misses Moon

1962 - US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Johnston Island

1962 - Dr Watson (US) & Drs Crick & Wilkins (Britain) win Nobel Prize for Medicine for work in determining structure of DNA

Flag of the Olympics

• The International Olympic Committee voted for Mexico City to host the 1968 Summer Olympic Games on this day in 1963. 

1964 - Marlene Hagge wins LPGA Mickey Wright Golf Invitational

1966 - "Apple Tree" opens at Shubert Theater NYC for 463 performances

1967 - Nobel prize for physics awarded to Hans A Bethe

• 1967 - Soviet Venera 4 becomes 1st probe to send data back from Venus

1967 - Walt Disney's "Jungle Book" is released

1967 - AL votes to allow Athletics to move from KC to Oakland & expand league to 12 teams in 1971 with KC & Seattle teams

1968 - Bob Beamon of USA sets long jump record (29 ft. 2½ in.) in Mexico City

Singer-songwriter Tony SheridanSinger-songwriter Tony Sheridan 1968 - Circus Circus opens in Las Vegas

• 1968 - John Lennon & Yoko One fined £150 for marijuana possession

1968 - Lee Evans sets world record of 43.8 seconds in 400 meter dash

1968 - Police find 219 grains of cannabis resin in John & Yoko's apt

1968 - US Olympic Committee suspends Tommie Smith & John Carlos for giving "black power" salute as a protest during victory ceremony

1969 - Federal government bans use of cyclamates artificial sweeteners

1969 - Jefferson Airplanes Paul Kanter, arrested for marijuana possession

1969 - Rod Stewart joins Small Faces

1969 - Soyuz 8 returns to Earth

1970 - Kathy Whitworth wins LPGA Quality Chekd Golf Classic

1970 - Sachio Kinugasa begins 2,215 cons game streak for Hiroshima Carp

1973 - "Raisin" opens at 46th St Theater NYC for 847 performances

1973 - Congress authorizes bi-centennial quarter, half-dollar & dollar coin

1973 - Judd Woldon & Robert Brittens musical "Raisin," premieres in NYC

1973 - Nobel prize for economy awarded to Wassily Leontief

Singer Rod StewartSinger Rod Stewart 1974 - 1st NBA game at Market Square Arena - Pacers beat Spurs 129-121

1974 - Andre van de Louw appointed mayor of Rotterdam

1974 - Wings (Country Hams) release "Walking in the Park with Eloise"

• 1974 - Chicago Bull Nate Thurmond becomes 1st in NBA to complete a quadruple double-22 pts, 14 rebounds, 13 assists & 12 blocks

• 1975 - Simon & Garfunkel reunite on Saturday Night Live, sing "My Little Town"

1975 - USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR

• 1976 - Nobel prize for chemistry awarded to William N Lipscomb Jr

1977 - 1st Islander 0-0 tie-Kings at Nassau-25th time shutout-Resch's 15th

1977 - NY Yankees win their 21st World Championship, 4 games

1977 - W German commandos liberate Boeing 737, 86 hostages at Mogadishu

1977 - Reggie Jackson hits 3 consecutive homers tying Ruth's series record

1977 - Yanks beat Dodgers 8-4 for 21st world championship, 1st in 15 years

1978 - 1st daughter Susan Ford announces engagement to Charles F Vance

1978 - NY Islanders 1st scoreless tie, vs LA Kings

1979 - "Beatlemania" opens in London

• 1979 - Iranian Ayatollah Khomeini orders mass executions to stop

1979 - USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR

1979 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR

1980 - Brooke Alexander, 18, of Hawaii, crowned Miss World USA

1980 - Detroit blocks 21 Atlanta shots setting NBA record (double OT)

1981 - Andreas Papandreous' PASOK wins Greek elections

1981 - NY Giant Joe Danelo ties NFL record of 6 field goals in a game

• 1981 - Poland General Jaruzelski elected party leader

1984 - Discovery moves to Vandenberg AFB for mating of STS 51A mission

1984 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR

• 1988 - Israel's supreme court uphold's ban on Kahane`s Kach Party as racist

1988 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR

Flag of East Germany

• 1989 - East German state/party leader Erich Honecker, resigns

• 1989 - Hungary revises constitution

1989 - US 62nd manned space mission STS 34 (Atlantis 5) launches into orbit

1990 - "Once on this Island" opens at Booth Theater NYC for 469 performances

1991 - "Most Happy Fella" closes at NY State Theater NYC

1991 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site

1992 - "Oba Oba '93" closes at Marquis Theater NYC after 22 performances

1992 - 1st non-US team to win a World Series Game; Toronto 5, Atlanta 4

1992 - 6.6 earthquake hits Colombia with no fatalities

1992 - Phila Eagle Randall Cunningham sets NFL QB scramble record of 3,683

1992 - Start of Zimbabwe's 1st Test match, v India at Harare

1993 - STS-58 (Columbia) launches into orbit

1995 - NHL Winnipeg Jets sold to Americans who plan to move them to Phoenix

1998 - Samsung World Championship of Women's Golf

• 2003 - Bolivian Gas War: President Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada, is forced to resign and leave Bolivia.

Pakistani Politican Benazir BhuttoPakistani Politican Benazir Bhutto 

• 2007 - After 8 years in exile, Benazir Bhutto returns to her homeland Pakistan. The same night, suicide attackers blow themselves up near Bhutto's convoy, killing over 100 in the cheering crowd, including 20 police officers. Bhutto escaped uninjured.

• 2011 - Gilad Shalit is released.

• 2012 - Syrian military airstrikes kill 40 people in Maaret al-Numan

• 2012 - Google stock trading is suspended after a premature release of a quarterly report indicating a 20% drop in profits and a 9% fall in share price

1469 - Ferdinand of Aragon married Isabella of Castile. The marriage united all the dominions of Spain.   1842 - Samuel Finley Breese Morse laid his first telegraph cable.   1860 - British troops burned the Yuanmingyuan at the end of the Second Opium War.   1867 - The U.S. took formal possession of Alaska from Russia. The land was purchased of a total of $7 million dollars (2 cents per acre).    1892 - The first long-distance telephone line between Chicago, IL, and New York City, NY, was opened.   1898 - The American flag was raised in Puerto Rico only one year after the Caribbean nation won its independence from Spain.    1943 - The first broadcast of "Perry Mason" was presented on CBS Radio. The show went to TV in 1957.   1944 - Czechoslovakia was invaded by the Soviets during World War II.   1944 - "Forever Amber", written by Kathleen Windsor, was first published.   1950 - Connie Mack announced that he was going to retire after 50 seasons as the manager of the Philadelphia Athletics.   1956 - NFL commissioner Bert Bell disallowed the use of radio-equipped helmets by NFL quarterbacks.   1958 - The first computer-arranged marriage took place on Art Linkletter's show.   1961 - Henri Matiss' "Le Bateau" went on display at New York's Museum of Modern Art. It was discovered 46 days later that the painting had been hanging upside down.   1967 - The American League granted permission for the A's to move to Oakland. Also, new franchises were awarded to Kansas City and Seattle.   1968 - Two black athletes, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, were suspended by the U.S. Olympic Committee for giving a "black power" salute during a ceremony in Mexico City.   1969 - The U.S. government banned artificial sweeteners due to evidence that they caused cancer.   1970 - Quebec's minister of labor was found strangled to death after eight days of being held captive by the Quebec Liberation Front (FLQ).   1971 - After 34 years, the final issue of "Look" magazine was published.   1977 - Reggie Jackson tied Babe Ruth's record for hitting three homeruns in a single World Series game. Jackson was only the second player to achieve this.   1983 - General Motors agreed to hire more women and minorities for five years as part of a settlement with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.   1985 - South African authorities hanged black activist Benjamin Moloise. Moloise had been convicted of murdering a police officer.   1989 - Egon Krenz became the leader of East Germany after Erich Honecker was ousted. Honeker had been in power for 18 years.   1989 - The space shuttle Atlantis was launched on a mission that included the deployment of the Galileo space probe.   1990 - Iraq made an offer to the world that it would sell oil for $21 a barrel. The price level was the same as it had been before the invasion of Kuwait.   1997 - A monument honoring U.S. servicewomen, past and present, was dedicated at Arlington National Cemetery.   2006 - Microsoft released Internet Explorer 7.0.

 1867 The United States took possession of Alaska from Russia. 1912 The first Balkan War broke out. 1931 Inventor Thomas Alva Edison died in West Orange, N.J., at age 84. 1968 The U.S. Olympic Committee suspended two black athletes for giving a "black power" salute during a victory ceremony at the Mexico City games. 2011 Gilad Shalit, a 25-year-old Israeli soldier, is released after being held for more than five years by Hamas. He is exchanged for 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. Shalit had been held in Gaza since Palestinian militants kidnapped him in 2006.  

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/oct18.htm

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

http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory