Fun On this date in history...

If I may...

ON OCTOBER 18th:

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

In 1685, King Louis XIV signed the Edict of Fontainebleau, revoking the Edict of Nantes that had established legal toleration of France's Protestant population, the Huguenots.

In 1767, the Mason-Dixon Line, the boundary between colonial Pennsylvania and Maryland, was set as astronomers Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon completed their survey.

In 1867, the United States took formal possession of Alaska from Russia.

In 1873, the first rules for intercollegiate football were drawn up by representatives from Rutgers, Yale, Columbia and Princeton Universities.

In 1892, the first long-distance telephone line between New York and Chicago was officially opened (it could only handle one call at a time).

In 1922, the British Broadcasting Co., Ltd. (later the British Broadcasting Corp.) was founded.

In 1926, singer/songwriter/musician Chuck Berry was born in St. Louis, MO.

In 1931, inventor Thomas Alva Edison died in West Orange, NJ at age 84.

In 1944, Soviet troops invaded Czechoslovakia during World War II.

In 1954, Texas Instruments unveiled the Regency TR-1, the first commerically produced transistor radio.

In 1960, actor/director/martial artist Jean-Claude Van Damme was born in Sint-Agatha-Bercham, Brussels, Belgium.

In 1961, the film version of the musical “West Side Story” premiered in New York City.

In 1962, James D. Watson, Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins were honored with the Nobel Prize for Medicine and Physiology for determining the double-helix molecular structure of DNA.

In 1963, Felicette, a black and white female Parisian stray cat becomes the first cat launched into space. She was launched aboard the French rocket Veronique AGI 47 for a fifteen minute flight, after which she was recovered safely.

In 1967, the Soviet unmanned probe Venera 4 reached Venus and became the first spacecraft to measure the atmosphere of another planet.

In 1969, the federal government banned artificial sweeteners known as cyclamates because of evidence they caused cancer in laboratory rats.

Also in 1974, the disaster movie “Airport 1975” was released in the U.S.

In 1977, West German commandos stormed a hijacked Lufthansa jetliner on the ground in Mogadishu, Somalia, freeing all 86 hostages and killing three of the four hijackers.

In 1997, a monument honoring American servicewomen, past and present, was dedicated at Arlington National Cemetery.

In 2005, actor John Hollis, known to “Star Wars” fans for playing Lobot in “Star Wars: Episode V- The Empire Strikes Back”, died in London at age 77.

In 2011, part two of “The Man Who Never Was” was broadcast on CBBC. It was the final episode of “The Sarah Jane Adventures”.

 

If I may...

ON OCTOBER 19th:

In 1765, the Stamp Act Congress, meeting in New York, adopted a declaration of rights and liberties which the British Parliament ignored.

In 1781, British troops under Gen. Lord Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown, VA, as the American Revolution neared its end.

In 1789, John Jay was sworn in as the first Chief Justice of the United States.

In 1814, the first documented public performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" took place at the Holliday Street Theater in Baltimore.

In 1864, Confederate Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early's soldiers attacked Union forces at Cedar Creek, VA; the Union troops were able to rally and defeat the Confederates.

In 1903, actor/professional wrestler Tor Johnson was born in Kalmar, Ian, Sweden. And someone’s responsible!

In 1914, the U.S. Post Office began delivering mail with government-owned cars, as opposed to using contracted vehicles.

Also in 1914, the First Battle of Ypres began during World War I.

In 1935, the Council of the League of Nations imposed sanctions against Italy for invading Abyssinia.

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

In 1944, the U.S. Navy began accepting African-American women into WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service).

In 1951, President Harry S. Truman signed an act formally ending the state of war with Germany.

In 1953, Arthur Godfrey, during a live radio broadcast of “Arthur Godfrey Time”, asked singer/regular cast member Julius LaRosa to sing “Manhattan”. Immediately afterwards, in a highly controversial move, Godfrey fired LaRosa on the air.

In 1960, the United States began a limited embargo against Cuba covering all commodities except medical supplies and certain food products.

In 1977, the supersonic Concorde made its first landing in New York City.

In 1979, the sci-fi/disaster movie “Meteor”, starring Sean Connery, was released in the U.S.

In 1987, the stock market crashed as the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 508 points, or 22.6 percent in value, to close at 1,738.74.

In 1990, Kevin Costner's Western epic "Dances with Wolves" had its world premiere in Washington, D.C.

In 1994, the comedy “Clerks”, written & directed by Kevin Smith, went into limited release in the U.S.

In 2005, Saddam Hussein pleaded innocent to charges of premeditated murder and torture as his trial opened under heavy security in the former headquarters of his Baath Party in Baghdad.

In 2015, Paralympian Oscar Pistorius was released from Pretoria Central Prison after serving twelve months of a five year jail sentence for the culpable homicide of Reeva Steenkamp.

Also in 2015, advance tickets for the movie “Star Wars: Episode VII- The Force Awakens” went on sale. Demand for the tickets was considerable.

 

Born on this day 10/20: Viggo Mortensen born 58 years ago, and too, the late Shaw Brothers actor and Kung Fu comedian Alexander Fu Sheng who would have been 62 today.

 

And for a parody of the situation:

 

If I may...

ON OCTOBER 20th:

In 1714, the coronation of Britain's King George I took place in Westminster Abbey.

In 1803, the U.S. Senate ratified the Louisiana Purchase.

In 1882, actor Bela Lugosi was born in Lugos, Kingdom of Hungary, not in a forsaken jungle Hell!

Also in 1882, actress/singer Margaret Dumont was born in Brooklyn. Years later, she’d be a vital part of the Marx Brothers’ film career.

In 1913, singer/songwriter/musician Grandpa Jones was born in Niagara, KY. He’d later appear on “Hee Haw”, which my Mom and grandparents liked a lot.

In 1935, actor Jerry Orbach was born in the Bronx, long before he started slapping the cuffs on perps.

In 1941, actress Anneke Wills was born in Berkshire, England. She’s known to Whovians for playing Polly during the Hartnell and Troughton eras.

In 1944, during World War II, Gen. Douglas MacArthur stepped ashore at Leyte in the Philippines, 2 1/2 years after saying, "I shall return."

In 1944, a series of gas storage tank explosions and fires in Cleveland killed 130 people.

In 1947, the House Un-American Activities Committee opened hearings into alleged Communist influence and infiltration in the U.S. motion picture industry.

In 1951, during a college football game between Drake University and Oklahoma A&M, Drake quarterback Johnny Bright, an African-American, was violently assaulted by Oklahoma defensive tackle Wilbanks Smith, knocking him out three times and finally breaking his jaw.

In 1961, The Soviet Union performed the first armed test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile, launching an R-13 rocket from a Golf-class sub.

In 1964, Herbert Hoover, the 31st president of the United States, died in New York at age 90.

In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson, recovering from gall bladder surgery at Bethesda Naval Medical Center, pulled up his shirt and jacket to show off his abdominal scar to reporters and photographers. (Although critics were appalled by the display, Johnson later said he was trying to dispel rumors that he'd actually been operated on for cancer.)

In 1967, on “Star Trek”, the episode “The Doomsday Machine” was broadcast on NBC-TV. It would later be nominated for a Hugo Award.

In 1968, former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy married Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis.

In 1969, John Lennon told his fellow Beatles that he was leaving the group. He agreed to withhold a public announcement, so as not to hurt sales of the upcoming “Abbey Road” album.

In 1973, in the so-called "Saturday Night Massacre," special Watergate prosecutor Archibald Cox was dismissed and Attorney General Elliot L. Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William B. Ruckelshaus resigned.

Also in 1973, the sci-fi/adventure series "The Six Million Dollar Man," starring Lee Majors, premiered on ABC-TV.

In 1977, three members of Lynyrd Skynyrd were killed in the crash of a privately-chartered plane in Mississippi. The crash took the lives of lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and backup singer Cassie Gaines.

In 1979, on “Doctor Who”, part four of “City of Death” was broadcast on BBC 1. It’s well-remembered by Whovians for a certain couple of guest stars.

In 1981, a bungled armored truck robbery carried out by members of the Black Liberation Army and the Weather Underground in Nanuet, NY, left a guard and two police officers dead.

In 1983, the Holiday cartoon “Mickey’s Christmas Carol” was released in the U.K. It was the first Disney animated short to feature Mickey Mouse in thirty years. It also featured the first cartoon appearances of Wayne Allwine as Mickey and Alan Young as Scrooge McDuck, and the last appearance of Clarence Nash as Donald Duck.

In 1989, the crime drama “Next of Kin”, starring Patrick Swayze and Liam Neeson, was released in the U.S.

In 2004, The Boston Red Sox defeated the New York Yankees in Game 7 of the AL Championship. The Red Sox had been down 3-0 in the series.

In 2006, actress Miss Jane Wyatt died in Bel-Air, CA at age 96.

In 2011, Moammar Gadhafi, age 69, Libya's dictator for 42 years, was killed as revolutionary fighters overwhelmed his hometown of Sirte and captured the last major bastion of resistance two months after his regime fell.

 

On this date in history, one of Shaw Brothers most beloved martial actors, Kwok Chun-Fung (a.k.a. Kuo Chue, Phillip Kwok) was born. A student of Taiwanese Opera, this ridiculous agile fellow could do it all: bare handed fu, circus like stunts, weapons everything. Most people probably know him as the Lizard in Five Venoms and Hard Boiled's Mad Dog (justifiably so)... but I also know and love him for these.

 

ON OCTOBER 21st:

In 2016, announcer/reporter/athletic coach Brian S. Morgan passed away in Piscataway, NJ at age 46. We'll miss him.

 

Piscataway vs. Sayreville (w/ Bri announcing):
http://vp.telvue.com/preview?id=T01255&video=291452

 

If I may...

ON OCTOBER 22nd:

In 1746, Princeton University was first chartered as the College of New Jersey.

In 1777, during the Revolutionary War, American defenders of Fort Mercer on the Delaware River repulsed repeated Hessian attacks in the Battle of Red Bank.

In 1797, French balloonist Andre-Jacques Garnerin made the first parachute descent, landing safely from a height of about 3,000 feet over Paris.

In 1836, Sam Houston was inaugurated as the first constitutionally elected president of the Republic of Texas.

In 1879, using a filament of carbonized thread, Thomas Edison tested the first practical electric incandescent light bulb, which lasted 13½ hours before burning out.

In 1883, the original Metropolitan Opera House in New York held its grand opening with a performance of Gounod's "Faust."

In 1903, was actor/comedian Curly Howard born in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn? Why, soitenly!

In 1928, Republican presidential nominee Herbert Hoover spoke of the "American system of rugged individualism" in a speech at New York's Madison Square Garden.

In 1934, bank robber Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd was shot to death by federal agents and local police at a farm near East Liverpool, OH.

In 1937, producer/studio executive Alan Ladd, Jr. was born in Los Angeles. Later, during his tenure at 20th Century Fox, he’d give vital support to some space movie George Lucas was making.

In 1938, actor/director Sir Derek Jacobi, CBE was born in Leytonstone, London, England. His later roles would include a man who doesn’t want to rule Rome, and an alien who does want to rule the Universe.

In 1939, the first televised pro football game was telecast from New York. The Brooklyn Dodgers (the football team, not Dem Bums) defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 23-14.

In 1942, actress/singer/Mouseketeer Annette Funicello was born in Utica, NY.

In 1949, the Western “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon”, starring John Wayne, was released in the U.S. It was the second film in director John Ford’s “Cavalry Trilogy”.

In 1953, the Franco-Lao Treaty of Amity and Association effectively made Laos an independent member of the French Union.

In 1962, in a nationally broadcast address, President John F. Kennedy revealed the presence of Soviet-built missile bases under construction in Cuba and announced a quarantine of all offensive military equipment being shipped to the Communist island nation.

In 1968, Apollo 7 safely splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean after orbiting the Earth 163 times.

In 1979, the U.S. government allowed the deposed Shah of Iran to travel to New York for medical treatment — a decision that precipitated the Iran hostage crisis.

In 1981, the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization was decertified by the federal government for its strike the previous August.

In 1982, the action movie “First Blood”, starring Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo, was released in the U.S.

In 1986, President Ronald Reagan signed into law sweeping tax-overhaul legislation.

In 2006, the “Doctor Who” spin-off “Torchwood” premiered on BBC 3, with the episodes “Everything Changes” and “Day One”.

In 2014, In Canada, a gunman shot to death a soldier standing guard at a war memorial, then stormed Parliament in the heart of downtown Ottawa before he was shot and killed by the usually ceremonial sergeant-at-arms.

 

If I may...

ON OCTOBER 23rd:

In 1707, the first Parliament of Great Britain, created by the Acts of Union between England and Scotland, held its first meeting.

In 1861, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus in Washington, D.C., for all military-related cases.

In 1864, forces led by Union Maj. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis repelled Confederate Maj. Gen. Sterling Price's army in the Civil War Battle of Westport in Missouri.

In 1893, actor/comedian/theatrical agent Gummo Marx was born in New York City. The youngest Marx Brother, he performed with his brothers on stage, but left the act before they went into movies.

In 1915, tens of thousands of women paraded up Fifth Avenue in New York City, demanding the right to vote.

In 1923, actor/writer/director Harold P. “Hal” Warren was born. He’s best-known for his film, “Manos, the Hands of Fate”, which has achieved notoriety of a sort.

In 1925, comedian/talk show host Johnny Carson was born in Corning, IA.

In 1935, mobster Dutch Schultz, age 34, was shot and mortally wounded with three other men during a gangland hit at the Palace Chophouse in Newark, NJ. (Schultz died the following day.)

In 1941, the Disney cartoon "Dumbo" premiered at the Broadway Theater in New York City.

In 1942, during World War II, Britain launched a major offensive against Axis forces at El Alamein in Egypt, resulting in an Allied victory.

Also in 1942, author/director/producer Michael Crichton was born in Chicago, IL.

In 1944, the World War II Battle of Leyte Gulf began, resulting in a major Allied victory against Japanese forces.

In 1945, the Brooklyn Dodgers signed Jackie Robinson. He was initially assigned to the team’s farm club, the Montreal Royals.

In 1946, The U.N. General Assembly convened for the first time, at an auditorium in Flushing, Queens, New York City.

In 1956, a student-sparked revolt against Hungary's Communist rule began; as the revolution spread, Soviet forces started entering the country, and the uprising was put down within weeks.

In 1959, singer/songwriter/satirist/actor/director “Weird Al” Yankovic was born in Downey, CA.

In 1960, the Western “The Magnificent Seven” was released in the U.S.

In 1963, the Neil Simon comedy "Barefoot in the Park," starring Elizabeth Ashley and Robert Redford, opened on Broadway at the Biltmore Theater.

In 1968, the Cold War thriller “Ice Station Zebra” was released in the U.S.

In 1976, on “Doctor Who”, part four of “The Hand of Fear” was broadcast on BBC 1. It featured the last regular appearance of Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith.

In 1983, 241 U.S. service members, most of them Marines, were killed in a suicide truck-bombing at Beirut International Airport in Lebanon; a near-simultaneous attack on French forces killed 58 paratroopers.

In 1989, 23 people were killed in an explosion at Phillips Petroleum Co.'s chemical complex in Pasadena, TX.

Also in 1989, in a case that inflamed racial tensions in Boston, Charles Stuart claimed that he and his pregnant wife, Carol, had been shot in their car by a black robber. (Carol Stuart and her prematurely delivered baby died; Charles Stuart later died, an apparent suicide, after he himself was implicated.)

In 1993, the crime drama “Mitchell”, starring Joe Don Baker, was featured on “Mystery Science Theater 3000”. The episode featured the last regular appearance of Joel Hodgson as Joel Robinson, and the introduction of Michael J. Nelson as Mike Nelson.

In 2004, Ashlee Simpson walked off stage after the wrong vocal track was played during her performance on "Saturday Night Live," which revealed she was lip-synching.

In 2005, actor William Hootkins died in Santa Monica, CA at age 57. He’s arguably best-known as the ill-fated Porkins in “Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope”.

In 2012, the James Bond movie “Skyfall”, starring Daniel Craig as 007, premiered in London.

Also in 2012, after 38 years, the world's first teletext service (the BBC’s Ceefax) ceased broadcasting due to Northern Ireland completing the digital switchover.

In 2015, The lowest sea-level pressure in the Western Hemisphere, and the highest reliably-measured non-tornadic sustained winds (to date), were recorded in Hurricane Patricia, which struck Mexico hours later, killing at least 13 and causing over $280 million in damages.

 

A favorite Carson moment, featuring Ed Ames:

 

If I may...

ON OCTOBER 24th:

In 1537, Jane Seymour, the third wife of England's King Henry VIII, died 12 days after giving birth to Prince Edward, later King Edward VI.

In 1648, the Peace of Westphalia ended the Thirty Years War and effectively destroyed the Holy Roman Empire.

In 1857, Sheffield F.C., the world's oldest association football club still in operation, is founded in Sheffield, England.

In 1861, the first transcontinental telegraph message was sent by Chief Justice Stephen J. Field of California from San Francisco to President Abraham Lincoln in Washington, D.C., over a line built by the Western Union Telegraph Co.

In 1915, writer/artist Bob Kane, co-creator of Batman, was born in New York City.

In 1929, the crash of the New York Stock Exchange began on “Black Thursday”.

In 1933, actor John Winston was born in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, England. He’s best-known for playing Lt. Kyle in the original series “Star Trek”, later reprising the role in “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan”.

In 1936, the short story "The Devil and Daniel Webster" by Stephen Vincent Benet was published in The Saturday Evening Post.

Also in 1936, singer/songwriter/musician/Rolling Stone Bill Wyman was born in Lewisham, London, England.

In 1939, Benny Goodman and His Orchestra recorded their signature theme, "Let's Dance," for Columbia Records in New York.

Also in 1939, DuPont began publicly selling its nylon stockings in Wilmington, DE.

In 1940, the 40-hour work week went into effect under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938.

In 1945, the United Nations officially came into existence as its charter took effect.

In 1952, Republican presidential candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower declared in Detroit, "I shall go to Korea" as he promised to end the conflict. (He made the visit over a month later.)

In 1962, a naval quarantine of Cuba ordered by President John F. Kennedy went into effect during the missile crisis.

Also in 1962, the thriller “The Manchurian Candidate”, starring Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey and Angela Lansbury, was released in the U.S.

In 1969, the Western “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”, starring Paul Newman, Robert Redford and Katherine Ross, premiered in New York City.

In 1972, Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson, who'd broken Major League Baseball's color barrier in 1947, died in Stamford, CT, at age 53.

In 1980, the merchant freighter SS Poet departed Philadelphia, bound for Port Said, Egypt, with a crew of 34 and a cargo of grain; it disappeared en route and has not been heard from since.

In 1991, producer/screenwriter Gene Roddenberry died in Santa Monica, CA at age 70.

In 1992, the Toronto Blue Jays became the first non-U.S. team to win the World Series as they defeated the Atlanta Braves, 4-3, in Game 6.

In 2002, authorities apprehended Army veteran John Allen Muhammad and teenager Lee Boyd Malvo near Myersville, MD, in the Washington-area sniper attacks. (Malvo was later sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole; Muhammad was sentenced to death and executed in 2009.)

In 2004, Arsenal Football Club lost to Manchester United, ending a row of unbeaten matches at 49 matches, which is the record in the Premier League.

In 2005, Hurricane Wilma made landfall in Florida, resulting in 35 direct and 26 indirect fatalities and causing $20.6 billion in damage.

 

If I may...

ON OCTOBER 25th:

In 1415, during the Hundred Years' War, outnumbered English soldiers led by Henry V defeated French troops in the Battle of Agincourt in northern France.

In 1760, Britain's King George III succeeded his late grandfather, George II.

In 1812, during the War of 1812, the American frigate USS United States, commanded by Stephen Decatur, captured the British frigate HMS Macedonian.

In 1854, during the Crimean War, the "Charge of the Light Brigade" took place during the Battle of Balaclava, as an English brigade of more than 600 men charged the Russian army, suffering heavy losses.

In 1924, actor Billy Barty was born in Washington, PA.

In 1929, former Interior Secretary Albert B. Fall was convicted in Washington, D.C. of accepting a $100,000 bribe from oil tycoon Edward L. Doheny. (Fall was sentenced to a year in prison and fined $100,000; he ended up serving nine months.)

In 1935, engineer/pilot/astronaut/executive Russel “Rusty” Schweickart, LM Pilot for Apollo 9, was born in Neptune Township, NJ.

In 1944, during World War II, the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the largest naval battle in history, took place in and around the Philippines between the Imperial Japanese Navy and the U.S. Third and U.S. Seventh Fleets.

In 1945, Taiwan became independent of Japanese colonial rule.

In 1954, a meeting of President Dwight D. Eisenhower's Cabinet was carried live on radio and television; to date, it's the only presidential Cabinet meeting to be broadcast.

In 1957, mob boss Albert Anastasia of "Murder Inc." notoriety was shot to death by masked gunmen in a barber shop inside the Park Sheraton Hotel in New York.

Also in 1957, the sci-fi movie “The Amazing Colossal Man”, produced, directed and co-written by Bert I. Gordon, opened in New York City.

In 1962, during a meeting of the U.N. Security Council, U.S. Ambassador Adlai E. Stevenson II demanded that Soviet Ambassador Valerian Zorin confirm or deny the existence of Soviet-built missile bases in Cuba, saying he was prepared to wait "until hell freezes over" for an answer; Stevenson then presented photographic evidence of the bases to the Council.

In 1964, The Rolling Stones made their first appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” So many people complained that Sullivan said he’d never invite them back, but they made further appearances, starting in 1965.

In 1971, the U.N. General Assembly voted to admit mainland China and expel Taiwan.

In 1975, on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”, the episode “Chuckles Bites the Dust” was broadcast on CBS-TV.

In 1978, the horror movie “Halloween”, starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasance, and directed by John Carpenter, was released in the U.S.

In 1980, on “Doctor Who”, part one of “Full Circle” was broadcast on BBC 1. It was the first episode of the “E-Space Trilogy”, and featured the first appearance of Matthew Waterhouse as Adric.

In 1982, the sit-com “Newhart”, starring Bob Newhart, premiered on CBS-TV.

In 1983, a U.S.-led force invaded Grenada at the order of President Ronald Reagan, who said the action was needed to protect U.S. citizens there.

In 1986, on “Doctor Who” part four of “Mindwarp”, the second segment of the “Trial of a Time Lord” series, was broadcast on BBC 1. It featured the last regular appearance of Nicola Bryant as Peri Brown.

In 1993, actor Vincent Price died in Los Angeles at age 82.

In 1994, Susan Smith of Union, SC, claimed that a black carjacker had driven off with her two young sons (Smith later confessed to drowning the children in John D. Long Lake, and was convicted of murder).

 

25 October 2016: Bob Hoover died. WW2 fighter pilot, escaped German PoW camp and stole a FW190 fighter plane and flew it to friendly territory, backup and chase pilot for close friend Chuck Yeager when he broke the sound barrier, long-time test pilot and unbelievable airshow pilot, described by Jimmy Doolittle as the greatest stick and rudder pilot who ever lived. Read his autobiography, Forever Flying.



https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2016/october/26/aviation-legend-bob-hoover-dies-at-94

 

If I may...

ON OCTOBER 26th:

In 1774, The First Continental Congress adjourned in Philadelphia.

In 1775, King George III of Great Britain went before Parliament to declare the American colonies in rebellion, and authorized a military response to quell the American Revolution.

In 1825, The Erie Canal opened, connecting Lake Erie and the Hudson River in upstate New York.

In 1861, the legendary Pony Express officially ceased operations, giving way to the transcontinental telegraph. (The last run of the Pony Express was completed the following month.)

In 1863, The Football Association, the oldest football association in the world, was formed in London.

In 1881, Wyatt Earp, his two brothers Morgan and Virgil, and "Doc" Holliday confronted Ike Clanton's gang in a gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone, AZ. Three members of Clanton's gang were killed; Wyatt Earp's brothers were wounded. (Rumors that a Time Lord and/or Star Fleet officers were present at the gunfight have not been confirmed.)

In 1911, Gospel singer Mahalia Jackson was born in New Orleans.

In 1940, the P-51 Mustang made its maiden flight.

In 1942, during World War II, in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands during the Guadalcanal Campaign, one U.S. aircraft carrier, U.S.S. Hornet, was sunk and another, U.S.S. Enterprise, was heavily damaged, while two Japanese carriers and one cruiser were heavily damaged.

In 1944, the Battle of Leyte Gulf ended in a major Allied victory over Japanese forces, whose naval capabilities were badly crippled.

In 1952, the documentary series “Victory at Sea” premiered on NBC-TV.

In 1959, the song “El Paso”, written and sung by Marty Robbins, was released as a single.

In 1962, the thriller “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane”, starring Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, premiered in New York City.

In 1965, The Beatles received MBE medals as Members of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire from Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.

In 1969, the Hammer sci-fi movie “Moon Zero Two”, billed as the first “space Western”, was released in the U.K.

In 1984, a newborn with a severe heart defect was given the heart of a baboon in an experimental transplant in Loma Linda, Calif. She lived for 21 more days.

Also in 1984, the sci-fi movie “The Terminator”, starring Arnold Schwarzenggar in the title role, was released in the U.S.

In 1994, Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty.

In 2001, President George W. Bush signed the USA Patriot Act, giving authorities unprecedented ability to search, seize, detain or eavesdrop in their pursuit of possible terrorists.

In 2002, a hostage siege by Chechen rebels at a Moscow theater ended with 129 of the 800-plus captives dead, most from a knockout gas used by Russian special forces who stormed the theater.

In 2005, the “Curse of the Bambino” was broken when the Chicago White Sox won their first World Series since 1917 by defeating the Houston Astros 1-0 in Game 4.

 

If I may...

ON OCTOBER 27th:

In 1682, Philadelphia, PA was founded.

In 1787, the first of the Federalist Papers, a series of essays calling for ratification of the United States Constitution, was published.

In 1858, Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the U.S., was born in New York City.

In 1880, Theodore Roosevelt married his first wife, Alice Lee.

In 1904, the first New York City Subway line opened.

In 1914, during World War I, the British super-dreadnought battleship HMS Audacious was sunk off Tory Island, north-west of Ireland, by a minefield laid by the armed German merchant-cruiser Berlin. The loss was kept an official secret in Britain until November 14th, 1918, three days after the end of the war.

In 1915, producer Harry Saltzman was born in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. He’d later go on to co-produce the first nine James Bond movies, and produce the three theatrical Harry Palmer movies.

In 1938, Du Pont announced a name for its new synthetic yarn: "nylon."

In 1939, actor/comedian/writer/producer/Python John Cleese was born in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England.

In 1947, "You Bet Your Life," starring Groucho Marx, premiered on ABC Radio. (It later became a television show on NBC.)

In 1953, actor/singer Robert Picardo was born in Philadelphia, PA. He later play the Doctor (no, not The Doctor) on “Star Trek: Voyager”.

In 1954, U.S. Air Force Col. Benjamin O. Davis Jr. was promoted to brigadier general, the first black officer to achieve that rank in the USAF.

Also in 1954, Walt Disney's first television program, titled "Disneyland" after the yet-to-be completed theme park, premiered on ABC.

In 1955, the drama “Rebel Without a Cause”, starring James Dean, was released in the U.S.

In 1956, Clarence “Frogman” Henry's song "Ain't Got No Home" was released.

In 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, a U-2 reconnaissance aircraft was shot down while flying over Cuba, killing the pilot, U.S. Air Force Maj. Rudolf Anderson Jr.

In 1978, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin were named winners of the Nobel Peace Prize for their progress toward achieving a Middle East accord.

In 1995, a sniper killed one soldier and wounded 18 others at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. (Paratrooper William J. Kreutzer was convicted in the shootings, and condemned to death; the sentence was later commuted to life in prison.)

In 1997, stock markets around the world crashed because of fears of a global economic meltdown, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeting 554.26 points to 7,161.15.

In 1999, gunmen opened fire in the Armenian Parliament, killing Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan, Parliament Chairman Karen Demirchyan, and six other members.

In 2004, the Boston Red Sox won their first World Series since 1918, sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 4, 3-0. Contrary to what a certain correspondent hastily and inaccurately wrote, this is when the “Curse of the Bambino” was broken. Said correspondent has corrected his files.

In 2014, Britain withdrew its forces from Afghanistan after the end of Operation Herrick, which started on June 20, 2002, after twelve years, four months and seven days.