This Day in History
-
10th October 1944
WWII: Eight hundred children are gassed to death at Auschwitz
On this day in 1944, 800 Gypsy children, including more than a hundred boys between 9 and 14 years old are systematically murdered. -
11th October 1968
Apollo 7 launched
Apollo 7, the first manned Apollo mission, is launched with astronauts Walter M. Schirra, Jr.; Donn F. Eisele; and Walter Cunningham aboard. Under the command of Schirra, the crew of Apollo 7 conducted an 11-day orbit of Earth, during which the crew transmitted the first live television broadcasts from orbit. The crew also successfully performed a docking maneuver with a lunar module as preparation for the future manned lunar landing, which was accomplished by Apollo 11 in 1969. -
12th October 1492
COLUMBUS REACHES THE NEW WORLD
After sailing across the Atlantic Ocean, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus sights a Bahamian island, believing he has reached East Asia. His expedition went ashore the same day and claimed the land for Isabella and Ferdinand of Spain, who sponsored his attempt to find a western ocean route to China, India, and the fabled gold and spice islands of Asia. -
13th October 1812
Sir Isaac Brock saves Canada
During the War of 1812, British and Indian forces under Sir Isaac Brock defeat Americans under General Stephen Van Rensselaer at the Battle of Queenstown Heights, on the Niagara frontier in Ontario, Canada. The British victory, in which more than 1,000 U.S. troops were killed, wounded, or captured, effectively ended any further U.S. invasion of Canada. Sir Isaac Brock, Britain's most talented general in the war, was killed during the battle. -
14th OCtober 1947
YEAGER BREAKS SOUND BARRIER
U.S. Air Force Captain Chuck Yeager becomes the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound. -
15th OCtober1951
I Love Lucy debuts
TV's first long-running sitcom hit, I Love Lucy, debuts on this day. The show starred comedian Lucille Ball and her real-life husband, Desi Arnaz. -
16th OCtober 1934
THE LONG MARCH
The embattled Chinese Communists break through Nationalist enemy lines and begin an epic flight from their encircled headquarters in southwest China. Known as Ch'ang Cheng--the "Long March"--the retreat lasted 368 days and covered 6,000 miles, nearly twice the distance from New York to San Francisco. -
17th October 1973
OPEC ENACTS OIL EMBARGO
The Arab-dominated Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) announces a decision to cut oil exports to the United States and other nations that provided military aid to Israel in the Yom Kippur War of October 1973. According to OPEC, exports were to be reduced by 5 percent every month until Israel evacuated the territories occupied in the Arab-Israeli war of 1967. In December, a full oil embargo was imposed against the United States and several other countries, prompting a serious energy crisis in the United States and other nations dependent on foreign oil. -
18th October 1931
EDISON DIES
Thomas Alva Edison, one of the most prolific inventors in history, dies in West Orange, New Jersey, at the age of 84. -
19th October 1812
Napoleon retreats from Moscow
One month after Napoleon Bonaparte's massive invading force entered a burning and deserted Moscow, the starving French army is forced to begin a hasty retreat out of Russia. -
Originally posted by Gordonator:
Sorry for hijacking but i would like to add something...
[b]19th October 1812
Napoleon retreats from Moscow
One month after Napoleon Bonaparte's massive invading force entered a burning and deserted Moscow, the starving French army is forced to begin a hasty retreat out of Russia.
[/b]
Today is also Gordon's World of Fact 1 year old
-
20th October 1973
Sydney Opera House opens
After 15 years of construction, the Sydney Opera House is dedicated by Queen Elizabeth II. The $80 million structure, designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon and funded by the profits of the Opera House Lotteries, was built on Nennelong Point, in Sydney, Australia.
Famous for its geometric roof shells, the structure contains several large auditoriums and presents an average of 3,000 events a year to an estimated two million people. The first performance in the complex was the Australian Opera's production of Sergei Prokofiev's War and Peace, which was held in the 1,547-seat Opera Theatre. Today, the Opera House remains Sydney's best-known landmark. -
21th October 1956
Carrie Fisher born
Carrie Fisher is born to actress Debbie Reynolds and singer Eddie Fisher. Fisher grew up to co-star in the blockbuster Star Wars movie and its sequels. She wrote a best-selling novel, Postcards from the Edge, based on her struggle with drugs, and another, Surrender the Pink, inspired by her ill-fated marriage to singer Paul Simon. -
22th October 1952
Jeff Goldblum born
Actor Jeff Goldblum is born in 1952 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Goldblum studied with the prestigious Carnegie Mellon theater program while still in high school, but rather than attending college he went directly to New York to pursue acting. He immediately began landing stage roles.
He made his first film appearances in the mid 1970s. His gangly build and quirky looks landed Goldblum a series of offbeat roles in movies like The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension (1984) and Earth Girls Are Easy (1989) (the latter also starring his then-wife, actress Geena Davis). Goldblum and Davis divorced in 1990. Goldblum also received top billing in such hits as Jurassic Park (1993) and Independence Day (1996). -
23th October 1971
Disney World opens
Walt Disney World opens in Orlando, Florida -
Originally posted by Gordonator: 13th October 1971
-
Originally posted by Gordonator:
Walt happened?
[b]13th October 1971
Disney World opens
Walt Disney World opens in Orlando, Florida[/b]
Disney memory lapse har? -
Originally posted by kc_leung:
not bad. at least i know people at paying attention to my threads.Originally posted by SBS9828X:Walt happened?
Disney memory lapse har?
i go change it asap. -
24th October 1930
John Wayne debuts in his first starring role
The Big Trail opens, featuring John Wayne in his first leading role. Unfortunately, the film flopped, and Wayne played mediocre roles for the next 10 years. -
25th October 1881
Pablo Picasso born
Pablo Picasso, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the 20th century, is born in Málaga, Spain. -
26th October 1965
Beatles receive medals
The Queen of England awards the Beatles the prestigious MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) at Buckingham Palace. Lennon famously commented to a newspaper reporter, "We're more popular than Jesus Christ right now." -
Theodore Roosevelt born
17th October 1858
Theodore Roosevelt, the future 26th president of the United States, is born in New York City. A dynamic and energetic politician, Theodore Roosevelt is credited with creating the modern presidency. 27th October 1954
Disneyland debuts
Disneyland, Walt Disney's first television series, premieres on ABC. The one-hour show, introduced by Tinkerbell, presented a rotating selection of cartoons, dramas, movies, and other entertainment. The show ran for 34 years under various names, including Walt Disney Presents and The Wonderful World of Disney. The program was the longest-running prime-time series on network TV. -
AgainOriginally posted by Gordonator: Theodore Roosevelt born
17th October 1858
-
28th October 1886
STATUE OF LIBERTY DEDICATED
The Statue of Liberty, a gift of friendship from the people of France to the people of the United States, is dedicated in New York Harbor by President Grover Cleveland. 28th October 1967
Julia Roberts born
Actress Julia Roberts is born in Smyrna, Georgia. Her parents ran an acting workshop in Atlanta, where she began studying as a teenager. She made her onscreen debut at age 21, appearing in Satisfaction and Mystic Pizza in 1988.
The following year, she won a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award nomination for her role as a young diabetic mother in Steel Magnolias and later a Best Actress nomination for Pretty Woman. In 1993, she shocked the public by marrying singer Lyle Lovett, but the marriage ended quickly.
Other Roberts films include My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), Notting Hill (1999), and Erin Brockovich (2000), for which she won the Best Actress Oscar. She married cameraman Danny Moder in 2002 and gave birth to twins on November 28, 2004. -
39th October 1971
Winona Ryder born
Winona Horowitz, later known as Winona Ryder, is born near Winona, Minnesota. Her hippie parents raised her on a commune and her godfather was the counterculture guru Timothy Leary. She studied acting as a child and made her film debut at age 15, in Lucas (1986). She was soon landing leads in such offbeat but popular films as Beetlejuice (1988 ) and Heathers (1989). In 1990, she starred in Edward Scissorhands with Johnny Depp, to whom she became engaged, but the couple later broke off the engagement. Ryder won an Oscar nomination for The Age of Innocence (1993).