October 24 - This Day in History

October 24: General Interest
1901: First barrel ride down Niagara Falls

On this day in 1901, a 63-year-old schoolteacher named Annie Edson Taylor becomes the first person to take the plunge over Niagara Falls in a barrel... read more


American Revolution
1775 : British naval fleet attacks Norfolk, Virginia
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/british-naval-fleet-attacks-norfolk-virginia


Automotive
1931 : George Washington Bridge is dedicated
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/george-washington-bridge-is-dedicated


Civil War
1862 : Union General Don Carlos Buell is replaced
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/rosecrans-replaces-buell


Cold War
1970 : Leftist Salvador Allende elected president of Chile
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/leftist-salvador-allende-elected-president-of-chile


Crime
1997 : Marv Albert faces sentencing in sexual assault case
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/marv-albert-faces-sentencing-in-sexual-assault-case


Disaster
1947 : Commuter trains collide in England
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/commuter-trains-collide-in-england


General Interest
1648 : Thirty Years War ends
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/thirty-years-war-ends

1945 : U.N. formally established
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/un-formally-established

1969 : Burton buys Liz a diamond
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/burton-buys-liz-a-diamond

2003 : The Concorde makes its final flight
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-concorde-makes-its-final-flight


Hollywood
1969 : Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid opens
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/butch-cassidy-and-the-sundance-kid-opens


Literary
1958 : Raymond Chandler starts his last novel
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/raymond-chandler-starts-his-last-novel


Music
1962 : James Brown records breakthrough Live at the Apollo album
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/james-brown-records-breakthrough-live-at-the-apollo-album


Old West
1861 : Western Union completes the first transcontinental telegraph line
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/western-union-completes-the-first-transcontinental-telegraph-line


Presidential
1951 : Truman declares war with Germany officially over
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/truman-declares-war-with-germany-officially-over


Sports
1992 : Toronto Blue Jays finally win a World Series for Canada
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/toronto-blue-jays-finally-win-a-world-series-for-canada


Vietnam War
1954 : U.S. president pledges support to South Vietnam
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/us-president-pledges-support-to-south-vietnam

1966 : Manila Conference attendees issue "Declaration of Peace"
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/manila-conference-attendees-issue-declaration-of-peace


World War I
1917 : Battle of Caporetto
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/battle-of-caporetto


World War II
1945 : The United Nations is born
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-united-nations-is-born

October 23 - This day in History

October 23: General Interest
2002: Hostage crisis in Moscow theater

On October 23, 2002, about 50 Chechen rebels storm a Moscow theater, taking up to 700 people hostage during a sold-out performance of a popular musical... read more


American Revolution
1777 : British fleet suffers defeat at Fort Mifflin, Pennsylvania
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/british-fleet-suffers-defeat-at-fort-mifflin-pennsylvania


Automotive
1983 : U.S. Embassy in Beirut hit by massive car bomb
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/us-embassy-in-beirut-hit-by-massive-car-bomb


Civil War
1864 : Yankees and Rebels clash at the Battle of Westport
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/battle-of-westport-missouri


Cold War
1956 : Hungarian protest turns violent
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/hungarian-protest-turns-violent


Crime
1998 : An abortion-performing doctor is murdered
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/an-abortion-performing-doctor-is-murdered


Disaster
1989 : Gas leak kills 23 at plastics factory
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/gas-leak-kills-23-at-plastics-factory


General Interest
42 B.C. : Brutus commits suicide
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/brutus-commits-suicide

1855 : Rival governments in bleeding Kansas
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/rival-governments-in-bleeding-kansas

1983 : Beirut barracks blown up
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/beirut-barracks-blown-up


Hollywood
1925 : Johnny Carson is born
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/johnny-carson-is-born


Literary
1942 : Michael Crichton is born
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/michael-crichton-is-born


Music
1976 : Chicago has its first #1 hit with "If You Leave Me Now"
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/chicago-has-its-first-1-hit-with-quotif-you-leave-me-nowquot


Old West
1813 : American fur traders turn over Astoria, Oregon, to the British
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/american-fur-traders-turn-over-astoria-oregon-to-the-british


Presidential
1890 : President Benjamin Harrison extends borders of Nebraska
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/president-benjamin-harrison-extends-borders-of-nebraska


Sports
1993 : Carter homers to win World Series
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/carter-homers-to-win-world-series


Vietnam War
1965 : 1st Cavalry Division launches Operation Silver Bayonet
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/1st-cavalry-division-launches-operation-silver-bayonet

1972 : U.S. negotiators ask for further talks in Paris
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/us-negotiators-ask-for-further-talks-in-paris


World War I
1921 : Unknown Soldier is selected
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/unknown-soldier-is-selected


World War II
1941 : Soviets switch commanders in drive to halt Germans
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/soviets-switch-commanders-in-drive-to-halt-germans

October 22 - This day in History

October 22: General Interest
1962: Cuban Missile Crisis

In a televised speech of extraordinary gravity, President John F. Kennedy announces that U.S. spy planes have discovered Soviet missile bases in Cuba. These missile sites-under construction but nearing completion-housed medium-range missiles capable of striking a number of major cities in the United States... read more


American Revolution
1775 : Peyton Randolph dies
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/peyton-randolph-dies


Automotive
1965 : President Lyndon Johnson signs the Highway Beautification Act
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/president-lyndon-johnson-signs-the-highway-beautification-act


Civil War
1864 : Confederates arrive at Guntersville, Alabama
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/hood-at-guntersville-alabama


Cold War
1962 : Kennedy announces blockade of Cuba during the Missile Crisis
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/kennedy-announces-blockade-of-cuba-during-the-missile-crisis


Crime
1934 : Pretty Boy Floyd is killed by the FBI
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/pretty-boy-floyd-is-killed-by-the-fbi


Disaster
1913 : Coal mine explodes in New Mexico
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/coal-mine-explodes-in-new-mexico


General Interest
1797 : The first parachutist
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-first-parachutist

1975 : Gay sergeant challenges the Air Force
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/gay-sergeant-challenges-the-air-force


Hollywood
1952 : Jeff Goldblum born
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/jeff-goldblum-born


Literary
1964 : Sartre wins and declines Nobel Prize
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/sartre-wins-and-declines-nobel-prize


Music
1811 : Pianist and composer Franz Liszt is born
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/pianist-and-composer-franz-liszt-is-born


Old West
1903 : Tom Horn is hanged in Wyoming for the murder of Willie Nickell
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/tom-horn-is-hanged-in-wyoming-for-the-murder-of-willie-nickell


Presidential
1962 : JFK announces a blockade of Cuba
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/jfk-announces-a-blockade-of-cuba


Sports
1992 : Baseball Hall of Fame announcer Red Barber dies at 84
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/baseball-hall-of-fame-announcer-red-barber-dies-at-84

2012 : Cyclist Lance Armstrong is stripped of his seven Tour de France titles
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/cyclist-lance-armstrong-is-stripped-of-his-seven-tour-de-france-titles


Vietnam War
1957 : American forces suffer first casualties in Vietnam l
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/american-forces-suffer-first-casualties-in-vietnam

1965 : 173rd Airborne trooper saves comrades
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/173rd-airborne-trooper-saves-comrades

1972 : President Thieu turns down peace proposal
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/president-thieu-turns-down-peace-proposal


World War I
1914 : Germans capture Langemarck during First Battle of Ypres
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germans-capture-langemarck-during-first-battle-of-ypres


World War II
1942 : Allies confer secretly about Operation Torch
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/allies-confer-secretly-about-operation-torch

October 21 - This Day in History

October 21: General Interest
1959: Guggenheim Museum opens in New York City

On this day in 1959, on New York City's Fifth Avenue, thousands of people line up outside a bizarrely shaped white concrete building that resembled a giant upside-down cupcake... read more


American Revolution
1779 : Henry Laurens named minister to Holland
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/henry-laurens-named-minister-to-holland


Automotive
1929 : Henry Ford dedicates the Thomas Edison Institute
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/henry-ford-dedicates-the-thomas-edison-institute


Civil War
1861 : Yankees suffer a defeat at the Battle of Ball's Bluff
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/battle-of-balls-bluff


Cold War
1967 : Thousands protest the war in Vietnam
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/thousands-protest-the-war-in-vietnam


Crime
1910 : A bomb explodes in the Los Angeles Times building
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/a-bomb-explodes-in-the-los-angeles-times-building


Disaster
1966 : Mudslide buries school in Wales
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/mudslide-buries-school-in-wales


General Interest
1797 : USS Constitution launched
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/uss-iconstitutioni-launched

1805 : Battle of Trafalgar
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/battle-of-trafalgar

1959 : Von Braun moves to NASA
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/von-braun-moves-to-nasa


Hollywood
1988 : Mystic Pizza, with Julia Roberts, opens
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/mystic-pizza-with-julia-roberts-opens


Literary
1772 : Samuel Taylor Coleridge is born
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/samuel-taylor-coleridge-is-born


Music
1917 : Dizzy Gillespie is born
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/dizzy-gillespie-is-born


Old West
1867 : Plains Indians sign key provisions of the Medicine Lodge Treaty in Kansas
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/plains-indians-sign-key-provisions-of-the-medicine-lodge-treaty-in-kansas


Presidential
1921 : Harding publicly condemns lynching
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/harding-publicly-condemns-lynching


Sports
1975 : Fisk homers off foul pole
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/fisk-homers-off-foul-pole


Vietnam War
1967 : 100,000 people march on the Pentagon
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/100000-people-march-on-the-pentagon


World War I
1918 : Germany ceases unrestricted submarine warfare
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germany-ceases-unrestricted-submarine-warfare


World War II
1941 : Germans massacre men, women, and children in Yugoslavia
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germans-massacre-men-women-and-children-in-yugoslavia

October 20 - This Day in History

October 20: General Interest
1947: Congress investigates Reds in Hollywood

On October 20, 1947, the notorious Red Scare kicks into high gear in Washington, as a Congressional committee begins investigating Communist influence in one of the world's richest... read more


American Revolution
1774 : Congress creates the Continental Association
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/congress-creates-the-continental-association


Automotive
1965 : Last Volvo PV rolls off the assembly line
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/last-volvo-pv-rolls-off-the-assembly-line


Civil War
1819 : Controversial Union General Daniel Sickles is born
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/union-general-daniel-sickles-is-born


Cold War
1947 : The Red Scare comes to Hollywood
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-red-scare-comes-to-hollywood


Crime
1990 : 2 Live Crew members are acquitted of obscenity charges
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/2-live-crew-members-are-acquitted-of-obscenity-charges


Disaster
1944 : Natural gas explosions rock Cleveland
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/natural-gas-explosions-rock-cleveland


General Interest
1827 : Battle of Navarino
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/battle-of-navarino

1935 : Mao's Long March concludes
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/maos-long-march-concludes

1944 : MacArthur returns
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/macarthur-returns

1973 : Sydney Opera House opens
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/sydney-opera-house-opens

2011 : Libyan Dictator Moammar Gadhafi is Killed
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/libyan-dictator-moammar-gadhafi-is-killed


Hollywood
1994 : Burt Lancaster dies
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/burt-lancaster-dies


Literary
1853 : French poet Arthur Rimbaud is born
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/french-poet-arthur-rimbaud-is-born


Music
1977 : Three members of the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd die in a Mississippi plane crash
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/three-members-of-the-southern-rock-band-lynyrd-skynyrd-die-in-a-mississippi-plane-crash


Old West
1803 : U.S. Senate ratifies the Louisiana Purchase
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/us-senate-ratifies-the-louisiana-purchase


Presidential
1962 : Kennedy press secretary misleads press
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/kennedy-press-secretary-misleads-press


Sports
1968 : Fosbury flops to an Olympic record
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/fosbury-flops-to-an-olympic-record


Vietnam War
1964 : Relations between South Vietnam, the United States, and Cambodia deteriorate
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/relations-between-south-vietnam-the-united-states-and-cambodia-deteriorate

1973 : Watergate special prosecutor dismissed
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/watergate-special-prosecutor-dismissed


World War I
1918 : Turks send British officer to negotiate armistice terms
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/turks-send-british-officer-to-negotiate-armistice-terms


World War II
1944 : U.S. forces land at Leyte Island in the Philippines
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/us-forces-land-at-leyte-island-in-the-philippines

October 19 - This day in History

October 19: General Interest
1781: Victory at Yorktown

Hopelessly trapped at Yorktown, Virginia, British General Lord Cornwallis surrenders 8,000 British soldiers and seamen to a larger Franco-American force, effectively bringing an end to the American Revolution... read more


American Revolution
1781 : Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/cornwallis-surrenders-at-yorktown


Automotive
1982 : John Z. DeLorean is arrested in $24 million cocaine deal
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/john-z-delorean-is-arrested-in-24-million-cocaine-deal


Civil War
1864 : Yankees are victorious at the Battle of Cedar Creek
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/battle-of-cedar-creek


Cold War
1958 : The first Cold War world's fair closes
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-first-cold-war-worlds-fair-closes


Crime
1982 : John DeLorean is arrested for drug dealing
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/john-delorean-is-arrested-for-drug-dealing


Disaster
1991 : Fire sweeps through Oakland hills
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/fire-sweeps-through-oakland-hills


General Interest
1812 : Napoleon retreats from Moscow
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/napoleon-retreats-from-moscow

1935 : Ethiopia stands alone
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/ethiopia-stands-alone

1989 : Guildford Four are cleared
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/guildford-four-are-cleared


Hollywood
1985 : First Blockbuster store opens
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-blockbuster-store-opens


Literary
1931 : John le Carre is born
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/john-le-carre-is-born


Music
1985 : "Take on Me" music video helps Norway's a-Ha reach the top the U.S. pop charts
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/quottake-on-mequot-music-video-helps-norway39s-a-ha-reach-the-top-the-us-pop-charts


Old West
1869 : Construction begins on the Sutro Tunnel in Virginia City, Nevada
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/construction-begins-on-the-sutro-tunnel-in-virginia-city-nevada


Presidential
1796 : Editorial accuses Jefferson of affair with slave
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/editorial-accuses-jefferson-of-affair-with-slave


Sports
1957 : Rocket Richard scores 500 goals
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/rocket-richard-scores-500-goals


Vietnam War
1965 : Communists attack Plei Me Special Forces camp
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/communists-attack-plei-me-special-forces-camp

1972 : Kissinger discusses draft peace treaty with President Thieu
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/kissinger-discusses-draft-peace-treaty-with-president-thieu


World War I
1914 : First Battle of Ypres
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-battle-of-ypres


World War II
1943 : Chinese and Suluks revolt against Japanese in North Borneo
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/chinese-and-suluks-revolt-against-japanese-in-north-borneo

October 18 - This day in History

October 18: General Interest
1867: U.S. takes possession of Alaska

On this day in 1867, the U.S. formally takes possession of Alaska after purchasing the territory from Russia for $7.2 million, or less than two cents an acre. The Alaska purchase comprised 586,412 square miles, about twice the size of Texas, and was championed by William Henry Seward, the enthusiasticly expansionist secretary of state under President Andrew Johnson... read more


American Revolution
1767 : Mason and Dixon draw a line
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/mason-and-dixon-draw-a-line


Automotive
1933 : R. Buckminster Fuller tries to patent his Dymaxion Car
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/r-buckminster-fuller-tries-to-patent-his-dymaxion-car


Civil War
1863 : Controversial Union General Sickles visits his troops
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/general-sickles-visits-his-troops


Cold War
1989 : East Germany and Hungary move toward democracy
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/east-germany-and-hungary-move-toward-democracy


Crime
1968 : John Lennon and Yoko Ono arrested for drug possession
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/john-lennon-and-yoko-ono-arrested-for-drug-possession


Disaster
1998 : Pipeline explosions kills 700 in Nigeria
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/pipeline-explosions-kills-700-in-nigeria


General Interest
1469 : Ferdinand and Isabella marry
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/ferdinand-and-isabella-marry

1860 : Peking's Summer Palace destroyed
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/pekings-summer-palace-destroyed

1898 : U.S. takes control of Puerto Rico
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/us-takes-control-of-puerto-rico

1931 : Edison dies
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/edison-dies


Hollywood
1988 : Roseanne debuts
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/roseanne-debuts


Literary
1951 : Terry McMillan is born
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/terry-mcmillan-is-born


Music
1974 : Soul singer Al Green is attacked in his own bathtub
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/soul-singer-al-green-is-attacked-in-his-own-bathtub


Old West
1867 : The United States formally takes possession of Alaska from Russia
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-united-states-formally-takes-possession-of-alaska-from-russia


Presidential
1962 : JFK records his impressions of secret meetings
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/jfk-records-his-impressions-of-secret-meetings


Sports
1977 : Mr. October hits three homers in three swings
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/mr-october-hits-three-homers-in-three-swings


Vietnam War
1955 : Emperor Bao Dai attempts to dismiss Diem
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/emperor-bao-dai-attempts-to-dismiss-diem

1968 : Stock market soars with rumors of bombing halt in Vietnam
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/stock-market-soars-with-rumors-of-bombing-halt-in-vietnam


World War I
1915 : Third Battle of the Isonzo
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/third-battle-of-the-isonzo


World War II
1942 : Vice Admiral Halsey named new commander of the South Pacific
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/vice-admiral-halsey-named-new-commander-of-the-south-pacific