1648 The shoemakers of Boston–the first labor organization in what would become the United States–was authorized by the Massachusetts Bay Colony. 1685 Edict of Nantes lifted by Louis XIV. The edict, signed at Nantes, France, by King Henry IV in 1598, gave the Huguenots religious liberty, civil rights and security. By revoking the Edict of Nantes, Louis XIV abrogated their religious liberties. 1812 U.S. sloop of war Wasp captures HM brig Frolic. 1813 The Allies defeat Napoleon Bonaparte at Leipzig. 1859 U.S. Marines reach Harpers Ferry, VA. Lead by Robert E Lee and JEB Stuart they assault the arsenal seized by John Brown and his followers. 1867 The Alaska territory is formally transferred to the U.S. from Russian control. 1867 The rules for American football are formulated at meeting in New York among delegates from Columbia, Rutgers, Princeton and Yale universities. 1883 The weather station at the top of Ben Nevis, Scotland, the highest mountain in Britain, is declared open. Weather stations were set up on the tops of mountains all over Europe and the Eastern United States in order to gather information for the new weather forecasts. 1910 M. Baudry is the first to fly a dirigible across the English Channel–from La Motte-Breil to Wormwood Scrubbs. 1912 The First Balkan War breaks out between the members of the Balkan League–Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece and Montenegro–and the Ottoman Empire. 1918 Czechs seize Prague and renounce Hapsburgs rule. 1919 Madrid opens a subway system. 1921 Russian Soviets grant Crimean independence. 1939 President Franklin D. Roosevelt bans war submarines from U.S. ports and waters. 1944 Lt. General Joseph Stilwell is recalled from China by president Franklin Roosevelt. 1950 The First Turkish Brigade arrives in Korea to assist the U.N. forces fighting there. 1967 A Russian unmanned spacecraft makes the first landing on the surface of Venus. 1968 US athletes Tommi Smith and John Carlos suspended by US Olympic Committee for giving black power salute while receiving their medals at the Olympic Games in Mexico City. 2003 Bolivian president Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada resigns in the wake of protests centered around Bolivias natural gas resources. 2007 Suicide attack on a motorcade in Karachi, Pakistan, kills at least 139 and wounds 450; the subject of the attack, Pakistans former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, is not harmed. Born on October 18 1896 H.L. Davis, novelist and poet. 1904 A.J. Libeling, journalist and author. 1926 Chuck Berry, rock n roll performer. 1939 Lee Harvey Oswald, assassin of President John F. Kennedy. 1926 Ntozake Shange (Paulette Williams), poet, playwright and novelist. 1950 Wendy Wasserstein, playwright (The Heidi Chronicles). 1951 Terry McMillan, novelist (Waiting to Exhale). 1952 Chuck Lorre (Charles Levine), TV writer, director, producer and composer. Created several successful sitcoms including Dharma & Greg and The Big Bang Theory. 1952 Bao Ninh (Hoang Au Phuong), Vietnamese author known for his novel The Sorrow of War about the Vietnam War, in which he served. 1956 Craig Bartlett, animator, writer; known for his work on Rugrats , Hey Arnold! and Dinosaur Train animated TV series. 1956 Martina Navratilova, Czechoslovakian-born tennis player; won a record 9 Wimbledon singles competitions. 1960 Erin Moran, actress; best known for her role as Joanie Cunningham on Happy Days TV series and its spinoff Joanie Loves Chachi. 1960 Jean-Claude Van Damme, martial artist, actor, director (Bloodsport, The Expendables 2). 1961 Wynton Marsalis, Grammy-winning jazz trumpeter; presently (2013) artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York. 1970 Jose Padilla, American terrorist convicted of conspiring with overseas terrorists in death plots; held from May 8, 2002, as an enemy combatant, he was tried in a civilian court in 2006
Posted on: Fri, 18 Oct 2013 12:38:38 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015