On This Day In History
18 October 1939. Lee Harvey Oswald, charged with the murder of John F Kennedy, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Five US government investigations concluded that he shot and killed JFK, with a telescopic rifle from the 6th floor of the Texas School Book Depository. pic.twitter.com/HqjDRW5rCw
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 18, 2022
18 October 1966. Queen Elizabeth II granted a Royal Pardon to Timothy Evans, who was wrongly convicted and hanged for murder of his wife and child in 1950 at 10 Rillington Place, London. John Christie was the real murderer. It’s one of the greatest miscarriages of justice ever. pic.twitter.com/9CPhVRg8Mu
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 18, 2022
18 October 1989. The East German Communist leader, Erich Honecker, resigned after 18 years in power, thereby paving the way to German unification. pic.twitter.com/d7KdlRbMGf
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 18, 2022
18 October 1995. Red Rum, 3 times winner of the Grand National at Aintree, died at the age of 30. Red Rum won the 1973, 1974 and 1977 Grand Nationals, and finished 2nd in 1975 and 1976 races. He was arguably the best loved British racehorse of all time. pic.twitter.com/Lw4rPYWfSC
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 18, 2022
18 October 1956. Tennis legend, Martina Navratilova, was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia. She’s one of the greatest tennis players of all time. She won a total of 18 Grand Slam Women’s Singles Titles: Wimbledon (9) US Open (4), Australian Open (3), and French Open (2). pic.twitter.com/yXp73cBNFt
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 18, 2022
18 October 2007. Journalist and critic, Alan Coren, died (aged 69). He was best known as the team captain on the popular BBC TV series, Call My Bluff. His son Giles is a Times columnist and TV and radio presenter, and his daughter Victoria presents BBC panel game Only Connect. pic.twitter.com/7KkgvXvvUy
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 18, 2022
October 19th
202 BC Battle of Zama: Hannibal Barca and the Carthaginian army are defeated by Roman legions under Scipio Africanus, ending 2nd Punic War
1781 British forces under General Charles Cornwallis sign terms of surrender to George Washington and Comte de Rochambeau at Yorktown at 2 pm, ending the US Revolutionary War
1926 Russian Politburo throws out Leon Trotsky and his followers
1943 Streptomycin, the first antibiotic remedy for tuberculosis, is isolated by researchers at Rutgers University in Pistcaway, New Jersey
1987 Black Monday: Stock markets around the world crash, including the Dow Jones stock index, which falls 508.32 points (22%), 4½ times the previous daily record
2015 US scientists from University of California find evidence life on earth may have begun 4.1 billion years ago, 300 million earlier than previously thought
Did You Know?
French C. Hopffer patents the automatic fire extinguisher in England
Today in History in 1722
Would You Believe?
Santos-Dumont proves airship manoeuverable by circling Eiffel Tower
Today in History in 1901
This day 32 years ago – 19 October 1989 – the Guildford Four were released after 14 years, having been wrongly convicted of pub bombings carried out by the Provisional IRA. For more info, pick up a copy of This Day in Irish History, available online and in all good bookshops now. pic.twitter.com/MaUafwUur6
— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) October 19, 2021
#OTD in 1909 African-American orator, activist & businesswoman Nannie Helen Burroughs opened the National Training School for Women and Girls in Washington DC, teaching Black history as well as practical skills to give women opportunities beyond housework. https://t.co/OGOpbSuW44 pic.twitter.com/uW7QltiLqm
— On This Day She (@OnThisDayShe) October 19, 2022
On this day in 1960, 52 people, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., were arrested in Atlanta after refusing to leave their seats at segregated lunch counters. To overcome racial inequality, we must confront our history. https://t.co/dfBF3t6Sac
— Equal Justice Initiative (@eji_org) October 19, 2022
19 October 1386. The University of Heidelberg held its first lecture, making it the oldest German university. In November 1386, Marsilius of Inghen, the first rector chose the college motto: “The book of learning is always open.” pic.twitter.com/Yq9rm74lAT
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 19, 2022
19 October 1781. British General, Charles Cornwallis, surrendered his army of 8,000 men to General George Washington at Yorktown, giving up any chance of winning the on-going American War of Independence. pic.twitter.com/qQuTR6WYAh
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 19, 2022
19 October 1914. British wartime licensing laws came into operation. Pubs were forced to close at 10 PM. The government was increasingly concerned about the increase of alcohol consumption in areas of the country vital to the war effort. pic.twitter.com/cPSfsMeOid
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 19, 2022
19 October 1987. The Wall Street stock market fell by 22.6 per cent, which was a greater fall on one day than during the famous Wall Street Crash of 1929. It became known as “Black Monday”. pic.twitter.com/pVxFlqEodS
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 19, 2022
Beatification is a step before actual sainthood, which is also known as "canonization." A beatified person such as Mother Teresa would have been known as "Blessed" rather than "Saint." She became the latter in 2016.
— Steve Fainer (@SteveFainer) October 19, 2022
19 October 2005. Former Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein, went on trial in Baghdad, Iraq for “crimes against humanity’”. He was eventually found guilty and executed. pic.twitter.com/LkOwKsbaRb
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 19, 2022
October 20th
1097 1st Crusaders arrive in Antioch during the First Crusade
1603 Chinese uprising in the Philippines fails after 23,000 killed
1803 US Senate ratifies the Louisiana Purchase
1917 US suffragette Alice Paul begins a 7 month jail sentence for peacefully picketing in support of the women's Suffrage (right to vote) Amendment at the White House in Washington, D.C.
1935 Communist forces end their Long March at Yan'an, in Shaanxi, China, bringing Mao Zedong to prominence
1944 US forces under General Douglas MacArthur return to the Philippines with the landing of the US 6th army on Leyte
2020 US Justice Department sues Google for illegal monopoly over search and search advertising
Did You Know?
Publication of "The Return of the King", the 3rd and final volume of "The Lord of the Rings" by J. R. R. Tolkien by George Allen and Unwin in London
Today in History in 1955
Would You Believe?
A purported bigfoot is filmed at Bluff Creek by Roger Patterson and Robert Gimlin in Northern California
Today in History in 1967
This day 140 years ago – 20 October 1881 – William Ewart Gladstone announced that the Irish National Land League, led by Charles Stewart Parnell, was proscribed.
For more info, pick up a copy of This Day in Irish History, available online and in all good bookshops now. pic.twitter.com/Egn04nOUc3
— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) October 20, 2021