Highlight in History: |
On October 17th, 1979, Mother
of India was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
On this date:
In 1777, British forces under
General John Burgoyne surrendered to American
troops in Saratoga, New York, in a turning point
of the Revolutionary War.
In 1919, the Radio
Corporation of America was created.
In 1931, mobster
Al Capone was convicted of income tax evasion and
sentenced to eleven years in prison. (He was
released in 1939.)
In 1933, Albert
in the United States as a refugee from Nazi
In 1945, Colonel
Juan Peron staged a coup, becoming absolute ruler
In 1957, French
author Albert Camus was awarded the Nobel Prize
In 1978, President
Carter signed a bill restoring US citizenship to
Confederate President Jefferson Davis.
In 1989, an
earthquake measuring seven-point-one on the
Richter scale struck northern California, killing
67 people and causing $7 billion worth of damage.
In 1994, leaders
of Israel and Jordan initialed a draft peace
In 1997, the
remains of revolutionary Ernesto "Che"
Guevara were laid to rest in his adopted Cuba, 30
years after his execution in Bolivia.
Ten years ago: In
testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, Secretary of State James Baker said
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein "must fail if
peace is to succeed." The Cincinnati Reds
opened up a two games-to-none World Series lead,
beating the Oakland A's 5-to-4.
Five years ago:
President Clinton told wealthy contributors at a
Houston fund-raiser that "you think I raised
your taxes too much. It might surprise you to
know that I think I raised them too much,
too" -- a statement that drew criticism from
both Republicans and Democrats. A bomb exploded
aboard a Paris subway car, wounding 29 people.
The Cleveland Indians won the American League
pennant by defeating the Seattle Mariners,
4-to-0, in game six of their playoff series.
One year ago: The
FBI reported that serious crimes reported to
police declined for seventh straight year in 1998
and murder and robbery rates reached 30-year
lows. Former nurse Orville Lynn Majors was
convicted of murdering six patients at a western
Indiana hospital; the jury deadlocked on a
seventh count. (Major is serving a 360-year
"Some people always
sigh in thanking God."
Elizabeth Barrett Browning, English poet