On October 31, 1864 – Nevada became the 36th state to join the U.S. On October 31, 1922 – Benito Mussolini became prime minister of Italy. On October 31, 1926 – Magician Harry Houdini died of gangrene and peritonitis resulting from a ruptured appendix. His appendix had been damaged twelve days earlier when he...
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Archive for October, 2008
Today In History: October 31
Today In History: October 30
On October 30, 1831 – Escaped slave Nat Turner was apprehended in Southampton County, VA, several weeks after leading the bloodiest slave uprising in American history. On October 30, 1894 – The time clock was patented by Daniel M. Cooper of Rochester, NY. On October 30, 1938 – Orson Welles’ “The War of the...
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Today In History: October 28
On October 28, 1636 – Harvard College was founded in Massachusetts. The original name was Court of Massachusetts Bay Colony. It was the first school of higher education in America. On October 28, 1793 – Eli Whitney applied for a patent for his cotton gin. On October 28, 1886 – The Statue of Liberty...
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Today In History: October 27
On October 27, 1659 – William Robinson and Marmaduke Stevenson became the first Quakers to be executed in America. On October 27, 1880 – Theodore Roosevelt married Alice Lee. On October 27, 1904 – The New York subway system officially opened. It was the first rapid-transit subway system in America. On October 27, 1962...
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Today In History: October 26
On October 26, 1774 – The First Continental Congress of the U.S. adjourned in Philadelphia. On October 26, 1905 – Norway gained independence from Sweden. On October 26, 1949 – U.S. President Harry Truman raised the minimum wage from 40 to 75 cents an hour. On October 26, 1951 – Winston Churchill became the...
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Today In History: October 24
On October 24, 1648 – The Holy Roman Empire was effectively destroyed by the Peace of Westphalia that brought an end to the Thirty Years War. On October 24, 1795 – The country of Poland was divided up between Austria, Prussia, and Russia. On October 24, 1836 – Alonzo D. Phillips received a patent...
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Today In History: October 22
On October 22, 1746 – The College of New Jersey was officially chartered. It later became known as Princeton University. On October 22, 1797 – Andre-Jacques Garnerin made the first recorded parachute jump. He made the jump from about 3,000 feet. On October 22, 1844 – This day is recognized as “The Great Disappointment”...
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Today In History: October 20
On October 20, 1774 – The new Continental Congress, the governing body of America’s colonies, passed an order proclaiming that all citizens of the colonies “discountenance and discourage all horse racing and all kinds of gaming, cock fighting, exhibitions of shows, plays and other expensive diversions and entertainment.” On October 20, 1803 – The...
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Today In History: October 9
On October 9, 1635 – Roger Williams, founder of Rhode Island, was banished from Massachusetts because he had spoken out against punishments for religious offenses and giving away land that belonged to the Indians. Williams had founded Providence, Rhode Island as a place for people to seek religious freedom. On October 9, 1781 –...
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Today In History: October 7
On October 7, 1765 – Nine American colonies sent a total of 28 delegates to New York City for the Stamp Act Congress. The delegates adopted the “Declaration of Rights and Grievances.” On October 7, 1913 – For the first time, Henry Ford’s entire Highland Park automobile factory was run on a continuously moving...
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