In 1492 Columbus sights the isle of San Salvador. In 1777 British forces surrender to American troops in Saratoga, NY, in what proved to be a major turning point in the Revolutionary War. In 1887 Gustav Kirchoff, discoverer of the laws of spectroscopy, dies. In 1888 Thomas Edison files for a patent for the optical photograph, the first movie. In 1894 The Ohio National Guard kill 3 lynchers while rescuing a black man. In 1904 The Bank of Italy (Bank of America) opens its doors. In 1919 The Radio Corporation Of America (RCA) is created. In 1931 Chicago mobster Al Capone is convicted of tax evasion and is sentenced to 11 years in prison. (He was released in 1939.) In 1933 Albert Einstein arrives in the U.S., a refugee from Nazi Germany. In 1939 Frank Capra's "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington," starring Jean Arthur and Jimmy Stewart premieres in Washington, DC. In 1941 The U.S. destroyer Kearny is torpedoed by a German submarine off the coast of Iceland, killing eleven. In 1945 C...

In 1711 America's first black poet, Jupiter Hammon In 1780 Richard Mentor Johnson, 9th U.S. vice-president (1837-1841) In 1848 Baseball Hall-of-Famer, William "Candy" Cummings (curve ball) In 1880 Industrialist, Charles Kraft (co-founded Kraft Foods) In 1886 Scientist, Ernest Goodpasture (developed mumps vaccine) In 1893 Actress, Spring Byington (Lily-December Bride, Daisy-Laramie) In 1901 John Paul I, 263rd Roman Catholic Pope [d: 9-29-78] In 1901 Actress, Irene Ryan (Granny-Beverly Hillbillies) [d: 4-26-73] In 1904 Comedian, Jerry Colonna (worked with Bob Hope) [d: 11-21-86] In 1905 Actress, Jean Arthur (Mr. Smith Goes To Washington) [d: 6-19-91] In 1906 Businessperson, Joseph A. Albertson (Albertsons) [d: 1-20-93] In 1906 Baseball Hall-of-Famer, William "Buck" Ewing (Giants) [d: 10-20-06] In 1909 Drummer, "Cozy" Cole (Cab Calloway, Louie Armstrong) [d: 1-29-81] In 1914 Actor, Robert Lowery (Pistols 'n Petticoats) [d: 12-26-71] In 1914 Cartoonist...

In 1926 "Baby Face" by Jan Garber is #1 on the charts. In 1951 Little Richard holds his first recording session in Atlanta. In 1951 Johnnie Ray records "Cry." In 1956 Elvis Presley's first movie "Love Me Tender" is released. In 1957 Sam Cooke's "You Send Me" is released by Keen Records. In 1961 "Goodbye Cruel World" by James Darren enters the U.S. top 40 chart. In 1962 The first Motown revue hits the road with the Miracles, Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Mary Wells and Little Stevie Wonder. In 1964 Songwriter Cole Porter dies. In 1965 Leslie Uggams marries Grahame Pratt in New York. In 1966 Joan Baez is one of 124 anti-draft protestors arrested in Oakland. In 1967 "Come Back When You Grow Up" by Bobby Vee is certified gold. In 1968 Jay & the Americans record "This Magic Moment." In 1968 The New Yardbirds play their first concert at a club in London. They later change their name to Led Zeppelin. In 1969 Leonard Ch...

In 1701 The Collegiate School of Yale is founded in Killingworth, CT. In 1793 During the French Revolution, Queen Marie Antoinette is beheaded. In 1846 Dentist William T. Morton demonstrates the effectiveness of ether as an anesthetic by administering it to a patient undergoing jaw surgery in Boston. In 1859 Abolitionist John Brown leads a group of 20 men in a raid on Harper's Ferry. In 1869 A hotel in Boston becomes the first to have indoor plumbing. In 1899 Marconi demonstrates radio in the U.S. for the first time. In 1913 San Francisco hits 101 degrees, an October high-temperature record. In 1916 Margaret Sanger opens the first birth control clinic, in New York City, New York. In 1941 The comic strip "Gordo," by Gus Arriola, first appears in newspapers. In 1941 The football penalty flag is first introduced. In 1943 Chicago Mayor Ed Kelly opens the city's new subway system. In 1946 10 Nazi war criminals condemned during the Nuremberg trials are hanged. In 1957 Brita...

In 1708 Scientist, Albrecht von Haller (experimental physiology) In 1758 American teacher/lexicographer Noah Webster (Webster's Dictionary) In 1854 Irish poet/playwright Oscar Wilde In 1863 British foreign secretary Sir Austen Chamberlain (Nobel-1925) In 1886 Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion (1948-53, 55) In 1888 Dramatist, Eugene O'Neill (The Ice Man Cometh) (Nobel-1936) In 1890 Photographer, Paul Strand In 1898 U.S. Supreme Court justice William O. Douglas (1939-75) In 1886 Israeli Prime Minister David Green Ben-Gurion (1948-53, 55) In 1900 Actor, Lloyd Corrigan (The Idaho Kid, Lone Star) [d: 11-5-69] In 1900 Baseball Hall-of-Famer, Leon "Goose" Goslin (AL bat champ 1928) [d: 5-15-71] In 1903 Singer/comedian Ford Lee Washington (Buck & Bubbles) [d: 1-31-55] In 1905 Actor, Rex Bell (The Idaho Kid, Lone Star) [d: 7-4-62] In 1911 Actress, Molly O'Day (Our Gang) [d: 10-22-98] In 1919 Actress, Alice Pearce (Gladys Kravitz-Bewitched) [d: 3-3-66] In 1921 Act...