This Week in History
OCTOBER 13
1792 – The cornerstone of the White House was laid.
1943 – Italy declared war on Germany, its former Axis partner, during World War II.
OCTOBER 14
Michael Benedetto was born.
Fernando Pires was born.
Claire Weisz was born.
Mason Porretto was born.
1947 – U.S. Air Force Captain Charles “Chuck” Yeager became the first person to travel faster than the speed of sound.
1964 – Martin Luther King, Jr., was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in civil rights.
OCTOBER 15
David Bernstein was born.
Jake Sullivan was born.
1951 – I Love Lucy, starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, had its television debut.
1991 – Clarence Thomas got a narrow (52–48) Senate confirmation of his nomination to the Supreme Court.
OCTOBER 16
Laurice Keating was born.
Robby Schwach was born.
Buck Grottano was born.
1793 – French queen Marie Antoinette was guillotined for treason.
1978 – John Paul II was elected pope.
OCTOBER 17
Jessica Schulman was born.
1931 – Mobster Al Capone was convicted of income tax evasion for which he was sentenced to 11 years in prison.
1989 – An earthquake measuring 7.1 in magnitude killed 67 and injured over 3,000 in San Francisco.
OCTOBER 18
Blanche Brady was born.
1867 – The United States took possession of Alaska from Russia.
OCTOBER 19
1960 – The United States imposes a partial embargo on goods exported to Cuba.
1987 – The stock market crashed on what came to be known as “Black Monday.” Stocks dropped a record 508 points, or 22.6%, topping the drops on October 28 and 29 in 1929 that ushered in the Great Depression.
