Today in History – October 17th

Published October 17, 2012 |

1091, London Tornado of 1091: A tornado thought to be of strength T8/F4 strikes the heart of London.
1604, Kepler’s Star: German astronomer Johannes Kepler observes a supernova in the constellation Ophiuchus.
1610, French king Louis XIII is crowned in Rheims.
1660, Nine regicides, the men who signed the death warrant of Charles I, are hanged, drawn and quartered.
1662, Charles II of England sells Dunkirk to France for 40,000 pounds.
1771, Premiere in Milan of the opera Ascanio in Alba, composed by Wolfgang Mozart, age 15.
1777, American Revolutionary War: British General John Burgoyne surrenders his army at Saratoga, New York.
1781, American Revolutionary War: British General Lord Charles Cornwallis surrenders at the Siege of Yorktown.
1800, Britain takes control of the Dutch colony of Curacao.
1806, Former leader of the Haitian Revolution, Emperor Jacques I of Haiti is assassinated after an oppressive rule.
1814, London Beer Flood occurs in London, killing nine.
1849, Frederic Chopin, Polish musician and composer (b. 1810) died.
1860, 1st The Open Championship (referred to in North America as the British Open).
1868, Laura Secord, Canadian heroine of the war of 1812 (b. 1775) died.
1888, Thomas Edison files a patent for the Optical Phonograph (1st movie).
1905, The October Manifesto issued by Tsar Nicholas II of Russia
1907, Guglielmo Marconi’s company begins 1st commercial transatlantic wireless service b/w Glace Bay, Canada and Clifden, Ireland.
1912, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia declare war on the Ottoman Empire, joining Montenegro in 1st Balkan War.
1915, Arthur Miller, American playwright (d. 2005) was born.
1917, 1st British bombing of Germany in WWI.
1918, Rita Hayworth, American dancer and film actress (d. 1987) was born.
1919, RCA is incorporated as the Radio Corporation of America.
1920, Montgomery Clift, American actor (d. 1966) was born.
1921, Tom Poston, American actor and comedian (d. 2007) was born.
1931, Al Capone convicted of income tax evasion.
1933, Albert Einstein flees Nazi Germany and moves to the US.
1937, Joseph Bruce Ismay, Titanic survivor and managing director of the White Star Line (b. 1862) died.
1938, Evel Knievel, American motorcycle daredevil (d. 2007) was born.
1941, For 1st time in WWII, a German submarine attacks an American ship.
1941, German troops execute the male population of the villages Kerdyllia in Serres, Greece.
1943, The Holocaust: Sobibor extermination camp is closed.
1956, 1st commercial nuclear power station is officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in Sellafield,in Cumbria, England.
1965, 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair closes after a two year run. More than 51 million people had attended the 2-year event.
1979, Mother Teresa awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
2007, Joey Bishop, American entertainer, member of the Rat Pack (b. 1918) died.

Chris Rivait

Chris loves history and hopes that Yesteeyear becomes a place where everyone can share their history knowledge. Chris owns an Internet Marketing company, Arrivait Marketing. He has a wonderful wife and four great children.