On This Day in History - October 5th - Almanac

Today is Wednesday, Oct. 5, the 279th day of 2016 with 87 to follow.

The moon is waxing. Morning stars are Neptune, Uranus, Jupiter and Mercury. Evening stars are Venus, Saturn, Mars, Neptune and Uranus.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Libra. They include French philosopher Denis Diderot in 1713; Chester A. Arthur, 21st president of the United States, in 1829; movie pioneer Louis Lumiere in 1864; rocket pioneer Robert Goddard in 1882; restaurant entrepreneur Ray Kroc (McDonald's) and comic Larry Fine of The Three Stooges (the one with the wild, wavy hair) in 1902; British actor Donald Pleasence in 1919; political activist and defrocked priest Philip Berrigan in 1923; "Family Circus" cartoonist Bil Keane in 1922; actor Glynis Johns in 1923 (age 93); actor/comedian Bill Dana in 1924 (age 92); Vaclav Havel, first president of the Czech Republic, in 1936; football Hall of Fame member Barry Switzer in 1937 (age 79); rock singer/songwriter Steve Miller in 1943 (age 73); baseball writer and theorist Bill James in 1949 (age 67); actor Karen Allen and Irish rock musician-political activist Bob Geldof, organizer of the 1985 Live Aid famine relief concert, both in 1951 (age 65); comedian Bernie Mac in 1957; astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson in 1958 (age 58); architect Maya Lin in 1959 (age 57); race car driver Michael Andretti in 1962 (age 54); hockey Hall of Fame members Mario Lemieux and Patrick Roy, both in 1965 (age 51); actors Kate Winslet in 1975 (age 41) and Jesse Eisenberg in 1983 (age 33); heiress Nicky Hilton in 1983 (age 33) and singer Betty Who in 1991 (age 25).

On this date in history:

In 1813, the Shawnee Indian Chief Tecumseh was killed while fighting on the side of the British during the War of 1812.

In 1882, Dr. Robert Goddard, "Father of American Rocketry" and a pioneer in the theoretical exploration of space, was born in Worcester, MA.

In 1918, Germany's Hindenburg Line was broken as World War I neared an end.

In 1921, the World Series is broadcast on the radio for the first time.

In 1935, Ethiopia asks the League of Nations to act against Italy to halt Italy's conquest of the country.

In 1947, President Harry Truman delivers the first televised White House address.

In 1955, the doors to the Disneyland Hotel are thrown open to the public.

In 1970, The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is founded.

In 1994, authorities said 53 members of a secretive religious cult were found dead -- the victims of murder or suicide -- over a two-day period in Switzerland and Canada.

In 2001, Barry Bonds hit his 71st home run, most by a player in one season, breaking Mark McGwire's 1998 Major League Baseball record. The San Francisco Giants slugger finished the season with 73 homers.

In 2005, scientists announced that a form of bird flu that spread directly to humans was the real cause of a 1918 pandemic that killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide.

In 2010, Faisal Shahzad, who left an explosives-laden vehicle in New York's Times Square, planning to detonate it on a busy night, was sentenced to life in prison.

In 2011, Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Inc. and hailed by his colleagues as a "visionary and creative genius," died at age 56, two months after resigning as chief executive officer because he could "no longer meet [his] duties and expectations."

In 2012, the U.S. Labor Department reported the unemployment rate fell to 7.8 percent, its lowest level since early 2009.

In 2013, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the Pentagon would soon start recalling almost all of the 350,000 employees furloughed because of a partial government shutdown that began five days earlier. The recalls came under a new law exempting Defense Department workers from furloughs if they provide direct support to the military. The shutdown lasted through Oct. 16.

A thought for the day: "Anyone who takes himself too seriously always runs the risk of looking ridiculous; anyone who can consistently laugh at himself does not." -- Vaclav Havel