On This Day in History - October 14th - Almanac

Today is Monday, Oct. 14, the 288th day of 2024 with 78 to follow.

This is Columbus Day in the United States.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Libra. They include King James II of England in 1633; William Penn, the English Quaker who founded Pennsylvania, in 1644; Dwight D. Eisenhower, World War II military leader/34th president of the United States, in 1890; poet E.E. Cummings in 1894; Baseball Hall of Fame member Oscar Charleston in 1896; Nobel Peace Prize laureate Le Duc Tho in 1911; former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop in 1916; actor Roger Moore in 1927; Watergate figure/writer/lecturer John Dean in 1938 (age 86); fashion designer Ralph Lauren in 1939 (age 85); musician Cliff Richard (Shadows) in 1940 (age 84); musician Justin Hayward (Moody Blues) in 1946 (age 78); actor Harry Anderson in 1952; actor Greg Evigan in 1953 (age 71); Golf Hall of Fame member Beth Daniel in 1956 (age 68); musician Thomas Dolby (Fallout Club) in 1958 (age 66); actor Lori Petty in 1963 (age 61); radio personality Jim Rome in 1964 (age 60); actor Steve Coogan in 1965 (age 59); actor Jon Seda in 1970 (age 54); musician Natalie Maines (Chicks) in 1974 (age 50); musician Tricia "Shaznay" Lewis (All Saints) in 1975 (age 49); musician/actor Usher Raymond IV in 1978 (age 46); wrestler Stacy Keibler in 1979 (age 45); actor Ben Whishaw in 1980 (age 44); actor/comedian Jay Pharoah in 1987 (age 37); actor Max Thieriot in 1988 (age 36); actor Ariela Barer in 1998 (age 26); actor Rowan Blanchard in 2001 (age 23).

On this date in history:

In 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, better known as William the Conqueror, led his invading army to victory over England's King Harold at Hastings.

In 1322, Scotland's Robert the Bruce defeats King Edward II of England at Old Byland, forcing Edward to accept Scotland's independence.

In 1884, George Eastman received his first "film" patent No. US306594 A for negative paper. While this was a paper film, not the transparent film that many who were taking photographs prior to the advent of the iPhone might remember, it was not met with much success. It was, however, an important step in the development process and its improved versions were incorporated into Kodak's first camera which was introduced in 1888.

In 1908, the Chicago Cubs beat the Detroit Tigers, 2-0, clinching the World Series.

In 1912, former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, campaigning for a return to office, was shot in Milwaukee. He refused to have the wound treated until he finished his speech. Speaking later with his surgeon, Roosevelt would joke, "They will have to use higher caliber lead than that if they want to get me. It would take a Howitzer to kill a bull moose.

In 1926, A.A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh was published.

In 1933, Nazi Germany, angry and steeling herself to any consequences, announced her withdrawal from the League of Nations and the World Disarmament Conference."

In 1947, U.S. Air Force Capt. Chuck Yeager, 24, flying a Bell X-1, became the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound.

In 1964, U.S. civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., 35, became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He accepted the prize on behalf of "all men who love peace and brotherhood.

In 1964, Nikita Khrushchev was ousted as premier of the Soviet Union and leader of the Soviet Communist party.

In 1992, the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Oakland A's, 4 games to 2, to win the American League pennant and become the first Canadian team to go to the World Series.

In 1994, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded jointly to two Israelis, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

In 2012, Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner became the first person to break the sound barrier without the protection or propulsion of a vehicle.

In 2022, Harry Potter and James Bond actor Robbie Coltrane died at the age of 72.

A thought for the day: "Bureaucracy, the rule of nobody." -- German-American philosopher Hannah Arendt