On This Day

On Oct. 21, 1944, during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, a Japanese plane struck the HMAS Australia in a suicide attack. It is widely credited with being the first kamikaze attack, though the first true kamikaze attack might not have occured until Oct. 25.

On Oct. 20, 1977, legendary Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd’s tour plane crashed in Mississippi, killing six, including lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and his sister, backup singer Cassie Gaines.

On Oct. 19, 1987, a day known as “Black Monday,” the Dow Jones Industrial Average had its largest-ever single-day drop. The crash produced fears of a long-term recession, but the market recovered quickly.

On Oct. 19, 1960, the Eisenhower administration placed an embargo on exports to Cuba, setting in motion an uneasy political relationship that continues to this day.

On Oct. 18, 1867, the Alaskan territory was formally transferred from Russian to American control.

On Oct. 17, 1931, Chicago gangster Al Capone was convicted of income tax evasion and later sentenced to 11 years in federal prison, ending his control of the Chicago underworld.

On Oct. 16, 1968, American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised black-gloved fists during the national anthem to protest racial inequality.

On Oct. 14, 1962, a United States spy plane spotted missile bases under construction in Cuba, touching off the two-week Cuban Missile Crisis.

On Oct. 13, 1943, just over a month after surrendering to the Allied Powers, the Italian government declared war on Nazi Germany, its former ally.

On Oct. 12, 1492, Christopher Columbus made landfall on a small island in the Caribbean. His historic voyage ignited the age of exploration and cross-Atlantic expansion by European settlers.

On Oct. 11, 1968, Apollo 7 was launched, beginning an 11-day mission in Earth orbit.

On Oct. 11, 1975, the sketch comedy show “NBC’s Saturday Night,” later “Saturday Night Live,” made its debut with host George Carlin.

On Oct. 10, 1973, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew resigned his office and pleaded no contest to federal income tax evasion.

On Oct. 10, 1970, Quebec Minister of Labor Pierre Laporte was kidnapped by the FLQ, a militant Quebec separatist group; he was killed seven days later.

On Oct. 9, 1967, Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara was killed by CIA operatives and members of the Bolivian army.

On Oct. 8, 1871, fires started in five cities along Lake Michigan’s coast. Within two days, thousands were dead and miles of city blocks and rural lands were razed.

On Oct. 7, 1940, Lt. Cmdr. Arthur McCollum delivered a memo that proposed aggressive action against Japan, eventually raising speculation that the U.S. government tried to provoke the attack on Pearl Harbor.

On Oct. 6, 1981, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was shot to death by Islamic militants at a military parade celebrating the eighth anniversary of Egypt’s crossing of the Suez Canal at the start of the Yom Kippur War.

On Oct. 6, 1927, “The Jazz Singer” debuted; it was the first full-length film to feature the voices of its actors.

On Oct. 5, 1582, much of Europe replaced the Julian calendar with the Gregorian calendar; the switch required the 10 days after Oct. 4 to be skipped.

On Oct. 5, 1947, in the first televised White House address, President Truman and several cabinet members, including Secretary of State George C. Marshall, asked Americans to refrain from eating meat on Tuesdays and poultry on Thursdays to help stockpile grain for starving people in Europe.

On Oct. 4, 1957, the Soviet Union put the first artificial satellite into Earth's orbit, marking the start of the Space Age.

On Oct. 4, 1918, explosions rocked the T.A. Gillespie Company Shell Loading Plant in New Jersey, killing scores of people and destroying the largest munitions factory in the world.

On Oct. 3, 1990, Germany was officially reunified after 45 years of post-war division.

On Oct. 3, 1849, famed American poet Edgar Allan Poe was discovered barely concious on a street in Baltimore; he would die four days later.

On Oct. 2, 1950, Charles Schulz’s “Peanuts” comic strip first appeared in several newspapers.

On Oct. 1, 1910, dynamite set by union member J.B. McNamara exploded and set the Los Angeles Times building ablaze, killing 21 and injuring more than 100.

On Oct. 1, 1908, the Ford Model T was introduced to the public. The Model T, called the “car for the great multitude” by Henry Ford, made cars available to the average person, revolutionizing the automobile industry.

On Sept. 30, 1882, the world’s first hydroelectric power plant, the Vulcan Street Plant, began operation in Wisconsin, producing enough energy to supply three buildings.

On Sept. 29, 1982, three people in suburban Chicago died after taking poisoned Tylenol, the first of seven victims killed by the “Tylenol Terrorist.” The case, which remains unsolved, led to the development of tamper-proof packaging.