On November 7th 1980, the actor Steve McQueen, one of Hollywood’s leading men of the 1960s and 1970s and the star of such action thrillers as Bullitt and The Towering Inferno, died at the age of 50 in Mexico, where he was undergoing an experimental treatment for cancer. In 1979, McQueen had been diagnosed with … Continue reading November 7 1980 Steve McQueen dies
Category: Daily History
On This Day In History
November 6 1962 UN condemns apartheid
On November 6th 1962, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution condemning South Africa's racist apartheid policies and calling on all its members to end economic and military relations with the country. In effect from 1948 to 1993, apartheid, which comes from the Afrikaans word for "apartness," was government-sanctioned racial segregation and political and … Continue reading November 6 1962 UN condemns apartheid
November 5 1605 King James learns of gunpowder plot (Guy Fawkes)
On November 6th 1605, early in the morning, King James I of England learned that a plot to explode the Parliament building had been foiled, hours before he was scheduled to sit with the rest of the British government in a general parliamentary session. At about midnight on the night of November 4-5, Sir Thomas … Continue reading November 5 1605 King James learns of gunpowder plot (Guy Fawkes)
November 4, 1922 Entrance to King Tut’s tomb discovered
British archaeologist Howard Carter and his workmen discover a step leading to the tomb of King Tutankhamen in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. When Carter first arrived in Egypt in 1891, most of the ancient Egyptian tombs had been discovered, though the little-known King Tutankhamen, who had died when he was 18, was … Continue reading November 4, 1922 Entrance to King Tut’s tomb discovered
November 3 1976 Carrie creeps out audiences
On November 3rd 1976, Carrie, a horror film starring Sissy Spacek and based on Stephen King’s 1974 best-selling first novel, opened in theatres around the United States. Directed by Brian De Palma, the film tells the story of high school outcast Carrie White, who uses her telekinetic powers to exact a violent revenge on her … Continue reading November 3 1976 Carrie creeps out audiences
November 2 1982 Truck explosion kills 3,000 in Afghanistan
On November 2nd 1982, a truck exploded in the Salang Tunnel in Afghanistan, killing an estimated 3,000 people, mostly Soviet soldiers travelling to Kabul. The Soviet Union's military foray into Afghanistan was disastrous by nearly every measure, but perhaps the worst single incident was the Salang Tunnel explosion in 1982. A long army convoy was … Continue reading November 2 1982 Truck explosion kills 3,000 in Afghanistan
November 1 1512 Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling opens to public
On November 1st 1512, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome, one of Italian artist Michelangelo's finest works, was exhibited to the public for the first time. Michelangelo Buonarroti, the greatest of the Italian Renaissance artists, was born in the small village of Caprese in 1475. The son of a government administrator, he grew … Continue reading November 1 1512 Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling opens to public
October 31 1984 Prime minister Indira Ghandi of India is assassinated
On October 31st 1984, Indira Gandhi, the prime minister of India, was assassinated in New Delhi by two of her own bodyguards. Beant Singh and Satwant Singh, both Sikhs, emptied their guns into Gandhi as she walked to her office from an adjoining bungalow. Although the two assailants immediately surrendered, they were both shot in … Continue reading October 31 1984 Prime minister Indira Ghandi of India is assassinated
October 30 1938 Orson Welles scares a nation
On October 30th 1938, Orson Welles caused a nationwide panic with his broadcast of "War of the Worlds," a realistic radio dramatisation of a Martian invasion of Earth. Orson Welles was only 23 years old when his Mercury Theatre company decided to update H.G. Wells' 19th-century science fiction novel War of the Worlds for national … Continue reading October 30 1938 Orson Welles scares a nation
October 29 1929 Stock market crashes
On October 29th 1929, Black Tuesday hit Wall Street when investors traded 16,410,030 shares on the New York Stock Exchange in a single day. Billions of dollars were lost, wiping out thousands of investors, and stock tickers ran hours behind because the machinery could not handle the tremendous volume of trading. In the aftermath of … Continue reading October 29 1929 Stock market crashes
October 28 1961 Chuck Berry goes on trial for the second time
On October 28th 1961, the second so-called "Apache trial" began for rock-and-roller Chuck Berry. Although his earlier conviction for transporting a minor across state lines for immoral purposes in violation of the Mann Act was thrown out on appeal, the prosecution decided to retry Berry. Born October 18th 1926 into a middle-class family in St. … Continue reading October 28 1961 Chuck Berry goes on trial for the second time
October 27 1970 Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber release Jesus Christ Superstar
On October 27th 1970, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, who would go on to become the most successful composer-lyricist team in modern theatre history, released a double-LP "concept" album called Jesus Christ Superstar, which only later would become the smash-hit Broadway musical of the same name. From the late 1950s to the mid 1960s, … Continue reading October 27 1970 Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber release Jesus Christ Superstar
October 26 1881 Gunfight at the OK Corral
On October 26th 1881, the Earp brothers faced off against the Clanton-McLaury gang in a legendary shootout at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. After silver was discovered nearby in 1877, Tombstone quickly grew into one of the richest mining towns in the Southwest. Wyatt Earp, a former Kansas police officer working as a bank … Continue reading October 26 1881 Gunfight at the OK Corral
October 25 1980 AC/DC earn their first Top 40 hit with “You Shook Me All Night Long”
On October 25th 1980, AC/DC earned their first pop Top 40 hit with "You Shook Me All Night Long." Back when they were releasing albums like Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (1977), AC/DC would have seemed an unlikely candidate to become one of the top-selling pop-music acts of all time. But over the course of … Continue reading October 25 1980 AC/DC earn their first Top 40 hit with “You Shook Me All Night Long”
October 24 1962 James Brown records breakthrough Live at the Apollo album
On October 24th 1962, James Brown took a major step toward his eventual crossover to, and conquest of, the mainstream with an electrifying performance on black America's most famous stage—a performance recorded and later released as Live at the Apollo (1963), the first breakthrough album of his career. James Brown began his professional career at … Continue reading October 24 1962 James Brown records breakthrough Live at the Apollo album
October 23 1925 Johnny Carson is born
On October 23rd 1925, John William Carson, who would become known to most of America as the longtime host of the popular late-night TV program The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, was born in Corning, Iowa. As host of the highly rated Tonight Show, which aired on NBC from 1962 to 1992, Carson became a … Continue reading October 23 1925 Johnny Carson is born
October 22 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis
On October 22nd 1962, in a televised speech of extraordinary gravity, President John F. Kennedy announced that U.S. spy planes had discovered Soviet missile bases in Cuba. These missile sites, under construction but nearing completion, housed medium-range missiles capable of striking a number of major cities in the United States, including Washington, D.C. Kennedy announced … Continue reading October 22 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis
October 21 1805 Battle of Trafalgar
On October 21st 1825, in one of the most decisive naval battles in history, a British fleet under Admiral Lord Nelson defeated a combined French and Spanish fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar, fought off the coast of Spain. At sea, Lord Nelson and the Royal Navy consistently thwarted Napoleon Bonaparte, who led France to … Continue reading October 21 1805 Battle of Trafalgar
October 20 1994 Burt Lancaster dies
On this day in 1994, Burt Lancaster, a former circus performer who rose to fame as a Hollywood leading man with some 70 movies to his credit, including From Here to Eternity and Atlantic City, in a career that spanned more than four decades, died of a heart attack at the age of 80 in … Continue reading October 20 1994 Burt Lancaster dies
October 19 1931 Novelist John le Carre is born
On October 19th 1931, David Cornwell, later known as spy novelist John le Carre, was born in Poole, England. Le Carre's father was a charming, dishonest con man who ran up millions of dollars in debt, snookered friends and family on phantom deals, and spent time in jail for embezzlement. Charismatic and delightful company, Ron … Continue reading October 19 1931 Novelist John le Carre is born
October 18 1860 Peking’s Summer Palace destroyed
On October 18th 1860, British troops occupying Peking, China, looted and then burnt the Yuanmingyuan, the fabulous summer residence built by the Manchu emperors in the 18th century. China's Qing leadership surrendered to the Franco-British expeditionary force soon after, ending the Second Opium War and Chinese hopes of reversing the tide of foreign domination in … Continue reading October 18 1860 Peking’s Summer Palace destroyed
October 17 1931 Al Capone goes to prison
On October 17th 1931, gangster Al Capone was sentenced to 11 years in prison for tax evasion and fined $80,000, signalling the downfall of one of the most notorious criminals of the 1920s and 1930s. Alphonse Gabriel Capone was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1899 to Italian immigrants. He was expelled from school at … Continue reading October 17 1931 Al Capone goes to prison
October 16 1934 “The Long March” begins in China’s southwest
On October 16th 1934, the embattled Chinese Communists broke through Nationalist enemy lines and began an epic flight from their encircled headquarters in southwest China. Known as Ch'ang Cheng, the "Long March", the retreat lasted 368 days and covered 6,000 miles, nearly twice the distance from New York to San Francisco. Civil war in China … Continue reading October 16 1934 “The Long March” begins in China’s southwest
October 15 1917 Mata Hari executed
On October 15th 1917, Mata Hari, the archetype of the seductive female spy, was executed for espionage by a French firing squad at Vincennes outside of Paris. She first came to Paris in 1905 and found fame as a performer of exotic Asian-inspired dances. She soon began touring all over Europe, telling the story of … Continue reading October 15 1917 Mata Hari executed
October 14 1975 Trial begins in Amityville murders
On October 14th 1975, Ronald DeFeo Jr. went on trial for the killings of his parents and four siblings in their Amityville, New York, home. The family’s house was later said to be haunted and served as the inspiration for the Amityville Horror book and movies. On the evening of November 13, 1974, Ronald “Butch” … Continue reading October 14 1975 Trial begins in Amityville murders
Craig Hill 