On This Day in History
Today is Saturday, Oct. 5, the 279th day of 2024 with 87 to follow.
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 philosopher Denis Diderot in 1713; Chester A. Arthur, 21st president of the United States, in 1829; filmmaker Louis Lumiere in 1864; restaurant entrepreneur Ray Kroc in 1902; comic Larry Fine of The Three Stooges in 1902; "Family Circus" cartoonist Bil Keane in 1922; actor Glynis Johns in 1923; actor/comedian Bill Dana in 1924; Football Hall of Fame member Barry Switzer in 1937 (age 87); musician Steve Miller in 1943 (age 81); musician Brian Johnson (AC/DC) in 1947 (age 77); actor Karen Allen in 1951 (age 73); musician/political activist Bob Geldof (Boomtown Rats) in 1951 (age 73); writer/filmmaker Clive Barker in 1952 (age 72); Tajik President Emomali Rahmon in 1952 (age 72); comedian/actor Bernie Mac in 1957; astrophysicist/TV personality Neil DeGrasse Tyson in 1958 (age 66); architect Maya Lin in 1959 (age 65); actor Daniel Baldwin in 1960 (age 64); musician David Bryson (Counting Crows) in 1961 (age 63); auto racer Michael Andretti in 1962 (age 62); World Golf Hall of Fame member Laura Davies in 1963 (age 61); musician Dave Dederer (Presidents of the United States of America) in 1964 (age 60); Hockey Hall of Fame member Mario Lemieux in 1965 (age 59); Hockey Hall of Fame member Patrick Roy in 1965 (age 59); actor Guy Pearce in 1967 (age 57); actor/musician Heather Headley in 1974 (age 50); musician/writer Colin Meloy (Decemberists) in 1974 (age 50); musician Brian Mashburn (Save Ferris) in 1975 (age 49); actor Parminder Nagra in 1975 (age 49); actor Scott Weinger in 1975 (age 49); actor Kate Winslet in 1975 (age 49); musician James Valentine (Maroon 5) in 1978 (age 46); musician Paul Thomas (Good Charlotte) in 1980 (age 44); actor Jesse Eisenberg in 1983 (age 41); heiress/TV personality Nicky Hilton in 1983 (age 41); NFL tight end/actor Travis Kelce in 1989 (age 35); musician Betty Who, born Jessica Anne Newham, in 1991 (age 33); actor Jacob Tremblay in 2006 (age 18).
On this date in history:
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 1989, the Dalai Lama, who advocated non-violent struggle against Chinese domination of his homeland, Tibet, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
In 1994, authorities said 53 members of a secretive religious cult called the Order of the Solar Temple 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 2023, a Russian strike on a supermarket in the village of Hroza, in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine, killed dozens of people.
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." - first Czech President Vaclav Havel
