Black Thursday, October 24, 1929, marks one of the most infamous days in financial history. It was the start of the catastrophic stock market crash that led to the Great Depression, a period of prolonged economic hardship in the United States and globally. While…
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On October 24, 1901, a wooden barrel four and a half feet tall bobbed up and down as it floated in the Niagra River, heading towards the Niagra Falls. Inside, celebrating her 63rd birthday, was a schoolteacher from Bay City, Michigan. She was preparing…
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On October 22, 1836, Sam Houston was inaugurated as the first President of the Republic of Texas, a pivotal moment in the young nation’s fight for independence. This event came after a series of historic battles and political struggles that had culminated in the…
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On October 22, 1844, nothing happened. It was a typical day in the United States, but for tens of thousands of followers of William Miller, a Baptist preacher in Massachusetts, the day was the most disappointing day of their lives because that was supposed…
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On October 20, 1947, the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) launched its infamous investigation into Communist infiltration of the Hollywood film industry, marking a pivotal moment in the early stages of the Cold War. This event became one of the most dramatic and controversial…
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On October 20, 1944, General Douglas MacArthur made good on his promise and waded ashore on Leyte Island in the Philippines. Nearly three years prior, the charismatic general had been forced to leave the islands after the Japanese invasion, but he made a promise…
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On October 19, 1987, an event that would come to be known as Black Monday sent shockwaves through the global financial markets with one of the most dramatic stock market crashes in history. On that day, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) plunged by…
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On October 18, 1540, Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto and his forces clashed with Native American warriors at the fortified town of Mabila in present-day Alabama, in one of the bloodiest encounters of de Soto’s North American expedition. This battle marked a pivotal moment…
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In the midst of a chilly and overcast day on October 18, 1867, “Seward’s Folly” finally came to completion. Now celebrated every year as Alaska Day, the date commemorates a pivotal moment in the history of the United States and the far northern frontier…
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Al Capone, one of the most notorious gangsters in American history, was convicted of tax evasion on October 17, 1931, marking the fall of a man who had built a criminal empire in Chicago. While Capone was involved in numerous illegal activities, including bootlegging,…
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