The US implemented a blockade of Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Aachen was captured by American troops in WWII, the Highway Beautification Act was signed to clean up American highways, PATCO was decertified in 1981, India launched its first lunar mission in 2008, and more events.
US President John F. Kennedy ordered an air and naval blockade of Cuba. (1962) US military force was used because aerial photographs were taken on October 15 showing Cuba’s possession of medium-range missiles , built by the Soviets. The blockade during the Cuban Missile Crisis was implemented to prevent the Soviet Union from delivering more weapons to the island.
The Allies captured the first German city during WWII. (1944) In a major step toward an Allied victory, American troops win the Battle of Aachen, taking control of the city.
The Highway Beautification Act was signed by US President Lyndon B. Johnson. (1965) The act aimed to clean up American highways by reducing the number of cluttered billboards and highway advertisements. Provisions of the law also aimed to clean up landfill along highways and fund landscaping projects to add green space to roadsides.
The US federal government has authorized PATCO (Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization). (1981) The decertification was in response to the PATCO strike the previous year. The union dissolved after being decertified.
The United States has banned the red dye No. 4 as a food additive. (1976) US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) scientists discovered that the dye caused tumors after testing it on dogs.
The Knickerbocker Trust Company went bankrupt, driving the Panic of 1907 to the brink of a depression. (1907) The bank was the third largest in New York City and its failure caused further large-scale cash drawdowns as people lost faith in banking. The crisis was eventually allayed when private banker JP Morgan funneled its own money into the banking system to help secure checking accounts in a kind of bank bailout.
India has launched its first lunar mission. (2008) The unmanned probe Chandrayaan-1 was launched for the exploration of the Moon. The mission ended early, after just 312 days, but largely succeeded in its objectives.
South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu has rejected a US peace proposal to end the Vietnam War. (1972) US National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger attempted to negotiate peace agreement, but Thieu accused the US of undermining his regime through conspiracies with the Soviet Union and China. Kissinger walked off the table, characterizing Thieu’s response as bordering on insane.
The world’s first parachute descent occurred. (1797) Andre-Jacques Garnerin, a French aeronaut, successfully parachuted from a balloon floating approximately 3,200 meters above Paris.
Harry Houdini was punched by J. Gordon Whitehead and later died from the wounds to his abdomen. (1926) Whitehead struck Houdini without warning to see if the man could really take a blow to the body above the waist without sustaining injury. Had Houdini been able to prepare for the hit, he probably wouldn’t have been killed. Houdini died of a ruptured appendix on October 31st.
Princeton University is founded. (1746) Initially incorporated as the College of New Jersey, Princeton was the fourth university to open in the United States. Its name was changed to Princeton in 1896.
Atlantic Tropical Storm Alpha struck, making the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season the worst in ocean history. (2005) Season broke records for number of hurricanes, total number of storms, and total cost of damages. More than 3,800 people were killed during the season which caused over 130 billion United States Dollars (USD) in damages, over $140 billion today.
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