Today is Monday October 12, 2015 285 day of 2015, 80 remaining Sunrise: 7:15 a.m. Sunset: 6:36p.m. 11 hours and 20 minutes of daylight today Moonrise 6:55 A.M. Moonset: 6:42 P.M. Special Celebrations today: Today is Columbus Day ( or Indigenous Peoples Day if you prefer) It,s also Cookbook Launch Day, Old Farmers Day, Moment of Frustration Day and Pickled Peppers Week begins today. On This Day In: 1492 - Christopher Columbus, an Italian explorer, sighted Watling Island in the Bahamas. He believed that he had found Asia while attempting to find a Western ocean route to India. The same day he claimed the land for Isabella and Ferdinand of Spain. 1792 - The first monument honoring Christopher Columbus was dedicated in Baltimore, MD. 1810 - Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig married Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. The royalty invited the public to attend the event which became an annual celebration that later became known as Oktoberfest. 1892 - In celebration of the 400th anniversary of the Columbus landing the original version of the Pledge of Allegiance was first recited in public schools. 1895 - In Newport, RI, the first amateur golf tournament was held. 1915 - Former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt criticized U.S. citizens who identified themselves by dual nationalities. 1920 - Construction of the Holland Tunnel began. It opened on November 13, 1927. The tunnel links Jersey City, NJ and New York City, NY. 1933 - The U.S. Department of Justice acquired Alcatraz Island from the U.S. Army. 1937 - "Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons" debuted on radio. 1938 - Production began on "The Wizard of Oz." 1942 - During World War II, Attorney General Francis Biddle announced that Italian nationals in the United States would no longer be considered enemy aliens. 1945 - Private First Class Desmond T. Doss was presented with the Congressional Medal of Honor for outstanding bravery as a medical corpsman. He was the first conscientious objector in American history to win the award. 1960 - Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev pounded a shoe on his desk during a dispute at a U.N. General Assembly. 1961 - The first video memoirs by a U.S. president were made. Walter Cronkite interviewed Dwight D. Eisenhower. 1964 - The Soviet Union launched Voskhod 1 into orbit around the Earth. It was the first space flight to have a multi-person crew and the first flight to be performed without space suits. 1972 - During the Vietnam War, a racial brawl broke out aboard the U.S. aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. Nearly 50 sailors were injured. 1976 - China announced that Hua Guo-feng was named to succeed the late Mao Tse-tung as chairman of the Communist Party. 1988 - Federal prosecutors announced that the Sundstrand Corp. would pay $115 million dollars to settle with the Pentagon for overbilling airplane parts over a five-year period. 1989 - The U.S. House of Representatives approved a statutory federal ban on the destruction of the American flag. 1993 - The play "Mixed Emotions" opened at the John Golden Theatre. 1994 - Haitian military leader Raoul Cedras was granted political asylum by Panama. 1994 - The Magellan space probe ended its four-year mission to Venus for the purpose of mapping. 1997 - The St. Francis Basilica and 15th-century bell tower above Foligno city hall in Italy were damaged by 3 earthquakes. 1998 - The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Online Copyright Bill. 1999 - Rob Reiner received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 1999 - In Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf seized power in a bloodless coup that toppled Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The Supreme Court ruled that the coup was legal but insisted that a civilian government be restored within three years. 2001 - A special episode of America's Most Wanted was aired that focused on 22 wanted terrorists. The show was specifically requested by U.S. President George W. Bush. 2006 - The Dow Jones industrial average advanced over 11,900 for the first time . If today is your birthday you share your special day with: Elmer Sperry 1860 Perle Mesta 1891 Joe Cronin (MLB) 1906 Guitar Gabriel 1925 Antonia Rey 1927 Nappy Brown 1929 Ned Jarrett 1932 Jean Nidetch 1932 Dick Gregory 1932 Luciano Pavarotti 1935 Samuel Moore (Sam & Dave) 1935 Lawrence Jeffrey 1940 Melvin Franklin (Temptations) 1942 Chris Wallace 1947 Rick Parfitt (Status Quo) 1948 Susan Anton 1950 Ronald E. McNair 1950 Pat DiNizzio (Smithereens) 1955 Dave Vanian (The Damned) 1956 Claude McKnight (Take 6) 1962 Adam Rich 1968 Hugh Jackman 1968 Garfield Bright (Shai) 1969 Martie Seidel (Dixie Chicks) 1969 Kirk Cameron 1970 Tags: Daily Almanac/tides
October 12, 2015
