Epic Idiot's what happened
On This Day

October 17

1993
The Chevy Chase Show: The ex-Saturday Night Live star's bid as a late-night host ends after six weeks - Fox executives said it was so bad it was "embarrassing to watch."

1989
The opening of the World Series in San Francisco is interrupted by earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale. An Oakland freeway collapsed killing 42 people. In all the damage was $10 billion with 67 people killed.

1973
Arab Oil Embargo: Eleven Arab states declare an oil embargo on the U.S. It wasn't lifted until March.

1966
Hollywood Squares: The NBC game show debuts, with its host Peter Marshall.

1960
A contestant from the TV quiz show 21 is arrested on perjury charges after he told a grand jury that he had not been given answers prior to the show.

1931
Al Capone: The public enemy #1 is convicted of tax evasion. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison. He was released from Alcatraz in 1939.

1916
First sex-shocker movie: A Daughter of the Gods opens in New York City.

1958
Bill Holbrook, cartoonist, created On the Fastrack (1984).

1956
Mae Jemison, American astronaut. First black woman in space (1992, aboard the space shuttle Endeavor). She also appeared in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

1948
Margot Kidder, Canadian actress. Film: the Superman movies (Lois Lane).

1948
George Wendt, American actor. TV: Cheers (Norm Peterson).

1947
Michael McKean, American actor. TV: Laverne & Shirley (Lenny Kosnowski).

1938
Evel Knievel (Robert Craig Knievel), American motorcycle stunt rider. He won the Northern Rocky Mountain Ski Association Class A Men's ski jumping championship (1957)

1933     d. 1985
The Singing Nun (Jeanine Deckers), Belgian nun. Her song Dominique (1963) went to #1 on the U.S. charts.

1927
Tom Poston, American Emmy-winning actor. TV: Mork & Mindy (Mr. Bickley) and Newhart (handyman George Utley).

1926
Julie Adams (Betty May Adams), American actress, Jimmy Stewart's wife on The Jimmy Stewart Show and starred in The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954).

1926
Beverly Garland (Beverly Fessenden), American actress, Steve's wife Barbara on My Three Sons.

1915
Arthur Miller, American Pulitzer-winning playwright. Writings: Death of a Salesman (1949, Pulitzer) and View from the Bridge (1955).

1912     d. 1978
John Paul I (Albino Luciani), 263rd Pope (Aug. - Sept. 1978), had been Pope for only 34 days when he died of a heart attack.

1903     d. 1973
Irene Ryan, American actress. TV: The Beverly Hillbillies (Granny).

1900     d. 1991
Jean Arthur (Gladys Greene), American actress, Film: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). TV: The Jean Arthur Show.

1780     d. 1850
Richard Mentor Johnson, 9th U.S. Vice-President (1837-41).

1711     d. 1790
Jupiter Hammon, poet. He became the first black in America to publish his own poetry, with the publishing of An Evening Thought on Dec. 25, 1760.

1991     b. 1919
Tennessee Ernie Ford (Ernest Jennings Ford), American Grammy-winning country singer. Music: Ballad of Davy Crockett (1955) and Sixteen Tons (1955, #1).

1977     b. 1900
Robert Calvin Hubbard, American athlete, the first person to be elected to three sports halls of fame: National Football Hall of Fame (1962), Football Hall of Fame (1963), and the National Baseball Hall of Fame (1976).

1921     b. 1845
Louis III, King of Bavaria (1913-18).

1910     b. 1819
Julia Ward Howe, American poet. She wrote the lyrics to The Battle Hymn of the Republic (1861).

1849     b. 1810
Frederic Francois Chopin, Polish composer, pianist.

532     b. ????
Boniface II, Italian religious leader, 55th Pope (530-532).

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