Epic Idiot's what happened
On This Day

October 18

1992
The Canadian flag is flown upside down by U.S. Marines during the opening of game two of the World Series. Then, the Canadian national anthem was improperly sung.

1977
Reggie Jackson ties Babe Ruth's record by hitting three home runs in a World Series game.

1969
Cyclamates banned: The artificial sweetener is banned by the Department of Health, Education and Welfare.

1968
The Beatles: John Lennon and Yoko Ono are arrested at Ringo's London flat for drug possession. They vowed that the drugs had been planted by the police.

1963
First Cat in Space: Félix is sent into space in a capsule on top of a French Véronique AG1 rocket. Félix traveled 120 miles into space and then descended back to Earth by parachute and was recovered.

1959
First pictures of the far side of the Moon: The Soviet Lunik 3 transmits its pictures, taken on the 7th, back to Earth.

1955
Antiproton: The atomic subparticle is discovered by scientists at the University of California.

1945
Nuremberg trials: 24 former Nazi leaders are indicted in Berlin for crimes against humanity. Trials were held the following month in Nuremberg, in which 12 were sentenced to death.

1943
Perry Mason: Erle Stanley Gardner's characters debut on CBS radio, starring John Larkin as the famous detective.

1926
First reigning queen to visit the U.S.: Queen Marie of Rumania arrives in New York City for a one month visit.

1898
Spanish-American War: The U.S. takes possession of the Puerto Rico from Spain as a result of the war.

1873
Football: Representatives from Columbia, Rutgers, Princeton, and Yale universities meet in New York City to form the first set of rules for American football.

1867
Alaska: The U.S. takes possession of the territory after purchasing it from the Russians in March for about 2¢ an acre.

1842
First telegraph cable: Samuel F.B. Morse lays a test cable in New York Harbor. It was destroyed the following day by a ship's anchor.

1648
First American labor organization: The Shoomakers of Boston are granted permission to organize.

1961
Wynton Marsalis, American Grammy-winning jazz musician. Music: Think Of One (1983, Grammy).

1961
Erin Moran, American actress. TV: Happy Days (as Joanie Cunningham).

1958
Thomas Hearns, American boxer. He has held the title in five different weight classes.

1956
Martina Navratilova, Czech-born American tennis star. She won a record nine Wimbledon titles. She also won four U.S. Opens, three Australian Opens, and two French Opens.

1951
Pam Dawber, American actress. TV: Mork & Mindy (Mindy).

1939
Mike Ditka, American football player. He was NFL Rookie of the Year (1961), coach of the Chicago Bears (1982-), NFL Coach of the Year (1985), and was inducted into the Hall of Fame (1988).

1939     d. 1963
Lee Harvey Oswald, American assassin, shot and killed Pres. Kennedy from the Texas School Book depository where he worked. Oswald was shot and killed by night-club operator Jack Ruby.

1933
Peter Boyle, American ex-monk, actor. Film: Young Frankenstein (1974, as the monster) and The Dream Team (1989).

1927
George C. Scott, American Oscar-Emmy-winning actor (he refused both awards). Film: Dr. Stangelove (1964) and Patton (1970, Oscar).

1926
Chuck Berry (Charles Edward Anderson Berry), American rock 'n' roller. Music: Roll Over Beethoven (1956), Sweet Little Sixteen (1958), Johnny B Goode (1958), and My Ding-A-Ling (1972, #1). He served two years in prison (1962-64) for transporting a 14-year-old across state lines to work as a hat-check girl in his St. Louis nightclub.

1923     d. 1994
Melina Mercouri, Greek actress. Film: Never on Sunday (1960, Cannes Best Actress). In 1977 she gained a seat on the Greek parliament, becoming the Minister of Culture.

1921
Jesse Helms, U.S. Senator (Rep., N.C.).

1919
Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada (1968-79, 1980-84).

1915     d. 1980
Victor Sen Yung, American actor. TV: Bonanza (Hop Sing, the Chinese Cook). Film: The Charlie Chan movies (1930s - 40s, Jimmy the No. 2 son). Writings:     Great Wok Cookbook (1974).

1906
Sidney Kingsley, American Pulitzer-winning playwright. Writings: Men in White (1933, Pulitzer) and Night Life (1962).

1904     d. 1963
A.J. Liebling, American author, famous for his quote "Freedom of the press belongs to those who own one."

1859     d. 1941
Henri Louis Bergson, French philosopher, Nobel-winning author. His Creative Evolution redefined evolution.

1848     d. 1924
Candy Cummings (William Arthur Cummings), American baseball Hall of Famer, inventor of the curveball.

1839     d. 1902
Thomas Brackett Reed, American politician, Speaker of the House from Maine. His ability to spend taxpayer's money earned his Congress (1889-91) the name "The Billion Dollar Congress."

1831     d. 1888
Frederick III, Emperor of Germany and King of Prussia (March - June 1888). He died of cancer shortly after ascending to the throne.

1787     d. 1856
Robert Livingston Stevens, American inventor, steamboat and railroad engineer. He was the first to build railroad tracks using logs turned crosswise, with spikes to hold the rails on.

1715     d. 1730
Peter II, Czar of Russia (1727-30), grandson of Peter the Great. He died on of small pox on his intended wedding day.

1595     d. 1655
Edward Winslow, American colonist, Mayflower pilgrim. He was the first person married in New England (May, 1621), brought the first cattle to New England (1624), and was governor the Plymouth Colony (1633-34, 36-37, 44-45).

1405     d. 1464
Pius II, Italian poet, religious leader, 210th Pope (1458-64). Wrote The Tale of the Two Lovers (c1442), for which he later apologized.

1984     b. 1957
Jon-Erik Hexum, actor. He accidentally killed himself by firing a gun loaded with blanks into his head while filming the TV series Cover Up. He wasn't aware that the wadding fired from blanks is deadly at point blank range. TV: Voyagers! (1982-83, time traveler Phineas Bogg) and Cover Up (1984, Mac Harper).

1982     b. 1885
Bess Truman, American first lady, wife of Pres. Harry S. Truman.

1973     b. 1913
Walt Kelly, American cartoonist, created Pogo (1948) with its famous quote "We have met the enemy, and it is us."

1931     b. 1847
Thomas Alva Edison, American inventor of the microphone (1876), the first practical phonograph (1877), the incandescent light (1879) and motion pictures (1891).

1918     b. 1832
Charles Crozat Converse, American lawyer, composer. He composed tune and words to God For Us and the tune to What a Friend We Have in Jesus. (Source: An Almanac of the Christian Church)

1911     b. 1857
Alfred Binet, French psychologist. He developed and pioneered the use of I.Q. tests (1904).

1893     b. 1818
Lucy Stone, American woman's rights activist, abolitionist. She and her husband founded Woman's Journal (1870). She allowed her New Jersey property to be sold for non-payment of taxes, asserting that she was being taxed without representation.

1871     b. 1792
Charles Babbage, English mathematician. He designed a mechanical digital computer, although it was never built.

1526     b. circa 1475
Lucas Vásquez de Ayllón, Spanish explorer. He established the first European settlement in what is the present day U.S. (San Miguel de Guadalupe on the coast of South Carolina).

1503     b. 1439
Pius III, Italian religious leader, 215th Pope (Sept. - Oct. 1503). He died 26 days after being elected.

1417     b. circa 1327
Gregory XII, Italian religious leader, 205th Pope (1406-15). He resigned the papacy to allow his successor, Martin V, to be elected.

707     b. ????
John VII, Greek-born religious leader, 86th Pope (705-707).

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