Epic Idiot's what happened
On This Day

October 28

1993
Cheeky education: The president of Columbia's largest university, National University, "moons" his audience in response to being interrupted by students during a speech.

1977
First Mother-In-Law Day: It is now celebrated on the 3rd Sunday in October.

1962
Cuban Missile Crisis: Soviet leader Nikita Krushchev announces that the Cuban missile bases would be dismantled.

1949
First woman U.S. ambassador: Eugenie Moore Anderson is sworn in by Pres. Truman as ambassador to Denmark.

1929
First child born in an airplane: In a transport plane over Miami, Florida.

1927
First scheduled international passenger flight: Pan Am begins flying a route from Key West to Havana.

1922
Benito Mussolini: He leads the Fascist Party on a march against Rome, overthrowing the Facta government. He then became prime minister.

1919
Volstead Act: Passed by Congress over Pres. Woodrow Wilson's veto. It set maximum alcohol content in non-intoxicating beverages to ½ of 1%

1913
Krazy Kat: George Herriman's comic strip premiers.

1904
Fingerprinting: St. Louis, Missouri becomes the first U.S. police department to adopt fingerprinting.

1897
Thomas Edison: The American inventor announces his new process for recovering iron in low grade ore.

1893
The Pathetic: Tchaikovsky's masterpiece 6th symphony is performed for the first time, nine days before his death.

1890
Fingerprinting: Nature magazine published the first article to advocate the use of fingerprinting.

1886
Statue of Liberty: The 151-foot high gift from the French people is dedicated.

1795
First U.S. extradition treaty with a foreign country: The Jay Treaty - signed with Great Britain in 1794 - is signed by Pres Washington.

1793
Cotton gin is invented by Eli Whitney.

1636
Harvard University: The oldest college in America is founded.

1967
Julia Roberts, American actress. Film: Steel Magnolias (1989), Pretty Woman (1990), Flatliners (1990), Sleeping With the Enemy (1991), and Hook (1991).

1965
Jami Gertz, American actress. TV: Square Pegs (Muffy).

1949
Bruce Jenner, American track athelete, Olympic gold medal winner (1976).

1947
Telma Louise Hopkins, American singer, actor, with Tony Orlando and Dawn. Music: Knock Three Times (1971, #1) and Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Ole Oak Tree (1973, #1). TV: Gimme a Break (Addy) and Family Matters (Rachel).

1947
Susan Jane Rosenkowitz, South African mother. She gave birth to the first recorded surviving sextuplets (1974). (source: Guinness Book of World Records)

1944
Dennis Franz, American actor. TV: Hill Street Blues (Lt. Buntz).

1939
Jane Alexander (Jane Quigley), American Tony-Emmy-winning actress. Stage: The Great White Hope (1969, Tony). Film: All the President's Men (1976) and Kramer vs. Kramer (1979). TV: Eleanor and Franklin (1976, Eleanor Roosevelt) and Playing for Time (1980, Emmy). She was selected as chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts (1993).

1936
Charlie Daniels, American singer, fiddler.

1929
Dody Goodman, American actress. TV: Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (Mary's mother) and Diff'rent Strokes (Aunt Sophia).

1914     d. 1995
Jonas Edward Salk, American physician, scientist. He discovered a polio vaccine in 1953, saving thousands from the crippling disease. In 1952 alone, polio paralyzed 21,000 people and killed 3,100.

1909     d. 1992
Francis Bacon, British artist, one of the leading artists of the 20th century.

1902     d. 1986
Elsa Lanchester (Elizabeth Sullivan), English singer, actress. Film: The Bride of Frankenstein (1935, the blushing bride).

1808     d. 1893
Horace Smith, American gun-maker, co-founder of Smith & Wesson (1857).

Please send Corrections and Omissions to epicidiot.com