TODAY’S HISTORY LESSON – OCT 2
1187 Sultan Saladin captures Jerusalem from Crusaders
1263 At Largs, King Alexander III of Scotland repels an amphibious invasion by King Haakon IV of Norway.
1789 George Washington transmits the proposed Constitutional amendments (The United States Bill of Rights) to the States for ratification
1835 The first military engagement of the Texas War of Independence, the Battle of Gonzales, occurred on this day between Texas rebels and Mexican troops.
1836 Charles Darwin returned to England after 5 years of acquiring knowledge around the world about fauna, flora, wildlife and geology. He used the information to develop his “theory of evolution” which he unveiled in his 1859 book entitled The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.
1870 The papal states vote in favor of union with Italy. The capital is moved from Florence to Rome.
1871 Morman leader Brigham Young, 70, is arrested for polygamy. He was later convicted, but the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the conviction.
1919 President Woodrow Wilson suffered a stroke, which left him partially paralyzed.
1928 “Prelature of the Holy Cross and the Work of God”, known as Opus Dei, founded by Saint Josemaría Escrivá
1950 The comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schultz, makes its first appearance in newspapers.
1962 U.S. ports were closed to nations that allowed their ships to carry arms to Cuba, ships that had docked in a socialist country were prohibited from docking in the United States during that voyage, and the transport of U.S. goods was banned on ships owned by companies that traded with Cuba.
1964 Scientists announce findings that smoking can cause cancer.
1967 Thurgood Marshall was sworn in as the first black associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
1968 More than 25 people have been killed during a vicious gun battle in Mexico where Student riots threaten Mexico Olympics.
1970 A plane carrying the Wichita State University football team, staff, and supporters crashes in Colorado; 31 of the 40 people aboard die.
1974 New studies in America by Dr. Robert Heath of Tulane University Medical School, New Orleans. have revealed that smoking cannabis can cause brain damage.
1980 Congressional Representative Mike Myers is expelled from the US House for taking a bribe in the Abscam scandal, the first member to be expelled since 1861.
1985 The actor Rock Hudson died in his sleep, he had been suffering from the AIDS virus.
1993 Opponents of Russian President Boris Yeltsin fought police and set up burning barricades.
1998 About 10,000 Turkish soldiers crossed into northern Iraq and attacked Kurdish rebels.
2002 A series of coordinated sniper attacks occurred in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. The attacks lasted 3 weeks and resulted in the killing of 10 people.
2006 Charles Carl Roberts enters a one room Amish West Nickel Miles School, takes a number of hostages and kills four girls before committing suicide.
2007 President Roh Moo-hyun of South Korea walks across the Military Demarcation Line into North Korea on his way to the second Inter-Korean Summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il
2008 The US Senate has approved a $700bn Bailout For the Finance Industry which will allow the US Government to buy toxic devalued assets from struggling firms to help kick-start the economy, these include troubled mortgage loans.
2011 Over 700 protesters were arrested while trying to cross the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City. The protesters were part of the Occupy Wall Street movement and had been returning to their camp when they encountered police.
** history.net, onthisday.com, infoplease.com, timeanddate.com, thepeoplehistory.com, on-this-day.com **
