TODAY’S HISTORY LESSON – Oct 20
1097 1st Crusaders arrive in Antioch during the First Crusade
1714 George I of England crowned.
1740 Maria Theresa became the ruler of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia with the death of her father, Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI.
1774 The new Continental Congress, the governing body of America’s colonies, passed an order proclaiming that all citizens of the colonies “discountenance and discourage all horse racing and all kinds of gaming, cock fighting, exhibitions of shows, plays and other expensive diversions and entertainment.”
1803 The Senate ratified the Louisiana Purchase
1818 The United States and Britain establish the 49th Parallel as the boundary between Canada and the United States.
1873 A Hippodrome was opened in New York City by showman Phineus T. (P.T.) Barnum.
1903 The Joint Commission, set up on January 24 by Great Britain and the United States to arbitrate the disputed Alaskan boundary, rules in favor of the United States. The deciding vote is Britain’s, which embitters Canada. The United States gains ports on the panhandle coast of Alaska.
1924 Baseball’s first ‘colored World Series’ is held in Kansas City, Mo.
1938 Czechoslovakia, complying with Nazi policy, outlaws the Communist Party and begins persecuting Jews.
1945 Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon form the Arab League to present a unified front against the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine.
1962 War Breaks Out Between India and China. The month-long border dispute began after the Chinese launched a two-pronged attack on the border between the two countries. During the duration of hostilities, China and India did not officially declare war on each other nor cut off any diplomatic ties. The conflict ended with China taking control of Aksai Chin and both countries accepting a de facto border along what is now known as Line of Control
1973 Arab oil-producing nations ban oil exports to the United States, following the outbreak of Arab-Israeli war.
1977 Charter plane crashes in Mississippi, killing three members of popular Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, along with their assistant road manager, the pilot and co-pilot.
1982 Luzhniki Disaster. A stampede during a UEFA Cup soccer (football) match between Dutch club Haarlem and the Moscovian football club, Spartak at the Lenin Stadium in Moscow left about 60 people dead.
2011 In the Libyan civil war, rebels capture deposed dictator Muammar Gaddafi in his hometown of Sirte, killing him soon afterward.
** history.net, onthisday.com, infoplease.com, timeanddate.com, thepeoplehistory.com, on-this-day.com **
