October 4th
Today in 1648,colonial Governor Peter Stuyvesant established the first volunteer fire department in New York(which was known as New Amsterdam at the time). The crew consisted of four fire wardens who were charged with patrolling the colony and inspecting homes for thatched roofs and wooden chimneys. The first fire engines came to New York in 1731.
Today in 1895,thefirst US Open golf tournament was held at the Newport Country Club in Rhode Island.
Today in 1957,"Leave It To Beaver"officially debuted on CBS-TV.
Today in 1957,the Space Age began as the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first man-made satellite, into orbit.
Today in 1976,US Agriculture Secretary Earl Butzre signed in the wake of a controversy over a crude, racist joke he'd made about African Americans a few days before. At the time, only two newspapers printed the remarks in their entirety.
Today in 1976,Barbara Walters joined Harry Reasoner at the anchor desk of the "ABC Evening News" for the first time,making Walters the first woman to anchor a network evening newscast.
Today in 1997,hundreds of thousands of men attended a “Promise Keepers” rally in Washington D.C.
Today in 1997, the largest cash robbery in US history occurred at the Charlotte, North Carolina office of Loomis, Fargo and Company with $17.3-million in cash taken. Sound familiar? The story of the heist was portrayed in the film, “Masterminds,” starring Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Wiig, Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis.
Today in 2001,San Diego Padres Rickey Henderson scored his 2,246th career run to break Ty Cobb's major league record.
Today in 2001,SF Giants slugger Barry Bonds hit his 70thhome run in 10-2 win v Houston; ties Mark McGwire for the most MLB home runs in a single season. Bonds also moved past Reggie Jackson on the all-time list with his 564th career home run.
Today in 2004,SpaceShipOnewon a $10-million Ansari X Prize for private spaceflight.
Today in 2006,WikiLeakslaunched.
Today in 2011,the State Department listed Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (ISIS/ISIL) as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist with a $10-million reward for information leading to his capture. Thereward now stands at $25-million– and he remains at large.