October 11th
Today in 1776,the first naval battle during the American Revolution was fought on Lake Champlain during the Battle of Valcour Island. While the forces under Gen. Benedict Arnold suffered heavy losses, Americans were able to escape south and regroup.
Today in 1811,the first steam-powered ferryboat, the Juliana,was put into operation by the inventor John Stevens. The ferry went between New York City and Hoboken, New Jersey.
Today in 1881,David Henderson Houston patented the first roll film for cameras.
Today in 1890,the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR)was founded in Washington, DC.
Today in 1929,as JC Penney opened in Milford, Delaware,they became the first nationwide company with stores in all “lower 48 states.”
Today in 1939,President Roosevelt was presented with a letter from Albert Einstein in August. In it, Einstein urged him to develop the US atomic program rapidly. On this date,he met with advisorsto consider the implications.
Today in 1958,the Pioneer 1 lunar probe was launched by the US. The probe did not reach its destination and fell back to Earth and burned up in the atmosphere.
Today in 1968,Apollo 7 was launched by the US. The first manned Apollo mission, this was also the first in which live television broadcasts were received from orbit. Wally Schirra, Don Fulton Eisele and R. Walter Cunningham were the astronauts aboard.
Today in 1972,anuprising at the Washington, DC jail saw inmates riotover jail conditions. Taking 11 guards hostage, the inmates were promised that they wouldn’t be charged for the their roles in the incident. While the guards were set free after the 22-hour standoff, the US Attorney brought indictments and obtained convictions against 14 prisoners involved in the uprising, adding between 1 and 10 years to their jail terms.
Today in 1975,"Saturday Night Live"was broadcast for the first time. George Carlin was the guest host.
Today in 1975,Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham were married in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Today in 1976,Jane Pauley debuted as Tom Brokaw’s new co-host on the “Today Show” on NBC.
Today in 1983,the last hand-cranked telephones in the US went out of service. The 440 telephone customers of Bryant Pond, Maine, were switched to direct-dial service.
Today in 1984,American Kathryn D. Sullivan became the first female astronaut to spacewalk. She was aboard the space shuttle, Challenger.
Today in 1990,the space shuttle, "Discovery," landed safely at Edwards Air Force Base in California,ending a virtually flawless four-day mission.
Today in 1994,the Colorado Supreme Court declared that the anti-gay rights measure in the state was unconstitutional
Today in 1995,J. Simpson canceled aTV appearance on NBC’s “Dateline.”The interview was supposed to be a “no holds barred” hour long sit-down – his first since being acquitted for the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. In the 11th hour, Simpson’s team pulled the plug.
Today in 2001, the Polaroid Corporation filed for federal bankruptcy protection.
Today in 2002, a bomb attack in a shopping mall in Vantaa, Finland killed seven and injured more than 160. A group of teens were later held temporarily,but the actual bomber died in the blast. The motive has never been determined
Today in 2006,"30 Rock", starring Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, and Tracy Morgan,officially debuted on NBC.
Today in 2012,Mo Yan, a Chinese hallucinatory realist writer,won the 2012 Nobel Prize for Literature.
Today in 2016,Samsung announced they would permanently stop production of Note 7 phones after complaints devices caught fire.
Today in 2017,a Trip Advisor customer poll named The Black Swan pub in Oldstead, North Yorkshire, the world's best restaurant.
Today in 2018,the World's new longest flight – bound for Newark from Singapore took off for the first time. It landed safely 17-hours, 52-minutes later.
Today in 2018,Russian Soyuz spacecraft made an emergency landing when rocket fails two minutes after liftoff,with American astronaut and Russian cosmonaut aboard.