TODAY IN HISTORY

TODAY IS TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2017

On this day in history:

1739 - Thomas Coram was granted a Royal Charter from George II so a “hospital for the maintenance and education of exposed and deserted young children” in London, England. 1888 - The first issue of National Geographic Magazine” was released.

1931 - Al Capone was convicted on income tax evasion and was sentenced to 11 years in prison. He was released in 1939. 1933 - “News-Week” appeared for the first time. The name was later changed to “Newsweek.” 1933 - Dr. Albert Einstein moved to Princeton, NJ, after leaving Germany.

1945 - Colonel Juan Peron became the dictator of Argentina after staging a coup in Buenos Aires.

1973 - The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) began an oil-embargo against several countries including the US and Great Britain. The incident stemmed from Western support of Israel when Egypt and Syria attacked the nation on October 6, 1973. The embargo lasted until March of 1974.

1979 - Mother Teresa of India was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

1994 - Israel and Jordan initialled a draft peace treaty. 1994 - The Angolan government and rebels agreed to a peace treaty that ended their 19 years of civil war.

1997 - The remains of revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara were laid to rest in his adopted Cuba, 30 years after his execution in Bolivia.

2001 - Israel’s tourism minister was killed. A radical Palestinian faction claimed that it had carried out the assassination to avenge the killing of its leader by Israel 2 months earlier. 2001 - Pakistan placed its armed forces on high alert because of troop movements by India in the disputed territory of Kashmir. India said that the movements were part of a normal troop rotation.

2001 - Italian priest Giuseppe “Beppe” Pierantoni was kidnapped by the terrorist group the “Pentagon.” He was released on April 8, 2002.

2003 - In Taipei, Taiwan, construction crews finished 1676-foot-tall-building called Taipei 101. The building was planned to open for business in 2004.

2003 - In north-west England, the Carnforth railway station reopened as a heritage centre.