Pawtucket Times

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

-

Today is Saturday, Oct. 17, the 291st day of 2020. There are 75 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On Oct. 17, 1933, Albert Einstein arrived in the United States as a refugee from Nazi Germany.

On this date:

In 1777, British forces under Gen. John Burgoyne surrendere­d to American troops in Saratoga, New York, in a turning point of the Revolution­ary War.

In 1814, the London Beer Flood inundated the St. Giles district of the British capital as vats of beer ruptured, sending more than 320,000 gallons of liquid into the streets; up to nine people were reported killed.

In 1931, mobster Al Capone was convicted in Chicago of income tax evasion. (Sentenced to 11 years in prison, Capone was released in 1939.)

In 1939, Frank Capra’s comedy-drama “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” starring James Stewart as an idealistic junior U.S. senator, had its premiere in the nation’s capital.

In 1967, Puyi (poo-yee), the last emperor of China, died in Beijing at age 61.

In 1973, Arab oil-producing nations announced they would begin cutting back oil exports to Western nations and Japan; the result was a total embargo that lasted until March 1974.

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

In 1989, an earthquake measuring 6.9 in magnitude struck northern California, killing 63 people and causing $6 billion worth of damage.

In 1990, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb.com) was created.

In 2007, President George W. Bush, raising Beijing’s ire, presented the Dalai Lama with the Congressio­nal Gold Medal and urged Chinese leaders to welcome the monk to Beijing.

In 2014, the World Health Organizati­on acknowledg­ed it had botched attempts to stop the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, blaming factors including incompeten­t staff, lack of informatio­n and budget cuts.

In 2018, residents of the Florida Panhandle community of Mexico Beach who had fled Hurricane Michael a week earlier returned home to find homes, businesses and campers ripped to shreds; the storm had killed at least 59 people and caused more than $25 billion in damage in Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States