On this day, Oct. 15

1783 The first manned balloon flight took place in Paris as Jean-Francois Pilatre de Rozier ascended in a basket attached to a tethered Montgolfier hot-air balloon, rising to about 75 feet.

1925 The Pirates defeated the Washington Senators 9-7 in the seventh and deciding game of the World Series before 42,856 at Forbes Field; Downtown stores suspended business and traffic stopped as Pittsburghers celebrated the victory.

1953 The $15 million Penn-Lincoln Parkway West, opening up a fast route between Downtown Pittsburgh and the Greater Pittsburgh Airport and routes west, was dedicated by Gov. John S. Fine and Sens. James H. Duff and Edward Martin. All as governors were instrumental in various phases of its construction. The dedication ceremony was held at the interchange in Sen. Duff’s hometown of Carnegie.

1986 Carnegie-Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh unveiled a new $900,000 nuclear magnetic resonance instrument which would conduct research on cancer and organ transplants.

Some items are from Stefan Lorant’s “Pittsburgh: The Story of an American City” (digital.library.pitt.edu/chronology). — Compiled by Rick Nowlin

Today’s birthdays:

Former auto executive Lee Iacocca, 93. Jazz musician Freddy Cole, 86. Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Palmer, 72. Singer-musician Richard Carpenter, 71. Actorcomedian Larry Miller, 64. Movie director Mira Nair, 60. Britain’s Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, 58. Chef Emeril Lagasse, 58. Actor Dominic West, 48. Rhythm-and-blues singer Ginuwine, 47. Actress Bailee Madison, 18.

Thought for today:

“We used to do things for posterity, now we do things for ourselves and leave the bill to posterity.”

— Author unknown.