TODAY IN HISTORY

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT Oct. 26, 1825

The Erie Canal opened in upstate New York, connecting Lake Erie and the Hudson River. ALSO ON THIS DATE

1774

The First Continental Congress adjourned in Philadelphia.

1881

The “Gunfight at the O.K. Corral” took place in Tombstone, Arizona, as Wyatt Earp, his two brothers and “Doc” Holliday confronted Ike Clanton’s gang. Three members of Clanton’s gang were killed; Earp’s brothers and Holliday were wounded.

1942

Japanese planes badly damaged the aircraft carrier USS Hornet in the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands during World War II.

1944

The World War II Battle of Leyte Gulf ended in a major Allied victory over Japanese forces, whose naval capabilities were badly crippled.

1949

President Harry S. Truman signed a measure raising the minimum wage from 40 to 75 cents an hour.

1972

National security adviser Henry Kissinger declared, “Peace is at hand” in Vietnam.

1984

“Baby Fae,” a newborn with a severe heart defect, was given the heart of a baboon in an experimental transplant in Loma Linda, California.