SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2009

Today is Saturday, October 24, the 297th day of 2009. There are 68 days left in the year.

3963 B.C. _ Origin of Hevelius' Mundane Era

1648 _ Peace of Westphalia ends 30 year war and Holy Roman Empire

1836 _ The match is patented

1857 _ World's first soccer club, Sheffield F.C., founded in England

1871 _ Mob in L.A. hangs 18 Chinese

1901 _ First woman to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel (Anna Taylor)

1929 _ ``Black Thursday," beginning of stock market crash

1940 _ 40-hour workweek goes into effect (Fair Labor Standards of 1938)

1945 _ United Nations Charter becomes effective

1956 _ Soviet troops invade Hungary