THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2012

Today is Thursday, October 4, 278th day of 2012. There are 88 days left in the year.

1582 ― Last day of the Julian calendar in Italy, many Catholic countries

1824 ― Mexico becomes a republic

1883 ― Orient Express' first run, linking Turkey to Europe by rail

1910 ― Portugal becomes a republic, King Manuel II flees to England

1940 ― Adolph Hitler and Benito Mussolini confer at Brenner Pass in the Alps

1955 ― Rev. Moon Sun-myung leaves prison in Seoul

1958 ― 5th French republic established

1970 ― Herbert Schmidtz makes highest parachute jump from a tower by leaping from a 1,984-foot TV mast in Tulsa, Okla.

1981 ― Pasakevi Kouna of Greece (9) is youngest international gymnastics participant

1984 ― U.S. government closes down due to budget problems