THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2012

Today is Thursday, October 11, the 285th day of 2012. There are 81 days left in the year.

1737 ― Earthquake kills 300,000 and destroys half of Calcutta, India

1890 ― First 100-yard dash under 10 seconds (John Owens 9-4/5 seconds, Washington, D.C.)

1923 ― German mark falls to 10 billion per British pound, 4 billion per U.S. dollar

1945 ― Chinese civil war begins, Chiang Kai-shek vs. Mao Tse-tung

1975 ― "Saturday Night Live" premieres with guest host George Carlin

1981 ― Unknown rocker Prince opens for Rolling Stones at LA Coliseum

1986 ― Reagan and Gorbachev open talks at a summit in Reykjavik, Iceland

1987 ― 200,000 gays march for civil rights in Washington

1990 ― Octavio Paz wins Nobel Prize for literature

1990 ― Oil hits a record $40.42 per barrel