Today is Saturday, October 29, the 303rd day of 2016. There are 63 days left in the year.
539 BC ― Babylon falls to Cyrus the Great of Persia
1682 William Penn lands in what will become Pennsylvania
1727 ― Severe earthquake in New England
1787 ― The opera “Don Giovanni” is produced (Prague)
1811 ― 1st Ohio River steamboat leaves Pittsburgh for New Orleans
1833 ― 1st US college fraternity to have a fraternity house founded
1863 ― Intl Comm of the Red Cross founded (Nobel 1917, 1944, 1963)
1867 ― Mail packets “Rhone” & “Wye” capsizes off St Thomas Virgin Islands
1889 ― NY Giants (NL) beat Brooklyn (AA) in world series 6 games to 3
1889 ― Stanley Park dedicated in Vancouver, BC
1894 ― 1st election of the Hawaiian Republic
1904 ― 1st intercity trucking service (Colorado City & Snyder, Texas)
1910 ― Bob Simpson of Hamilton Tigers kicks record 11 singles in a game
1920 ― Edward Barrow named Yankee general manager
1923 ― “Runnin' Wild” (introducing the Charleston) opens on Broadway
1923 ― Turkey proclaimed a republic (National Day)
1924 ― “Dixie to Broadway,” opens at Broadhurst Theater
1929 ― “Black Tuesday,” Stock Market crashes triggers “Great Depression”
1930 ― 1st football game in eastern Canada played under floodlights
1932 ― French liner Normandie is launched
1939 ― Golden Gate International Exposition closes (1st closure)
1940 ― Sec of War Henry L Stimson drew 1st number-158-in 1st peacetime military draft in US history
1942 ― 16,000 Jews killed in Pinsk Russia
1942 ― Alaska highway completed
1942 ― Branch Rickey named president/GM of Brooklyn Dodgers
1945 ― 1st ball point pen goes on sale, 57 years after it was patented
1950 ― Wally Triplett avgs 735 yards on 3 kickoff returns
1956 ― Chet Huntley & David Brinkley, NBC News, team up
1956 ― IDF crosses Egyptian territory in the Sinai
1956 ― International zone of Tangier returned to Morocco
1956 ― Israeli paratroopers drop into the Sinai to open Straits of Tiran
1957 ― A hand grenade explodes in Israel's Knesset (Parliament)
1959 ― 10 nation soccer league to play all games on NY Randalls Is, announced
1960 ― Chartered C46 carrying Cal State's football team crashes, kills 16
1960 ― Muhammad Ali's (Cassius Clay's) 1st professional fight, beats Tunney Hunsaker in 6
1963 ― “Meet the Beatles” booklet is published
1964 ― Star of India & other jewels are stolen in NY
1964 ― Town of Karmiel founded in the Galilee
1966 ― National Organization of Women founded
1972 ― Don Cockroft of Cleveland Browns kicks 57-yard field goal
1975 ― Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffer kills first
1979 ― Billy Martin fired as Yankee manager (2nd time)
1982 ― Car maker John DeLorean indicted for drug trafficking, later acquitted
1982 ― Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson release “The Girl is Mine”
1984 ― Orlando Pizzolato (2:14:53) & Greta Weitz (2:29:30) win NY Marathon
1987 ― Thomas Hearns wins unprecidented 4th different weight boxing title
1988 ― 2,000 US anti-abortion protesters arrested for blocking clinics
1988 ― China announces a herbal male contraceptive
1988 ― Jim Elliott (US) begins 24-hr paced outdoor race for 548.9 mi
1988 ― Soviets 1st scheduled shuttle launch (postponed)
1989 ― NYC MTA opens the 63rd street extension to the subway
1990 ― 30 die in a (5.7) earthquake in Algeria