Today is Thursday, October 4, the 277th day of 2007. There are 88 days left in the year.
1582 _ The last day of the Julian calendar in Italy and many other Catholic countries
1824 _ Mexico becomes a republic
1830 _ The provisional government declares secession of Belgium from the Netherlands
1900 _ The start of Sherlock Holmes adventure ``The Problem of Thor Bridge"
1910 _ Portugal becomes a republic, King Manuel II flees to England
1940 _ Adolph Hitler and Benito Mussolini confer at Brenner Pass in the Alps
1957 _ USSR launches Sputnik I, the first artificial Earth satellite
1958 _ The fifth French republic established
1959 _ USSR Luna 3 sent back the photos of Moon's far side
1963 _ Gambia achieves full internal self-government
1965 _ Pope Paul VI becomes the first pope to visit Western Hemisphere
1966 _ Lesotho (Basutoland) gains independence from Britain
1969 _ U.N. starts issuing postage stamps at Geneva headquarters
1978 _ Funeral services held for Pope John Paul I
1984 _ The U.S. government closes down due to budget problems
1990 _ Regional elections held in what was East Germany