What happened in the Third Battle of Ypres in 1917 and why is Passchendaele remembered?

Canadian troops recaptured the high ground in the village of Passchendaele from the Germans in West Flanders, Belgium. The battle is remembered for the scale of the fighting, with over 200,000 casualties on each side and 24,000 German prisoners taken.

What did Albert Sabin announce in 1956 about the oral polio vaccine?

Sabin announced that his oral polio vaccine was ready for testing. The entry says it soon replaced Jonas Salk’s vaccine in many parts of the world.

What major political event involving the Gang of Four is noted for 1976?

Mao Zedong’s widow Jiang Qing, Yao Wenyuan, Zhang Chunqiao and Wang Hongwen were arrested and charged with plotting a coup. The entry says the event is often considered the end of the Cultural Revolution.

TUESDAY, Oct. 6, 2026

Listen

Summary

On Tuesday, Oct. 6, a Today in History entry recalls events from 1917 to 2021, including the Third Battle of Ypres, the Ashgabat earthquake, and the recommendation of the first malaria vaccine. It also notes Truman’s Mutual Defense Assistance Act, Stalin’s atomic bomb announcement, Sabin’s oral polio vaccine, and the arrest of China’s Gang of Four. The item highlights major wartime, scientific, political and public health milestones on the date.

Key Facts

In 1917, Canadian troops recaptured the high ground in Passchendaele from German forces in West Flanders, Belgium, during the Third Battle of Ypres, with over 200,000 casualties on each side.
In 1948, an earthquake in Ashgabat killed 100,000 people in the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic.
In 1956, scientist Albert Sabin announced that his oral polio vaccine was ready for testing and said it soon replaced Jonas Salk’s vaccine in many parts of the world.

Published Oct 5, 2026 10:20 am KST

1917-Third Battle of Ypres: Canadian troops recapture the high ground in the village of Passchendaele from the Germans in West Flanders, Belgium, during World War I; over 200,000 casualties occur on each side, and 24,000 German prisoners are taken

1948-Earthquake in Ashgabat kills 100,000 in Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic

1948-Paleoanthropologist Mary Leakey finds the first partial fossil skull of Proconsul africanus, an ancestor of apes and humans, on Rusinga Island, Kenya

1949-U.S. President Harry Truman signs the Mutual Defense Assistance Act to strengthen NATO allies especially Greece and Turkey

1951-Joseph Stalin announces that the Soviet Union has an atomic bomb

1956-Scientist Albert Sabin announces that his oral polio vaccine is ready for testing; it soon replaces Jonas Salk's vaccine in many parts of the world

1976-Mao Zedong's widow Jiang Qing, Yao Wenyuan, Zhang Chunqiao and Wang Hongwen known as the "Gang of Four" are arrested and charged with plotting a coup, an event often considered the end of the Cultural Revolution

2021-WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recommends the world's first malaria vaccine, Mosquirix, for children after a pilot program proves effective in Africa

Explore More