This week in history
20 anniversaries falling this week, from 1776 to 1993. Five minutes each, with the sources left in plain sight.
1968History
Before the Moon Landing: Apollo 7 Takes Flight
On October 11, 1968, Apollo 7 launched with Wally Schirra, Donn Eisele and Walt Cunningham. Their nearly eleven-day Earth-orbit mission tested the spacecraft systems needed for later lunar expeditions.
HistoryValcour Island: A Defeat That Bought America TimeOn October 11, 1776, Benedict Arnold’s fleet fought British vessels on Lake Champlain. The Americans suffered heavy losses, but their resistance helped delay the British advance as winter approached.
1967HistoryWhy No Nation Can Claim the Moon: The Outer Space TreatyOn October 10, 1967, the Outer Space Treaty entered into force. It prohibited national claims of sovereignty over celestial bodies and the placement of nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction in orbit.
More from this week
- 1935Porgy and Bess Arrives on BroadwayHistory · October 10On October 10, 1935, Porgy and Bess opened at New York’s Alvin Theatre. The Broadway debut followed its Boston premiere and brought Gershwin’s opera to a new audience.
- 1913Breaking the Barrier: The Gamboa Dike Demolition of 1913History · October 10On October 10, 1913, workers blasted the temporary Gamboa dike during construction of the Panama Canal. Archival photographs preserve a dramatic engineering milestone before the canal’s later opening.
- 1845Fifty Midshipmen: The Beginning of the U.S. Naval AcademyHistory · October 10On October 10, 1845, the United States Naval School opened at Fort Severn in Annapolis with 50 midshipmen and seven professors. It became the United States Naval Academy in 1850.
- 1888Above the Capital: The Washington Monument Opens to the PublicHistory · October 9On October 9, 1888, the Washington Monument officially opened to the public. Its passenger elevator offered visitors a new perspective on the nation’s capital after decades of construction and preparation.
- 1956Don Larsen’s Perfect Game: No Hits, No Walks, No BaserunnersHistory · October 8On October 8, 1956, Don Larsen retired every Brooklyn Dodgers batter in Game 5 of the World Series. The Yankees won 2–0 behind his 97-pitch performance.
- 1918Alvin York in the Argonne: The Action Behind the Medal of HonorHistory · October 8On October 8, 1918, Corporal Alvin York assumed command after his patrol suffered heavy casualties near Chatel-Chéhéry, France. He and the surviving soldiers brought back 132 German prisoners.
- 1871The Peshtigo Fire: The Deadlier Disaster on Chicago’s Darkest NightHistory · October 8On October 8, 1871, fire devastated Peshtigo and surrounding communities in Wisconsin. An estimated 1,200 to 2,400 people died across the affected area.
- 1871The Great Chicago Fire: How the Flames Spread and a Legend Took HoldHistory · October 8On October 8, 1871, a fire began on Chicago’s West Side. It devastated the city, left approximately 100,000 people homeless and produced a lasting myth about its cause.
- 1862Perryville: Why Gaining Ground Did Not Win KentuckyHistory · October 8On October 8, 1862, Confederate attacks forced Union troops backward at Perryville. The Confederate retreat that night nevertheless ended the campaign without securing Kentucky.
- 1958Before Mercury Had a Name: NASA’s Human Spaceflight DecisionHistory · October 7On October 7, 1958, NASA approved the project that became Mercury. Its goals joined orbital flight, research on human performance and safe recovery in one engineering program.
- 1916Georgia Tech 222, Cumberland 0: The Game Behind the Impossible ScoreHistory · October 7On October 7, 1916, Georgia Tech defeated Cumberland 222–0 in Atlanta. Contemporary reporting and a surviving football help separate the documented game from its later legends.
- 1780Kings Mountain: The Militia Battle That Changed the Southern CampaignHistory · October 7On October 7, 1780, Patriot militia surrounded Patrick Ferguson’s Loyalist force at Kings Mountain. The short battle ended with Ferguson dead and his force defeated.
- 1777The Second Battle of Saratoga: How a British Advance Became a RetreatHistory · October 7On October 7, 1777, American troops broke up a British reconnaissance near Saratoga and captured a crucial fortified position. Ten days later, Burgoyne surrendered his army.
- 1813The Battle of the ThamesHistory · October 5On October 5, 1813, American forces defeated British troops and their Indigenous allies at the Battle of the Thames. Shawnee leader Tecumseh died in the fighting, dealing a devastating blow to his Indigenous confederacy.
- 1927Carving Begins at Mount RushmoreHistory · October 4On October 4, 1927, workers began carving Mount Rushmore. Over fourteen years, a granite mountainside became a monumental sculpture of four American presidents.
- 1993The Battle of Mogadishu BeginsHistory · October 3On October 3, 1993, an American raid in Mogadishu escalated into a fierce battle after two Black Hawk helicopters were shot down. Fighting and rescue operations continued into the following morning.
- 1954USS Nautilus Joins the NavyHistory · September 30On September 30, 1954, USS Nautilus entered service as the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine, opening a new chapter in naval history.
