Cheers! It’s Global Champagne Day!
Today is Friday, October 20, 2017, the 293rd day of the year with 72 days remaining.
- Sunrise: 7:24am
- Sunset: 6:25pm
...giving us 11 hours and 4 minutes of daylight. None of the moon will be visible, but it rises at 8:08am.
Tides at the Golden Gate
- High: 12:43am/12:30pm
- Low: 6:06am/6:43pm
Special international celebrations today…
- Belgrade Day - Serbia
- Kenyatta Day - Kenya
- Revolution Day - Guatemala
It’s also…
- Mammography Day
- Miss American Rose Day
- Global Champagne Day
- National Brandied Fruit Day
On this day in…
1740 - Maria Theresa became the ruler of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia with the death of her father,
Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI.
1774 - The new Continental Congress, the governing body of America’s colonies, passed an order proclaiming that all citizens of the colonies "discountenance and discourage all horse racing and all kinds of gaming, cock fighting, exhibitions of shows, plays and other expensive diversions and entertainment."
1803 - TheU.S. Senate approved the Louisiana Purchase.
1818 - TheU.S. and Great Britain established the boundary between theU.S. and Canada to be the 49th parallel.
1827 - The Battle of Navarino took place during the Greek War for Independence.
1873 - A Hippodrome was opened in New York City by showman Phineus T. (P.T.) Barnum.
1892 - The city of Chicago dedicated the World's Columbian Exposition.
1903 - A joint commission ruled in favor of theU.S. concerning a dispute over the boundary between Canada and the District of Alaska.
1910 - A baseball with a cork center was used in aWorld Series game for the first time.
1930 - "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" debuted on NBC radio.
1935 - Mao Zedong arrived in Hanoi after his Long March that took just over a year. He then set up the Chinese Communist Headquarters.
1942 - Pierre Laval told the French labor that they must serve in Germany.
1944 - Allied forces invaded the Philippines.
1944 - During World War II, the Yugoslav cities of Belgrade and Dubrovnik were liberated.
1947 - Hollywood came under scrutiny as the House Un-American Activities Committee opened hearings into alleged Communist influence within the motion picture industry.
1952 - The Mau Mau uprising against white settlers began in Kenya.
1955 - "No Time for Sergeants" opened on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre. The show starred Andy Griffith and Don Knotts made his Broadway debut. The last show was on September 14, 1957.
1957 - Walter Cronkite began hosting "The 20th Century." The show aired until January 4, 1970.
1968 - Jackie Lee Bouvier Kennedy married Aristotle Onassis.
1979 - The John F. Kennedy Library in Boston was dedicated.
1984 - TheU.S. State Department reduced the number of Americans assigned to theU.S. embassy in Beirut, Lebanon.
1993 - Attorney General Janet Reno warned the TV industry to limit the violence in their programs.
1994 - The websiteWhiteHouse.gov was launched.
1995 - Britain, France and theU.S. announced a treaty that banned atomic blasts in the South Pacific.
2003 - A 40-year-old man went over Niagara Falls without safety devices and survived. He was charged with illegally performing a stunt.
2009 - European astronomers discover 32 exoplanets.
Today’s birthday celebrants include (or included)...
- Sir Christopher Wren 1632 - Architect, astronomer, mathematician
- Arthur Rimbaud 1854
- James Mann 1856 - Lawyer, U.S. Congressman
- John Dewey 1859 - Psychologist, philosopher
- Charles Ives 1874 - Composer, author
- Bela Lugosi (Blasko) 1882 - Actor ("Dracula")
- Ellery Queen (Frederic Dannay) 1905 - Author
- Arlene Francis 1908 - Actress ("Blind Date")
- Will Rogers, Jr. 1912 - Actor ("The Story of Will Rogers")
- Grandpa Jones (Louis Marshall) 1913 - Singer
- Fayard Nicholas 1914
- Herschel Bernardi 1922 - Actor ("Peter Gunn"), voice of Charlie the Tuna in television commercials
- Art Buchwald 1925 - Newspaper columnist
- Mickey Mantle 1931 - Baseball player
- William Christopher 1932
- Roosevelt Brown 1932 - Football player
- Michael Dunn 1934
- Jerry Orbach 1935 - Actor ("Dirty Dancing")
- Bobby Seale 1936
- Wanda Jackson 1937 - Singer
- Juan "Manito" Marichal 1937 - Baseball player
- Jay Siegal (The Tokens) 1939 - Singer (The Tokens, Cross Country)
- Earl Hindman 1942 - Actor ("Home Improvement")
- Ric Lee (Ten Years After) 1945 - Drummer (Ten Years After)
- Tom Petty 1950 - Musician (Traveling Wilburys )
- Isaac Curtis 1950 - Football player
- Al Greenwood 1951 - Keyboard player (Foreigner)
- Melanie Mayron 1952 - Actress
- Dave Collins 1952 - Baseball player
- Dave McClelland 1952 - Hockey player
- Keith Hernandez 1953 - Baseball player
- Eric Scott 1958 - Actor ("The Waltons")
- Viggo Mortensen 1958 - Actor, musician
- Mark King 1958 - Musician (Level 42)
- David Ryan (The Lemonheads) 1964
- James G. Sonefeld (Hootie & the Blowfish) 1964
- Fred Coury 1966 - Musician (Cinderella)
- Snoop Doggy Dogg (Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr.) 1971 - Rapper
