Today’s Highlight in History:
On Oct. 10, 1845, the U.S. Naval Academy was established in Annapolis, Maryland.
On this date:
In 1911, Chinese revolutionaries launched an uprising that led to the collapse of the Qing (or Manchu) Dynasty and the establishment of the Republic of China.
In 1935, the George Gershwin opera “Porgy and Bess,” featuring an all-Black cast, opened on Broadway, beginning a run of 124 performances.
In 1962, President John F. Kennedy, responding to the Thalidomide birth defects crisis, signed an amendment to the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act requiring pharmaceutical companies to prove that their products were safe and effective prior to marketing.
In 1964, entertainer Eddie Cantor died in Beverly Hills, California at age 72.
In 1966, the Beach Boys’ single “Good Vibrations,” written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love was released by Capitol Records.
In 1973, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, accused of accepting bribes, pleaded no contest to one count of federal income tax evasion, and resigned his office.
In 1981, a funeral was held in Cairo for Egyptian leader Anwar Sadat, who had been assassinated by Muslim extremists.
In 1985, actor-director Orson Welles died in Los Angeles at age 70, and actor Yul Brynner died in New York at age 65.
In 1997, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines and its coordinator, Jody Williams, were named winners of the Nobel Peace Prize.
In 2001, a month after the Sept. 11 attacks, U.S. jets pounded the Afghan capital of Kabul while President George W. Bush unveiled a list of 22 most-wanted terrorists, including Osama bin Laden.
In 2012, football star-turned-actor Alex Karras died in Los Angeles at age 77.
In 2013, Scott Carpenter, the second American to orbit the Earth and one of the last surviving Mercury 7 astronauts, died at age 88.
In 2014, Malala Yousafzai (mah-LAH’-lah YOO’-suhf-zeye), a 17-year-old Pakistani girl, and Kailash Satyarthi (KY’-lash saht-YAHR’-thee), a 60-year-old Indian man, were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for risking their lives for the right of children to receive an education and to live free from abuse.
In 2017, the U.S. soccer team failed to qualify for the World Cup, eliminated with a 2-1 loss to Trinidad and Tobago; it ended a run of seven straight U.S. appearances at soccer’s showcase event.
In 2021, after more than 18 months of pandemic delays, Daniel Craig’s final James Bond film, “No Time to Die,” was the top earner at the box office on its opening weekend, grossing $56 million in North America.