Today in History
The 288th day of the year 2022 is today, Saturday, October 15. The year has 77 days remaining.
 |
| Today in History, October 15 |
Today's Historical Highlight: On October 15, 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson approved legislation that established the United States Department of Transportation.
On this day:
Napoleon Bonaparte, the overthrown French Emperor, arrived on the British-controlled island of St. Helena in the South Atlantic in 1815, where he lived out the remaining five and a half years of his life in exile.
Pierre Laval, the former premier of Vichy France, was put to death for treason in 1945.
Hermann Goering, a Nazi war criminal who was scheduled to be put to death in 1946, poisoned himself instead.
Hurricane Hazel, a Category 4 storm that hit the Carolina coast in 1954, was to blame for almost 1,000 fatalities in the Caribbean, 95 in the United States, and 81 in Canada.
In Oakland, California, Huey Newton and Bobby Seale launched the revolutionary Black Panther Party in 1966.
Democratic contender Walter F. Mondale and Republican nominee Bob Dole squared off in Houston in the first debate of its sort between vice-presidential candidates in 1976.
Officials in South Africa released Walter Sisulu and eight other well-known political detainees in 1989.
In two separate occasions in the Nevada desert, British Royal Air Force pilot Andy Green broke the world land-speed record with a jet-powered vehicle in 1997.
Bethlehem Steel Corp. submitted a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition in 2001.
A Staten Island ferry crashed into a maintenance dock in 2003, killing 11 passengers. After passing out at the controls, the ferry's pilot later admitted guilt to 11 charges of homicide.
Barack Obama announced plans to remain at least 5,500 American soldiers in Afghanistan at the end of his term in 2017 and transfer control of the battle to his successor in 2015, abandoning his promise to put an end to America's longest war.
Ten years ago, Hulk Hogan, a former professional wrestler, sued Gawker for publishing a sex tape of him online. In a legal battle that resulted in Gawker's bankruptcy, Hogan was awarded $140 million in damages against the media outlet, but Gawker ultimately settled for $31 million.
Five years prior: Actress and activist Alyssa Milano tweeted that women who had experienced sexual harassment or assault should post "Me too" as a status; within hours, tens of thousands had adopted the #MeToo hashtag using a phrase that had been first used by social activist Tarana Burke ten years prior. Colin Kaepernick, a former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, filed a grievance against the NFL, saying that owners' collusion prevented him from being signed as a result of his anthem demonstrations.
David Amess, a British Conservative lawmaker, was stabbed to death while meeting with constituents in a church hall one year ago. The attacker, an Islamic State supporter who claimed he chose Amess as a target due to his prior support for airstrikes on Syria, was found guilty and given a life sentence. At least 47 people were murdered and numerous others were injured in a suicide explosion that targeted a Shiite mosque in southern Afghanistan; the Islamic State organization took responsibility. A divided jury spared Nikolas Cruz the death sentence on Thursday, putting him to jail for the rest of his life. The attorneys for the Florida man announced he will plead guilty to the 2018 Parkland high school shooting that left 14 students and three staff members dead.
Birthdates for today:
Barry McGuire, the singer, is 87 years old. Linda Lavin, an actress, is 85 years old. Don Stevenson of Moby Grape is 80 years old. Jim Palmer, a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, is 77 years old. Richard Carpenter, a singer-songwriter, is 76 years old. Victor Banerjee, an actor, is 76 years old. Roscoe Tanner, a former tennis player, is 71 years old. Tito Jackson is 69 years old. Larry Miller, an actor and comedian, is 69 years old. Jere Burns, an actor, is 68 years old. Mira Nair is a 65-year-old film director. Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, is 63 years old. Chef Emeril Lagasse is 63 years old. Mark Reznicek, a rock musician, is 60 years old. Eric Benet, a singer, is 56 years old. Vanessa Marcil, an actress, is 54 years old. Paige Davis, a singer-actor-TV host, is 53 years old. Kimberly Schlapman of Little Big Town is 53 years old. Dominic West is a 53-year-old actor. Ginuwine, an R&B singer, is 52 years old. Jaci Velasquez, a Christian singer-actor, is 43 years old. Brandon Jay McLaren, an actor, is 42 years old. Keyshia Cole, an R&B singer, is 41 years old. Vincent Martella, an actor, is 30 years old. Bailee Madison is a 23-year-old actress.
