What Happened This Day In History - October 10

Today in History
October 10

19		Germanicus, the best loved of Roman princes, dies of poisoning. On his deathbed he accuses Piso, the governor of Syria, of poisoning him.
732		At Tours, France, Charles Martel kills Abd el-Rahman and halts the Muslim invasion of Europe.
1733		France declares war on Austria over the question of Polish succession.
1789		In Versailles France, Joseph Guillotin says the most humane way of carrying out a death sentence is decapitation by a single blow of a blade.
1794		Russian General Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov crushes the rebel Polish army at Maciejowice, Poland.
1845		The U.S. Naval Academy is founded at Annapolis, Md.
1863		The first telegraph line to Denver is completed.
1877		Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer is buried at West Point in New York.
1911		Revolution in China begins with a bomb explosion and the discovery of revolutionary headquarters in Hankow. The revolutionary movement spread rapidly through west and southern China, forcing the abdication of the last Ch’ing emperor, six-year-old Henry Pu-Yi. By October 26, the Chinese Republic will be proclaimed, and on December 4, Premier Yuan Shih-K’ai will sign a truce with rebel general Li Yuan-hung.
1911		The Panama Canal opens.
1933		At Rio de Janeiro, nations of the Western Hemisphere sign a non-aggression and conciliation treaty. President Roosevelt adopts a "good neighbor" policy toward Latin America and announces a policy of nonintervention in Latin American affairs at the December 7th International American Conference at Montevideo, Uruguay.
1941		Soviet troops halt the German advance on Moscow.
1953		The Mutual Defense Treaty between the US and South Korea signed.
1966		U.S. Forces launch Operation Robin, in Hoa Province south of Saigon in South Vietnam, to provide road security between villages.
1970		The Quebec Provincial Minister of Labour, Pierre Laporte, is kidnapped by terrorists.
1971		The London Bridge, built in 1831 and dismantled in 1967, reopens in Lake Havusu City, Arizona, after being sold to Robert P. McCulloch and moved to the United States.
1973		Spiro Agnew resigns the vice presidency amid accusations of income tax evasion. President Richard Nixon names Gerald Ford as the new vice president. Agnew is later convicted and sentenced to three years probation and fined $10,000.
1985		An Egyptian plane carrying hijackers of the Achille Lauro cruise ship is intercepted by US Navy F-14s and forced to land at a NATO base in Sicily.
2008		Orakzai bombing, Afghanistan: members of the Taliban drive an explosive-laden truck into a meeting of 600 people discussing ways to rid their area of the Taliban; the bomb kills 110.
Born on October 10
1731		Henry Cavendish, English physicist who measured the density and mass of the Earth.
1813		Giuseppe Verdi, composer (Rigoletto, Aida).
1900		Helen Hayes, American actress.
1901		Alberto Giacometti, sculptor and painter.
1920		Thelonius Monk, jazz pianist and composer.
1924		James Clavell, novelist (Shogun, Noble House).
1930		Harold Pinter, British playwright (The Homecoming, Betrayal).
1940		Winston Spencer-Churchill, British politician; grandson of famed Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill.
1946		John Prine, singer, songwriter; influential for his poem-like lyrics ("The Great Compromise," "Blue Umbrella").
1946		Ben Vereen, actor (Roots miniseries).
1949		Wang Wanxing, Chinese rights advocate; prisoner for 13 years in detention centers and psychiatric institutions (Ankang), he is the only person thus far to be released from these institutions and allowed to live in a Western country.
1954		David Lee Roth, singer, songwriter, actor, author; lead vocalist for hard rock band Van Halen; member of Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame (2007).
1958		Tanya Tucker, singer whose first hit, "Delta Dawn," came when she was just 13.
1963		Daniel Pearl, journalist; captured and beheaded by Al Queda in Pakistan; Daniel Pearl Foundation to promote tolerance and understanding internationally founded in his memory.
1969		Brett Favre, pro football player; only pro quarterback to throw for over 70,000 yards, completing 6,000 passes, including over 500 for touchdowns.
1974		Dale Earnhardt Jr., stock car racing driver and team owner; won Most Popular Driver Award in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 10 times (2003–2012).