Take a look at our October History for important events that happened this month. Makes a great trivia game, too!
October 2, 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court saw the first African American associate justice as Thurgood Marshall was sworn in.
October 6, 1927 “The Jazz Singer” opened in New York starring Al Jolson. This was the first full-length feature film using spoken dialogue.
October 7, 1985, the Italian passenger ship Achille Lauro was hijacked by Palestinian terrorists. Leon Klinghoffer, an elderly Jewish wheelchair-bound American, was shot and his body thrown overboard.
October 14, 1912, Former President Theodore Roosevelt was shot by John Schrank while campaigning in Milwaukee. He was saved by his thick overcoat, a glasses case and a 50 page folded speech that slowed the bullet. He made the 90 minute speech with a bullet lodged in his chest.
October 14, 1947, the first man to break the sound barrier is U.S. Air Force Captain Chuck Yeager.
October 20, 1818, the 49th parallel becomes the border between the U.S. and Canada.
October 22, 1962, President John F. Kennedy informed America of the existence of Russian missiles in Cuba. He demanded their removal and announced a naval blockade of Cuba. Russia announced they would remove the weapons six days later. The U.S. later removed missiles from Turkey.
October 30, 1938, Orson Welles and the Mercury Players dramatized the story by H.G. Wells “War of the Worlds” on a radio broadcast that panicked millions of Americans.
Enjoy Wells Brothers’ October History and come see us for all your pet, lawn, and garden needs.