October 22
In a televised speech of extraordinary gravity, U.S. president John F. Kennedy announces that U.S. spy planes have discovered Soviet missile bases in Cuba. These missile sites, under construction, but nearing completion, housed medium-range missiles capable of striking a number of major cities in the United States, including Washington, D.C.. – 1962.
The first parachute jump of note is made by André-Jacques Garnerin from a hydrogen balloon 3,200 feet above Paris. – 1797.
October 23
A suicide bomber drives a truck filled with 2,000 pounds of explosives into a U.S. Marine Corps barracks at the Beirut International Airport. The explosion kills 220 Marines, 18 sailors, and three soldiers. A few minutes after that bomb went off, a second bomber drives into the basement of the nearby French paratroopers’ barracks and kills 58 more military members. President Ronald Reagan pulled troops out of Lebanon. – 1983.
Postal workers Joseph Cursseen and Thomas Morris die after inhaling anthrax at the Brentwood mail sorting center in Washington, D.C.. Other postal workers are made ill. Letters containing the deadly spores had been addressed to U.S. Senate offices and media outlets. – 2001.
October 24
The first U.S. federal minimum wage, 25¢ an hour, takes effect, thanks to enactment of the Depression-era Fair Labor Standards Act (FSLA). The law required an increase to 30¢ an hour one year from this date, and to 40¢ an hour on this date in 1945. The FLSA established the 40-hour work week and forbade child labor in factories. – 1938.
The supersonic Concorde jet makes its last commercial passenger flight, traveling at twice the speed of sound from New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to London’s Heathrow Airport. – 2003.
October 25
President Richard Nixon vetoes the War Powers Resolution, which would have limited presidential power to commit armed forces abroad without Congressional approval. Nixon claimed that the bill imposed “unconstitutional and dangerous restrictions” on presidential authority. Nevertheless, Congress passed the law over Nixon’s veto November 7, 1973. -1973.
October 26
After eight years and at least 1,000 worker deaths, mostly Irish immigrants, the Erie Canal opens, which links the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. It cost $7 Million and was 363 miles long, 40 feet wide, and four feet deep. – 1825.
The Earp brothers face off against the Clanton-McLaury gang in a legendary shootout at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Ariz.. The famous gunfight that ensued lasted all of 30 seconds, and approximately 30 shots were fired. – 1881.
U.S. president George W. Bush signs the USA PATRIOT Act, (Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism), an anti-terrorism law drawn up in response to the attacks of September 11, 2001. The Patriot Act expanded the definition of terrorism to allow the federal law enforcement increased powers for access to personal information. – 2001.
October 27
The New York City subway opens to the general public, and more than 100,000 individuals pay a nickel each to take their first ride under Manhattan that day. More than 100 workers died during the construction of the first 13 miles of tunnels and track. – 1904.
October 28
The Statue of Liberty, a gift of friendship from France to the United States, is dedicated in New York Harbor, N.Y. by U.S. president Grover Cleveland. – 1886.
The Cuban Missile crisis comes to a close when Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev agrees to remove Russian missiles from Cuba in exchange for a promise from the United States to respect Cuba’s territorial sovereignty. It ended nearly two weeks of anxiety and tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union that came close to provoking a nuclear conflict. – 1962.
The Gateway Arch, a 630-foot high parabola of stainless steel to mark the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial on the waterfront of St. Louis, Mo. is completed after two and one-half years. Although it was predicted 13 lives would be lost in construction, not a single ironworker died. – 1965.