This Week in History

OCTOBER 24

Robin Caparella Hoffman was born.

Marni Sugar was born.

Charlie Meier, Jr. was born.

1931 – The George Washington Bridge, connecting New York and New Jersey, opened to traffic.

1945 – The United Nations officially came into being as its charter took effect.

OCTOBER 25

Caroline and Charlotte Spaeth were born.

Marianne Skippy Doyle was born.

1400 – Geoffrey Chaucer died in London.

1983 – The United States invaded the Caribbean nation of Grenada.

OCTOBER 26

1825 – The Erie Canal, connecting Lake Erie to the Hudson River, opened.

2005 – The Chicago White Sox swept the Houston Astros to win their first World Series in 88 years.

October 27

Kevin Brown was born.

Mike Carey was born.

1904 – New York City’s first rapid transit subway, the IRT, opened.

1997 – The Dow Jones industrial average fell 554.26 points, forcing the stock market to shut down.

2004 – After an 86 year wait, the Boston Red Sox finally captured a World Series trophy.

OCTOBER 28

1886 – The Statue of Liberty was dedicated in New York Harbor by President Grover Cleveland.

1940 – Italy invaded Greece during World War II.

OCTOBER 29

Kim Jenkusky was born.

1929 – The New York Stock Exchange crashed on Black Tuesday, precipitating the Great Depression.

2012 – Hurricane Sandy.

OCTOBER 30

Mark Dana was born.

1938 – Radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds, starring Orson Welles, caused nationwide panic among listeners.

1974 – Muhammad Ali knocked out George Foreman in the eighth round of a 15-round bout in Kinshasa, Zaire (“rumble in the jungle”).