Today is Sunday, Oct. 27, the 301st day of 2024 with 65 to follow.
The moon is waning. Morning stars are Jupiter, Mars, Neptune, Saturn and Uranus. Evening stars are Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Neptune, Saturn, Uranus and Venus.
Those born on this date are under the sign of Scorpio. They include explorer Capt. James Cook in 1728; musician Niccolo Paganini in 1782; sewing machine developer Isaac Singer in 1811; Theodore Roosevelt, 26th president of the United States/Nobel Peace Prize laureate, in 1858; etiquette arbiter Emily Post in 1872; artist Lee Krasner in 1908; actor Leif Erickson in 1911; poet Dylan Thomas in 1914; actor Nanette Fabray in 1920; Baseball Hall of Fame member Ralph Kiner in 1922; artist Roy Lichtenstein in 1923; poet Sylvia Plath in 1932; comedian/actor John Cleese in 1939 (age 85); musician Lee Greenwood in 1942 (age 82); Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in 1945 (age 79); filmmaker Ivan Reitman in 1946; musician Garry Tallent (Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band) in 1949 (age 75); writer Fran Lebowitz in 1950 (age 74); musician K.K. Downing (Judas Priest) in 1951 (age 73); actor Roberto Benigni in 1952 (age 72); actor Robert Picardo in 1953 (age 71); musician Simon Le Bon (Duran Duran) in 1958 (age 66); actor Marla Maples in 1963 (age 61); musician J.D. McFadden (Sixpence None the Richer/Mavericks) in 1964 (age 60); musician Scott Weiland (Stone Temple Pilots/Velvet Revolver) in 1967; musician Jason Finn (Presidents of the United States of America) in 1967 (age 57); writer Zadie Smith in 1975 (age 49); mountaineer/inspirational speaker Aron Ralston in 1975 (age 49); TV personality Kelly Osbourne in 1984 (age 40); actor Troy Gentile in 1993 (age 31); NBA player Lonzo Ball in 1997 (age 27).
On this date in history:
In 1682, the city of Philadelphia was founded by William Penn to serve as the capital of the Pennsylvania Colony.
In 1787, a New York newspaper published the first of 77 essays explaining the new Constitution and urging its ratification. The essays were written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay (and later combined as “The Federalist Papers).”
In 1795, a treaty with Spain settled Florida’s northern boundary and gave navigation rights on the Mississippi River to the United States.
In 1904, the first rapid transit subway system in America opened in New York City.
In 1936, Mrs. Wallis Simpson, American friend of King Edward VIII, obtained a swift divorce in the small, dingy Ipswich Court.
In 1946, the travel show Geographically Speaking, sponsored by Bristol-Myers, became the first television program with a commercial sponsor.
In 1954, Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., commander of the 332nd Fighter Group, the Tuskegee Airmen, became the first Black American promoted to the rank of general in the United States Air Force.
In 1954, Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio divorced. Among the issues that ended their much-publicized marriage was a blowup over her famous scene in The Seven-Year Itch in which a blast of air lifts her skirt. The marriage lasted nine months.
In 1962, Major Rudolf Anderson, a U-2 pilot in the United States Air Force, is shot down during a reconnaissance mission over Cuba. His death makes him the only direct casualty of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
In 1986, U.S. Congress established the Great Basin National Park in Nevada, the 49th national park in the country. It officially opened in August 1987.
In 1998, Hurricane Mitch, one of the strongest recorded Atlantic storms, began a four-day siege of Central America, causing at least 10,000 deaths.
In 2004, the Boston Red Sox won the World Series for the first time in 86 years.
In 2017, the Catalan Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence from Spain. In reaction, the Spanish government dissolved Catalonia’s legislative body.
In 2019, Cherokee actor, activist and Vietnam veteran Wes Studi became the first Native American actor to be presented with an Oscar — an honorary lifetime achievement award.
In 2022, Elon Musk officially took ownership of Twitter after purchasing it for $44 billion. He renamed the social media platform X in July 2023.
In 2023, authorities confirmed they found the body of Robert Card one day after he shot and killed 18 people in Lewiston, Maine.
A thought for the day: “I am the sole author of the dictionary that defines me.” — British author Zadie Smith wrote in NW
