Today’s highlight:
On Oct. 17, 1711, Jupiter Hammon, the first black poet to have his work published in America, was born on Long Island, N.Y., into a lifetime of slavery. (The date of his death is unknown, although he apparently lived at least into his 80s.)
On this date:
In 16
10, French King Louis XIII, age nine, was crowned at Reims, five months after the assassination of his father, Henry IV.
In 1777, British forces under Gen. John Burgoyne surrendered to American troops in Saratoga, N.Y., in a turning point of the Revolutionary War.
In 1807, Britain declared it would continue to reclaim British-born sailors from American ships and ports regardless of whether they held U.S. citizenship.
In 1931, mobster Al Capone was convicted of income tax evasion. (Sentenced to 11 years in prison, Capone was released in 1939.)
In 1933, Albert Einstein arrived in the United States as a refugee from Nazi Germany.
In 1941, the U.S. destroyer Kearny was damaged by a German torpedo off the coast of Iceland; 11 people died.
In 1961, French police attacked Algerians protesting a curfew in Paris. (The resulting death toll varies widely, with some estimates of up to 200.)
In 1973, Arab oil-producing nations announced they would begin cutting back oil exports to Western nations and Japan; the result was a total embargo that lasted until March 1974.
In 1989, an earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale struck northern California, killing 63 people and causing $6 billion worth of damage.
In 1991, entertainer Tennessee Ernie Ford died in Reston, Va., at age 72.
Ten years ago: With the threat of anthrax hovering over Capitol Hill, congressional leaders closed six House and Senate office buildings for decontamination; the U.S. House of Representatives shut down for several days. Israel’s tourism minister, Rehavam Zeevi, was shot to death in the first-ever assassination of a serving Cabinet minister by Palestinians. Oscar-winning songwriter Jay Livingston died in Los Angeles at age 86.
Five years ago: President George W. Bush signed legislation authorizing tough interrogation of terror suspects and smoothing the way for trials before military commissions. America’s official population passed the 300 million mark, fueled by a growing number of immigrants and their children. Megan Meier, the 13-year-old victim of an Internet hoax, died a day after hanging herself at home in Dardenne Prairie, Mo. CBS News correspondent Christopher Glenn died in Norwalk, Conn., at age 68.
One year ago: Pope Benedict XVI gave Australia its first saint, canonizing Mary MacKillop, a 19th century nun who was briefly excommunicated in part because her religious order had exposed a pedophile priest.
Associated Press
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