This Week In History: October 8 – October 14

This Week In History

OCTOBER 08

Today in History: October 8, The Great Chicago Fire breaks out

• The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned in the American city of Chicago during October 8–10, 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly 3.3 square miles (9 km2) of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left more than 100,000 residents homeless.

OCTOBER 09

Today in History: October 9, Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize

• The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced the award on October 9, 2009, citing Obama’s promotion of nuclear nonproliferation and a “new climate” in international relations fostered by Obama, especially in reaching out to the Muslim world.

OCTOBER 10

Today in History: October 10, U.S. Naval Academy is established in Annapolis, Maryland

• On Oct. 10, 1845, the U.S. Naval Academy was established in Annapolis, Maryland. On this date: In 1911, Chinese revolutionaries launched an uprising that led to the collapse of the Qing (or Manchu) Dynasty and the establishment of the Republic of China.

OCTOBER 11

Today in History: October 11, astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan becomes the first American woman to walk in space

• On October 11, 1984, a female American astronaut stepped outside her spacecraft for the first time. Kathryn D. “Kathy” Sullivan had work to do in the payload bay of the Space Shuttle Challenger, a mobile workplace travelling 17,500 miles per hour about 140 miles above the Earth.

OCTOBER 12

Today in History: October 12, “Gang of Four” arrested in China

• On Oct. 12, 1976, it was announced in China that Hua Guofeng had been named to succeed the late Mao Zedong as chairman of the Communist Party, and that Mao’s widow and three others, known as the “Gang of Four,” had been arrested.

OCTOBER 13

Today in History: October 13, 33 Chilean miners rescued after 69 days underground

• On Oct. 13, 2010, rescuers in Chile using a missile-like escape capsule pulled 33 men one by one to fresh air and freedom 69 days after they were trapped in a collapsed mine a half-mile underground.

OCTOBER 14

Today in History: October 14, Martin Luther King wins Nobel Peace Prize

• On Oct. 14, 1964, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was named winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. On this date: In 1066, Normans under William the Conqueror defeated the English at the Battle of Hastings.https://apnews.com/today-in-history