Today in History - October 26th

1492 – On this day in history, Columbus' fleet anchored on Ragged Island Range, Bahamas.
1774 - The First Continental Congress adjourned in Philadelphia.
1776 – Today in history, Benjamin Franklin departed from America for France on a mission to seek French support for the American Revolution.
1825 - The Erie Canal, connecting Lake Erie to the Hudson River, opened.
1810 – On this day in history, US annexed western Florida.
1861 – Today in history, Pony Express ended.

1881 - The gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, came to pass.
1900 - After 4 years of work, first section of NY subway opened.
1949 - President Harry Truman raised the minimum wage from 40 to 75 cents an hour.
1951 - Winston Churchill became the prime minister of Great Britain.
1958 - Pan American Airways flew its first Boeing 707 jetliner from New York City to Paris.
1962 - The Soviet Union made an offer to end the Cuban Missile Crisis by taking their missile bases out of Cuba if the United States agreed to not invade Cuba and would remove Jupiter missiles in Turkey.
1973 – On this day in history, President Nixon released the first White House tapes on the Watergate scandal.
1975 – Anwar Sadat became the first Egyptian president to pay an official visit to the United States.
1978 – Today in history, Menachem Begin & Anwar Sadat named winners of 1978 Nobel Peace Prize.
1990 - The US State Department issued a warning that terrorists could be planning an attack on a passenger ship or aircraft.
2001 - The United States passed the USA PATRIOT Act into law, in response to the events of 9-11.
2002 - Russian authorities pumped a gas into a theater where separatist rebels held over 800 hostages. The gas killed 116 hostages and all 50 hostage-takers were killed.

SPORTS - Today in History, October 26th

1951 – Today in history, Rocky Marciano defeated Joe Louis at Madison Square Garden.
2005 - The Chicago White Sox swept the Houston Astros to win their first World Series in 88 years.

1492 – On this day in history, lead pencils were first used.
1858 - H.E. Smith patented the rotary-motion washing machine.
1984 - "Baby Fae" was given the heart of baboon after being born with a severe heart defect. She lived for 21 days with the animal heart.
1988 - Roussel Uclaf, a French pharmaceutical company, announced it was halting the worldwide distribution of RU-486. The pill was used to induce abortions. The French government made the company reverse itself two days later.
1977 – Today in history, the last natural case of smallpox was discovered in Merca district, Somalia. The WHO and the CDC consider this date the anniversary of the eradication of smallpox, the most spectacular success of vaccination.

1970 - "Doonesbury," the comic strip by Gary Trudeau, premiered in 28 newspapers across the United States.
1931 - Eugene O'Neill's "Mourning Becomes Electra," premiered in NYC.

1927 - Duke Ellington sang "Creole Love Song."
1935 - Judy Garland, at the age of 12, sang on Wallace Berry's radio show on NBC.
1962 - Beatles recorded "Please Please Me" & "Ask Me Why."
1964 - Rolling Stones appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show.
1975 - "A Chorus Line" premiered.
1993 - Catholic churches in San Juan, Puerto Rico urge residents to tie black ribbons on trees to protest Madonna's first concert there.

1685 - Domenico Scarlatti, Naples Italy, composer/harpsichordist.
1825 - JOHANN STRAUSS II Nicknamed "The Waltz King," he was an Austrian composer who created over 500 works, mainly dance music and operettas.
1838 – George Bizet French composer of the immortal operatic masterpiece, "Carmen," one of his only successes.
1855 - Charles Post, who had a way with breakfast cereals (Post Cereals).
1865 - Benjamin Guggenheim, American businessman, who endowed the Museum bearing his name in NY.
1912 - Minnie Pearl, country singer who always wore a $1.98 price tag on her hat.
1917 - Felix the Cat, cartoon character.
1947 - Hillary Rodham Clinton, Chicago, Illinois, First Lady, Senator and Secretary of State.
1956 - Rita Wilson, American actress.