October 13
1775
The Continental Congress authorized construction and administration of the first American naval force—the precursor to the United States Navy. Since the outbreak of open hostilities with the British in April, little consideration had been given to protection by sea until Congress received news that a British naval fleet was on its way. In November, the Continental Navy was formally organized, and on December 22, Esek Hopkins was appointed the first commander in chief of the Continental Navy. During the American Revolution, the Continental Navy successfully preyed on British merchant shipping and won several victories over British warships. This first naval force was disbanded after the war. What is now known as the United States Navy was formally established with the creation of the federal Department of the Navy in April 1798.
1997
John Denver died when his experimental amateur aircraft crashed into Monterey Bay on the California coast. To those who bought records like “Rocky Mountain High” and “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by the millions in the 1970s, John Denver was much more than just a great songwriter and performer. With his oversized glasses, bowl haircut and down vest, he was an unlikely fashion icon, and with his vocal environmentalism, he was the living embodiment of an outdoorsy lifestyle. A movie star and political activist as well as a musician, John Denver was one of the biggest stars of his generation, and is credited by the Recording Industry Association of America with selling more than 32 million albums in the US alone.
2019
Simone Biles became the most decorated gymnast in world championship history when she won gold medals in the balance beam and the floor exercise at the 2019 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Stuttgart, Germany. The wins increased her career medal total in the championships to 25. The record medal count — two more than the previous high, held for more than two decades by Vitaly Scherbo of Belarus — strengthened the case of those who already consider Biles to be the greatest gymnast of all time.
October 14
1947
U.S. Air Force Captain Chuck Yeager became the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound when he flew the “Glamorous Glennis," experimental Bell X-1 rocket plane named after his wife, over Rogers Dry Lake in Southern California. The X-1 was lifted to an altitude of 25,000 feet by a B-29 aircraft and then released through the bomb bay, rocketing to 40,000 feet and exceeding 662 miles per hour (the sound barrier at that altitude). Because of the secrecy of the project, Bell and Yeager’s achievement was not announced until June 1948. Yeager continued to serve as a test pilot, and in 1953 he flew 1,650 miles per hour in an X-1A rocket plane. He retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1975 with the rank of brigadier general.
1964
African American civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize "for his non-violent struggle for civil rights for the Afro-American population" At 35 years of age, the Georgia-born minister was the youngest person ever to receive the award. Influenced by Mohandas Gandhi, he advocated nonviolent civil disobedience to racial segregation. The peaceful protests he led throughout the American South were often met with violence, but King and his followers persisted, and their nonviolent movement gained momentum. When notified of his selection, he announced that he would turn over the prize money of $54,123 to the furtherance of the civil rights movement.
1994
Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, a crime drama featuring multiple storylines and a large ensemble cast including John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis and Harvey Keitel, opened in theaters. Made for less than $10 million, Pulp Fiction earned more than $100 million at the box office and was a huge critical hit, winning the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and earning seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture.
October 15
1863
The H.L. Hunley, the world’s first successful combat submarine, sunk during a test run, killing its inventor and seven crew members. The submarine would go on to complete its last mission in 1864 when it sank the U.S.S. Housatonic in shallow water, becoming the first submarine to sink a ship in battle. However, its first successful mission was also its last—the Hunley sank before it returned to Charleston, taking yet another crew down with it. The vessel was raised in 2000, and is now on exhibit in Charleston.
1989
Los Angeles King Wayne Gretzky broke Gordie Howe’s NHL points record (1,850) in the final period of a game against the Edmonton Oilers. Gretzky’s record-setting goal tied the game; in overtime he scored another, and the Kings won 5-4. Gretzky had played in Edmonton for nine seasons and helped the team win four Stanley Cups, so the city’s Northland Coliseum was packed with fans. When he scored his goal, the sellout crowd erupted into a thunderous ovation that lasted for more than two minutes. By the time Gretzky retired at the end of the 1998-99 season, he held or shared 61 NHL records. In all, he scored 894 goals and tallied 1,963 assists for 2,857 points in 1,487 games.
1991
After a bitter confirmation hearing, the U.S. Senate voted 52 to 48 to confirm Clarence Thomas to the U.S. Supreme Court, replacing Thurgood Marshall, the first African American Supreme Court justice. President George Bush nominated Clarence Thomas, a 43-year-old African American judge known for his conservative beliefs, to fill the seat. As the hearings for Thomas’ nomination got underway, he evaded controversy over his conservative views by refusing to state a clear political position. He seemed headed for an easy confirmation until Anita Hill, a former aide, stepped forward and accused him of sexual harassment.
October 16
1923
Walt Disney and his brother Roy founded the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio in Hollywood, California. The studio, now known as the Walt Disney Company, has had an oversized impact on the entertainment industry and is now one of the largest media companies in the world. Since then, the Walt Disney Company has produced dozens of groundbreaking and acclaimed films. It has evolved into a holding company for all manner of media and entertainment properties, opening theme parks across the world beginning in 1955 and acquiring dozens of companies in the '90s and 2000s. Disney now owns and operates ABC, ESPN, Pixar, Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm. Disney original cartoons and feature films constitute some of the most popular and enduring entries in the American canon.
1968
American runners Tommie Smith and John Carlos ascended the podium to receive the gold and bronze medals for the men’s 200-meter race at the Mexico City Olympics. Once their medals had been placed around their necks, the American flag was raised and “The Star-Spangled Banner” began to play over the loudspeakers, Smith and Jones each raised a fist in the Black Power salute, one of the most famous moments of political speech in the history of the Olympics, and of American sport. The 1968 Olympics were destined to be politically charged, beginning just a few months after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Smith and Carlos went on to successful careers as athletes and speakers, and continued their activism. “It was a cry for freedom and for human rights,” Smith later said of the protest. “We had to be seen because we couldn’t be heard.”
1987
In an event that had viewers around the world glued to their televisions, 18-month-old Jessica McClure is rescued after being trapped for 58 hours in an abandoned water well in Midland, Texas. The drama unfolded on the morning of October 14, 1987, when McClure fell through the 8-inch-wide opening of an abandoned well while playing with other children in the backyard of her aunt’s home day-care center. After her rescue, McClure was hospitalized for more than a month and lost a toe to gangrene. Once out of the hospital, McClure went on to lead a normal life. In 2011, at age 25, she gained access to a trust fund—reportedly worth at least $800,000—that was established following her rescue and made up of donations from people around the world.
October 17
1835
Texans approve a resolution to create the Texas Rangers, a corps of armed and mounted lawmen designed to “range and guard the frontier between the Brazos and Trinity Rivers.” In the midst of their revolt against Mexico, Texan leaders felt they needed a semi-official force of armed men who would defend the isolated frontier settlers of the Lone Star Republic against both Santa Ana’s soldiers and Native Americans; the Texas Rangers filled this role. Over nearly 200 years, the Rangers have transformed from a small militia into modern-day Texas’s official state police force.
1931
Gangster Al Capone was sentenced to 11 years in prison for tax evasion and fined $80,000, signaling the downfall of one of the most notorious criminals of the 1920s and 1930s. Prohibition proved extremely lucrative for Capone, who raked in millions from his underworld activities and was at the top of the F.B.I.’s “Most Wanted” list by 1930. Among Capone’s enemies was federal agent Elliot Ness, who led a team of officers known as “The Untouchables” because they couldn’t be corrupted. Ness and his men routinely broke up Capone’s bootlegging businesses. He began serving time at the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta, but was transferred to Alcatraz Island after accusations of manipulating the system. Plagued by health problems for the rest of his life, Capone died in 1947 at age 48 at his home on Palm Island, Florida.
1989
The 7.1 magnitude Loma Prieta earthquake hit the San Francisco Bay Area, killing 67 people and causing more than $5 billion in damages, which contributed to the deep recession that California suffered in the early 1990s. The proximity of the San Andreas Fault to San Francisco was well-known for most of the 20th century, but the knowledge did not stop the construction of many un-reinforced brick buildings in the area. Though this was one of the most powerful and destructive earthquakes ever to hit a populated area of the US, the death toll could have been much worse if not for the revised building codes of 1972, which forced new structures to be built to withstand earthquakes.
October 18
1867
The U.S. formally takes possession of Alaska after purchasing the territory from Russia for $7.2 million, or less than two cents an acre. The Alaska purchase comprised 586,412 square miles, about twice the size of Texas, and was championed by William Henry Seward, the enthusiastically expansionist secretary of state under President Andrew Johnson. The American public believed the land to be barren and worthless until gold was discovered in 1899. Alaska is now recognized for its vast natural resources. Today, 25 percent of America’s oil and over 50 percent of its seafood come from Alaska. It is also the largest state in area, about one-fifth the size of the lower 48 states combined, though it remains sparsely populated. The name Alaska is derived from the Aleut word alyeska, which means “great land.”
1931
Thomas Alva Edison, one of the most prolific inventors in history, died in West Orange, New Jersey, at the age of 84. Edison worked into his 80s and acquired 1,093 patents in his lifetime. Perhaps his greatest contribution to the modern industrial world came from his work in electricity. He developed a complete electrical distribution system for light and power, set up the world’s first power plant in New York City, and invented the alkaline battery, the first electric railroad, and a host of other inventions that laid the basis for the modern electric world.
1977
In the sixth game of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees outfielder Reggie Jackson hit three home runs in a row off of three consecutive pitches from three different pitchers. Only the great Babe Ruth had ever hit three homers in a single World Series game (and he did it twice, once in 1926 and once in 1928) —but he didn’t do it on consecutive pitches or even consecutive at-bats. Jackson’s amazing home-run streak helped the Yankees win the game and the series, the team’s first since 1962.
October 19
1781
Americans defeat the British at Yorktown, Virginia when British General Lord Cornwallis, hopelessly trapped, surrendered 8,000 British soldiers and seamen to a larger Franco-American force, effectively bringing an end to the American Revolution. Although the war persisted on the high seas and in other theaters, the Patriot victory at Yorktown effectively ended fighting in the American colonies. Peace negotiations began in 1782, and on September 3, 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed, formally recognizing the United States as a free and independent nation after eight years of war.
1982
Automaker John Z. DeLorean was arrested and charged with conspiracy to obtain and distribute 55 pounds of cocaine. DeLorean was acquitted of the drug charges in August 1984 with DeLorean's attorneys arguing his company's financial trouble was the reason the FBI had been able to entrap him in the $24 million drug deal–the authorities knew he would do anything to save his business. Unfortunately, his legal woes were only beginning. He soon went on trial for fraud and over the next two decades was forced to pay millions of dollars to creditors and lawyers. Nevertheless, DeLorean occupies an important place in automotive history. Thanks to its starring role in the 1985 film “Back to the Future,” his gull-wing sports car is one of the most famous cars in the world.
1987
The largest-ever one-day percentage decline in the Dow Jones Industrial Average occurred on "Black Monday." As a number of unrelated events conspired to tank global markets, the Dow dropped 508 points—22.6 percent—in a panic that foreshadowed larger systemic issues. Despite looking like the beginning of another Great Depression, Black Monday has been largely forgotten by Americans not versed in financial history. As it would again in 2008, the federal government took a number of measures to “correct” the market, resulting in immediate gains over the next few weeks. By 1989, the market appeared to have made a full recovery.