October 26, 2023
QUOTE
According to recognized aero technical tests, the bumblebee cannot fly because of the shape and weight of his body in relation to the total wing area. The bumblebee doesn’t know this, so he goes ahead and flies anyway.
--Igor Sikorsky
BIRTHDAYS
1609 – William Sprague, English-American settler, co-founded Charlestown, Massachusetts
1854 – C. W. Post, American businessman, founded Post Foods
1860 – Frank Eaton, American marshal and author
1911 – Mahalia Jackson, American singer
1945 – Pat Conroy, American author
1946 – Pat Sajak, American journalist, actor, and game show host
IN MEMORY
899 – Alfred the Great, English king
1675 – William Sprague, English settler, co-founded Charlestown, Massachusetts
1931 – Charles Comiskey, American baseball player and manager
1944 – Hiroyoshi Nishizawa, Japanese lieutenant and pilot
1972 – Igor Sikorsky, Ukrainian-American engineer and academic, founded Sikorsky Aircraft
1986 – Jackson Scholz, American runner
IN ON THIS DAY
1341 – The Byzantine civil war of 1341–1347 formally begins with the proclamation of John VI Kantakouzenos as Byzantine Emperor.
1520 – Charles V is crowned as Holy Roman Emperor.
1774 – The First Continental Congress adjourns in Philadelphia.
1825 – The Erie Canal opens, allowing direct passage from the Hudson River to Lake Erie.
1881 – Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday participate in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona.
1936 – The first electric generator at Hoover Dam goes into full operation.
1944 – The Battle of Leyte Gulf ends with an overwhelming American victory.
1958 – Pan American Airways makes the first commercial flight of the Boeing 707 from New York City to Paris.
1994 – Jordan and Israel sign a peace treaty.
2001 – The United States passes the USA PATRIOT Act into law.