October 19, 2017 - Today in History
1781
British troops under Gen. Lord Cornwallis surrendered at
Yorktown, Va., as the American Revolution neared its end.
1932
Speaking as a presidential candidate before 30,000 at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh PA,
Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt expressed opposition to payment of the soldiers
bonus until the government has balanced the budget and has a
surplus of cash in the treasury. It was his first declaration on the
bonus issue since his nomination.
1987
The stock market crashed as the Dow Jones Industrial
Average plunged 508 points, or 22.6 percent in value (its biggest
daily percentage loss), to close at 1,738.74 in what came to be
known as Black Monday.
Todays birthdays:
Author John le Carre, 86. Actor Michael Gambon, 77. Actor John Lithgow, 72. Singer Jennifer Holliday, 57. Boxer Evander Holyfield, 55. Actor Jon Favreau, 51. Former first daughter Amy Carter, 50. South Park co-creator Trey Parker, 48.
Thought for today:
It takes a clever man to turn cynic and a wise man to be clever enough not to.
Fannie Hurst, American author (born on this date in 1885, died 1968)