The Edmund Fitzgerald, an ore-hauling ship, and its crew of 29 vanished during a storm in Lake Superior on this day in 1975.
Soviet leader Leonid I. Brezhnev died of a heart attack at age 75 on this day in 1982. He was suceeded by Yuri V. Andropov.
Henry M. Stanley, journalist and explorer, found David Livingstone on this day in 1871. Livingston was a missing Scottish missionary in central Africa. Stanley delivered his famous greeting: "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?"
On this day in 1969, "Sesame Street" made its debut on PBS.
Communist East Germany opened its borders on this day in 1989, allowing its citizens to travel freely to West Germany.
On this day in 1938, Nazi troops and sympathizers destroyed and looted 7,500 Jewish businesses, burned 267 synagogues, killed 91 Jews, and rounded up over 25,000 Jewish men in an event that became known as Kristallnacht or "Night of Broken Glass."
The great Northeast blackout occurred on this day in 1965, as several states and parts of Canada were hit by a series of power failures lasting up to 13 1/2 hours.
Dylan Marlais Thomas (October 27, 1914 – November 9, 1953)
Thomas came to be appreciated as a popular poet during his lifetime, though he found earning a living as a writer difficult. He began augmenting his income with reading tours and radio broadcasts.
At the post-mortem, the pathologist found three causes of death – pneumonia, brain swelling and a fatty liver. Despite his heavy drinking his liver showed no sign of cirrhosis. He was only 39.
Arthur William Matthew "Art" Carney (November 4, 1918 – November 9, 2003)
On this day in 1923, Adolf Hitler (center) made his first attempt at seizing power in Germany with a failed coup in Munich that came to be known as the "Beer-Hall Putsch."
On this day in 1960, Senator John Fitzgerald Kennedy was declared the winner of the Presidential Election over Vice-President Richard M. Nixon.
Ronald Reagan was elected governor of California on this day in 1966.
The newly elected Governor of California, Ronald Reagan talks to the press with wife Nancy by his side.
Blues singer-songwriter, musician, and activist Bonnie Lynn Raitt is 68 today.
Raitt has received 10 Grammy Awards. She is listed as number 50 in Rolling Stone‘s list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time” and number 89 on their list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".
Led Zeppelin’s album "Led Zeppelin IV" was released on this day in 1971. The album included the song "Stairway to Heaven."
Johnny Rivers (John Henry Ramistella) was born in New York City
Rock ‘n’ roll singer, songwriter, guitarist, and record producer Johnny Rivers charted hits during the 1960s and 1970s and remains best known for a string of hit singles between 1964 and 1968, among them a Chuck Berry "Memphis" , "Mountain of Love", "Secret Agent Man", "Poor Side of Town", which went to #1 and a Motown cover, “Baby I Need Your Lovin”.
Although his recording career is slowing down, Johnny Rivers is still touring, however, performing 50 to 60 shows a year. Increasingly he has returned to the blues that inspired him initially.
Russia’s Bolshevik Revolution took place on this day in 1917. The provisional government of Alexander Kerensky was overthrown by forces led by Vladimir Ilyich Lenin.
Hillary Rodham Clinton made history as the first president’s wife to win public office on this day in 2000. The state of New York elected her to the U.S. Senate (New York).
A Florida election official tries to discern a voter’s intentions.
Hanging Chads: As the Florida Recount Implodes, the Supreme Court Decides Bush v. Gore on this day in the 2000 Presidential election. election. Bush narrowly won the election having 271 electoral votes compared to Al Gores’s 266 electoral votes.
This election was between the republican George W. Bush (left) and the democratic-incumbent vice president Albert Arnold Gore.
The middle section of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Washington state collapsed during a windstorm on this day in 1940.
The Tacoma Narrows Bridge as it looks today.
On this day in 1991, Magic Johnson (standing) announced that he had tested positive for the virus that causes AIDS, and that he was retiring from playing basketball. He had been with the Los Angeles Lakers since 1979.
Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. turned 58 in August.
Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell is 74 today.
The Canadian singer-songwriter and painter Joni Mitchell is called by Rolling Stone, "one of the greatest songwriters ever".
Since 2015, there have been conflicting reports about her current health after she had suffered a brain aneurysm.
Mitchell made her first public appearance following the aneurysm when she attended a Chick Corea concert in Los Angeles in August 2016.
