Today is Sunday, Oct. 17, the 290th day of 2021. There are 75 days left in the year.
Today in history
On Oct. 17, 1777, British forces under Gen. John Burgoyne surrendered to American troops in Saratoga, N.Y., in a turning point of the Revolutionary War.
Also on this date:
In 1919, Radio Corp. of America was chartered.
In 1931, mobster Al Capone was convicted in Chicago of income tax evasion. (Sentenced to 11 years in prison, Capone was released in 1939.)
In 1933, Albert Einstein arrived in the United States as a refugee from Nazi Germany.
In 1957, the movie “Jailhouse Rock,” starring Elvis Presley, had its world premiere in Memphis, Tenn.
In 1966, 12 New York City firefighters were killed while battling a blaze in lower Manhattan. ... The TV game show “The Hollywood Squares” premiered on NBC.
In 1967, Puyi, the last emperor of China, died in Beijing at age 61.
In 1973, Arab oil-producing nations announced they would begin cutting back oil exports to Western nations and Japan; the result was a total embargo that lasted until March 1974.
In 1979, Mother Teresa of India was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
In 1989, an earthquake measuring 6.9 in magnitude struck northern California, killing 63 people and causing $6 billion worth of damage.
In 2014, the World Health Organization acknowledged it had botched attempts to stop the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, blaming factors including incompetent staff, lack of information and budget cuts.
Fun fact
Pineapple works as a natural meat tenderizer.
Just for laughs
Genie: “What’s your first wish?”
Steve: “I wish I was rich.”
Genie: “What’s your second wish, Rich?”
@dadsaysjokes
Trending words
“Gossamer:” adjective; (GAH-suh-mer). Definition: Extremely light, delicate, or tenuou.
— Merriam-Webster
Today’s birthdays
Actor Marsha Hunt is 104. Singer Jim Seals (Seals & Crofts) is 79. Singer Gary Puckett is 79. Actor Michael McKean is 74. Actor George Wendt is 73. Actor-singer Bill Hudson is 72. Astronaut Mae Jemison is 65. Country singer Alan Jackson is 63. Movie critic Richard Roeper is 62. Movie director Rob Marshall is 61. Actor Grant Shaud is 61. Animator Mike Judge is 59. Rock singer-musician Fred LeBlanc (Cowboy Mouth) is 58. Singer Rene’ Dif is 54. Reggae singer Ziggy Marley is 53. Actor Wood Harris is 52. Singer Wyclef Jean is 52. World Golf Hall of Famer Ernie Els is 52. Singer Chris Kirkpatrick (’N Sync) is 50. Rapper Eminem is 49. Actor Sharon Leal is 49. Actor Matthew Macfadyen is 47. Actor Felicity Jones is 38. Actor Chris Lowell is 37.
The Edge is compiled by Dallas Marshall. She can be contacted at dmarshall@lmtribune.com.
