Browsing: October 17

A Brief History This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on October 17th.  For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event. Digging Deeper On October 17, 1091, a tornado with a strength thought to be about T8/F4, which means a severely devastating tornado with winds over 200 miles per hour, struck the heart of London, England. On October 17, 1814, a bizarre incident occurred involving our favorite potable, the noble brewski. On October 17, 1931, Mobster Al “Scarface” Capone was convicted of income tax evasion…

A Brief History On October 17, 2018, the recreational use of Marijuana was legalized in Canada.  Call it Cannabis, Hemp, Pot, Weed or whatever, for decades the “herb” was illegal in most industrialized nations. Digging Deeper Going back to 1378, the Emir of the Joneima in Arabia outlawed Marijuana and its derivatives, and Napoleon did the same for the French in 1800.  Other countries followed, including Mexico in 1920, Canada in 1923, Britain in 1928, and the USA in 1937. Now, almost a century later, the tide has turned, and many States and countries have legalized Weed for medical or…

A Brief History On October 17, 1814, a bizarre incident occurred involving our favorite potable, the noble brewski.   Perhaps you have heard of drowning your sorrows in beer or some other alcoholic beverage?  Well, in London in 1814, a giant vat of beer failed, and 135,000 Imperial gallons of beer surged out, crashing into other huge vats and breaking those open as well.  A total of well over 300,000 gallons of beer flowed out of the brewery and into the street like a tidal wave, crushing or drowning at least 8 unsuspecting people in an event known to history as…

A Brief History On October 17, 2001, Jay Livingston, American composer of famous songs for movies and television, died at the age of 86.  Livingston is one of several famous musicians that died on October 17th, and today we honor these wonderful writers and singers by telling you a little about them.  Even if you do not know the people, you almost assuredly know the music.  (Okay, some are before your time.) Digging Deeper 1. Jay Livingston, composer, 2001. Born Jacob Levison in Pennsylvania in 1915, Jay wrote famous songs featured in movies such as “Tammy” (Patti Page), “Mona Lisa” (Nat…

A Brief History On October 17, 1979, an Albanian (Kosovan) Roman Catholic nun was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, certainly one of the highest honors any living person can be awarded.  Does she deserve that Prize and all the other accolades afforded to her? Many think not! Digging Deeper Made a Saint by the Roman Catholic Church in an expedited process in September of 2016, Mother Teresa is one of the most revered women of the past few decades. Born Anjeze Gonxhe Bojaxhiu in 1910 in what was then part of the Ottoman Empire, little Agnes (anglicized) dreamed of a…