This Day in History
1777: During the American Revolution, English General John Burgoyne surrenders with 5,000 men at Saratoga, NY.
1854: Henry Bessemer receives a patent for his steel-making process.
1931: Gangster Al Capone is convicted of tax evasion.
1941: The U.S. destroyer Kearny is attacked by a submarine off the coast of Iceland while escorting British ships.
1989: A major earthquake strikes the San Francisco Bay area moments before a World Series game is to begin.
1998: Former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet is arrested in London.
2001: The six U.S. House and Senate office buildings are closed for anthrax detection.
2003: The U.S. Congress approves $87 billion for military operations and reconstruction in Iraq.
Today's Birthdays
1725: John Wilkes, British political leader and reformer (London, England; died 1797)
1813: Georg Büchner, playwright (Goddelau, Hesse-Darmstadt—now in Germany; died 1837)
1817: Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, Muslim educator/writer (Delhi, India; died 1898)
1859: Childe Hassam, painter (Boston, MA; died 1935)
1895: Doris Humphrey, choreographer (Oak Park, IL; died 1958)
1898: Shinichi Suzuki, inventor of a violin teaching method (Nagoya, Japan; died 1998)
1900: Jean Arthur, actress (Plattsburg, NY; died 1991)
1903: Nathanael West, writer (New York, NY; died 1940)
1912: Pope John Paul I, pope for only 34 days (Forno di Canale, Italy; died 1978)
1915: Arthur Miller, playwright (New York, NY; died 2005)
1918: Rita Hayworth, actress (New York, NY; died 1987)
1920: Montgomery Clift, actor (Omaha, NE; died 1966)
1930: Jimmy Breslin, columnist/author (Jamaica, NY)
1938: Evel Knievel, motorcycle daredevil (Butte, MT)
1948: Margot Kidder, actress (Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada)
1948: George Wendt, actor (Chicago, IL)
1956: Mae Jemison, astronaut/scientist (Decatur, AL)
1957: Steve McMichael, football player (Houston, TX)
1972: Eminem, rapper (Kansas City, MO)
1980: Nick Cannon, actor (San Diego, CA)
