Today in History

From wikipedia.org:

Events
1492 - Christopher Columbus's expedition makes landfall in the Caribbean. The explorer believes he has reached East Asia.
1609 - “Three Blind Mice” published by London teenage songwriter Thomas Ravenscroft.
1681 - A London woman is publicly flogged for the crime of “involving herself in politics”
1792 - First celebration of Columbus Day in the USA held in New York.
1793 - The cornerstone of Old East, the oldest state university building in the United States, is laid on the campus of the University of North Carolina.
1810 - First Oktoberfest: The Bavarian royalty invites the citizens of Munich to join the celebration of the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen
1847 - German inventor and industrialist Werner von Siemens founds Siemens AG & Halske
1859 - Self-described “Emperor of the United States” Joshua A. Norton ‘orders’ the United States Congress to dissolve
1892 - To mark 400 anniversary Columbus Day holiday, the “Pledge of Allegiance” was first recited in unison by students in US public schools
1928 - An iron lung respirator is used for the first time at Children's Hospital, Boston
1933 - The United States Army Disciplinary Barracks on Alcatraz Island is acquired by the United States Department of Justice
1938 - Filming starts on The Wizard of Oz
1964 - The Soviet Union launches the Voskhod 1 into Earth orbit as the first spacecraft with a multi-person crew and the first flight without space suits
1968 - 1968 Summer Olympics open in Mexico City, Mexico
1994 - NASA loses radio contact with the Magellan spacecraft as the probe descends into the thick atmosphere of Venus (the spacecraft presumably burned up in the atmosphere either October 13 or October 14)

Births
1860 - Elmer Sperry, inventor
1872 - Ralph Vaughan Williams, composer (d. 1958)
1935 - Luciano Pavarotti, opera singer

Deaths
1870 - Robert E. Lee, United States Civil War general (Confederate)
1969 - Sonja Henie, figure skater (b. 1912)
1997 - John Denver, singer
1998 - Matthew Shepard, gay college student and gay-bashing victim

Holidays and observances
Columbus Day (traditionally) - United States