History for October 17

History for October 17 - On-This-Day.com
Arthur Miller 1915, Rita Hayworth 1918, Tom Poston 1927


Jimmy Breslin 1930 - Newspaper columnist, Evel Knievel (Robert Craig) 1938, George Wendt 1948 - Actor ("Cheers")


1777 - American troops defeated British forces in Saratoga, NY. It was the turning point in the American Revolutionary War.


1888 - The first issue of "National Geographic Magazine" was released at newsstands.


1931 - Al Capone was convicted on income tax evasion and was sentenced to 11 years in prison. He was released in 1939.


1945 - Colonel Juan Peron became the dictator of Argentina after staging a coup in Buenos Aires.


1973 - The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) began an oil-embargo against several countries including the U.S. and Great Britain. The incident stemmed from Western support of Israel when Egypt and Syria attacked the nation on October 6, 1973. The embargo lasted until March of 1974.


1979 - Mother Teresa of India was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.



1987 - U.S. First Lady Nancy Reagan underwent a modified radical mastectomy at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland.


1989 - An earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter Scale hit the San Francisco Bay area in California. The quake caused about 67 deaths, 3,000 injuries, and damages up to $7 billion.