On October 2, 1944, German forces brutally suppressed the Warsaw Uprising, a courageous but ill-fated resistance by the Polish underground against Nazi occupation. This two-month struggle resulted in the tragic loss of 250,000 lives, mostly civilians. The uprising was a critical part of Poland’s World War II history, demonstrating immense national resilience despite being vastly outgunned and outnumbered. It ended in devastating defeat, with Warsaw nearly razed to the ground.
In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson suffered a severe stroke while in the White House, leaving him paralyzed on his left side and gravely affecting his capacity to govern. This stroke, which incapacitated him for the remainder of his presidency, raised significant questions about presidential succession and governance, as the 25th Amendment was not yet in place. His wife, Edith Wilson, effectively managed the presidency during his recovery, marking an unprecedented period in American political history.
On October 2, 1967, Thurgood Marshall made history as he was sworn in as the first African American justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Marshall, a former attorney for the NAACP, had previously won the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education, which declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional. His appointment was a monumental step forward for civil rights in the United States, and he remained a powerful voice on the Court for 24 years, often championing individual rights and civil liberties.
In 1970, a tragic accident struck the Wichita State University football team when one of two twin-engine planes chartered for the team crashed into a mountain near Silver Plume, Colorado. Thirty-one of the 40 people aboard lost their lives. The accident shook the university and the college sports community, and led to more stringent regulations on air travel for athletic teams. The tragedy is remembered every year by the university and its survivors.
On October 2, 2006, a milk truck driver stormed into a one-room Amish schoolhouse in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, taking 10 young girls hostage. Five of them were killed before the shooter took his own life. The community’s response—offering forgiveness to the perpetrator’s family—was a profound reflection of Amish faith and values, which emphasize forgiveness and peace, even in the face of horrific violence.
In 2016, legendary baseball broadcaster Vin Scully signed off for the final time after 67 years as the voice of the Dodgers. Scully, known for his poetic style and profound knowledge of the game, had become a beloved figure in American sports culture. His last game, a 7-1 loss to the Giants, marked the end of an era in baseball broadcasting. Scully had called iconic moments, including Sandy Koufax’s perfect game and Kirk Gibson’s legendary 1988 World Series home run.
On October 2, 2018, journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, in a shocking act that reverberated across the world. Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi government, had been living in exile in the United States and was known for his outspoken journalism. His murder by Saudi officials sparked an international outcry over press freedom and human rights abuses, straining Saudi relations with the West.
In 2020, amid the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, President Donald Trump was diagnosed with the virus and received an experimental treatment of monoclonal antibodies at the White House before being transferred to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. His treatment, which included Remdesivir, an antiviral drug, highlighted the urgency and innovation of the global fight against the virus, as scientists raced to find effective treatments for COVID-19.
Today in History: November 14
Today in History: November 14. On November 14, 1889, journalist Nellie Bly began an attempt to travel around the world in 80 days; she would successfully complete the journey in just over 72 days. In 1851, Herman Melville’s novel ‘Moby-Dick; Or, The Whale’ was published in the United States, almost a month after being released in Britain. In 1960, six-year-old Ruby Bridges became the first Black child to desegregate William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans. In 1965, the U.S. Army’s first major military operation of the Vietnam War began with the start of the five-day Battle of Ia Drang.In 1993, Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula became the NFL’s all-time winningest coach with a victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Today in History: November 13
Today in History: November 13:On Nov. 13, 2015, Islamic State militants carried out a set of coordinated attacks in Paris at the national stadium, in a crowded concert hall, in restaurants and on streets, killing 130 people in the worst attack on French soil since World War II. In 1956, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed a lower court ruling which found Alabama bus segregation laws were illegal. In 1971, the U.S. space probe Mariner 9 went into orbit around Mars, becoming the first spacecraft to orbit another planet. In 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated on the National Mall in Washington, DC. In 1985, some 23,000 residents of Armero, Colombia, died when a volcanic mudslide buried the city. In 2001, U.S.-backed Northern Alliance fighters in Afghanistan entered Kabul as Taliban forces retreated from the capital city.
Today in History: November 12
Today in History: On November 12: 1954, Ellis Island officially closed as an immigration station and detention center. More than 12 million immigrants arrived in the United States via Ellis Island between 1892 and 1954. In 1927, Josef Stalin became the undisputed ruler of the Soviet Union as Leon Trotsky was expelled from the Communist Party. In 1936, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge opened as President Franklin D. Roosevelt pressed a telegraph key in Washington, D.C., and gave the green light to traffic. In 1948, former Japanese premier Hideki Tojo and several other World War II Japanese leaders were sentenced to death by a war crimes tribunal. In 1970, the Bhola cyclone struck East Pakistan, now Bangladesh. The deadliest tropical cyclone on record claimed the lives of an estimated 300,000-500,000 people.
Today in History: November 11
Today in History: November 11: On Nov. 11, 1918, fighting in World War I ended as the Allies and Germany signed an armistice aboard a railroad car in the Forest of Compiègne in northern France. In 1620, 41 Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower, anchored off Massachusetts, signed the Mayflower Compact, calling for a “civil body politick, for our better ordering and preservation.” In 1921, the remains of an unidentified American service member were interred in a Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in a ceremony presided over by President Warren G. Harding. In 1966, Gemini 12 blasted off on a four-day mission with astronauts James A. Lovell and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin Jr. aboard; it was the tenth and final crewed flight of NASA’s Gemini program.