#Middlebury
On Oct. 20, 1803, the U.S. Senate approves a treaty with France providing for the purchase of the territory of Louisiana, which would double the size of the United States. President Thomas Jefferson believed it was essential for the U.S. to maintain control of the mouth of the Mississippi River.- On Oct. 15, 1863, the C.S.S. Hunley, the world’s first successful combat submarine, sinks during a test run, killing its inventor and seven crewmembers. The Hunley was operated by a crew of eight – one person steered while the other seven turned a crank that drove the ship’s propeller.
- On Oct. 21, 1918, a German U-boat submarine fires the last torpedo of World War I, as Germany ceases unrestricted submarine warfare. The torpedo sank a small British merchant ship in the Irish Sea.
- On Oct. 18, 1931, Thomas Alva Edison, one of the most prolific inventors in history, dies at the age of 84. Edison received little formal schooling, but he employed assistants who provided the mathematical and technical expertise he lacked.
- On Oct. 19, 1957, Maurice “Rocket” Richard of the Montreal Canadiens becomes the first NHL hockey player to score 500 goals in his career when he slaps a 20-foot shot past Chicago Blackhawks goalie Glenn Hall.
- On Oct. 17, 1968, Olympic gold medalist Tommie Smith and bronze medalist John Carlos are forced to return their awards because they raised their fists in a black-power salute during the medal ceremony, which repudiated “the basic principles of the Olympic games.”
- On Oct. 16, 1987, 18-month-old Jessica McClure is rescued after being trapped for 58 hours in an abandoned well in Texas. Rescue workers labored for two days to drill a parallel shaft, then tunneled horizontally to connect the two shafts.
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