History Today

Hello, and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on October 7th. A celebrity running for political office? It may be fairly common today, but a lot of people were surprised back on this day in 2003 when movie star and former Mr. Universe Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected governor of California.

Hello, and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on October 6th. Is there other life in the universe? The hunt for an answer to that question took a step forward on this day in 1995, with the discovery of the planet 51 Pegasus b. This was the first time a planet had been found orbiting a normal star outside of our solar system. 51 Peg b has about the same mass as Jupiter, but orbits its host star in just four days.

Included in this SpokenEdition:

1) This Day in History 10/8/19

2) This Day in History 10/7/19

3) This Day in History 10/6/19

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Hello, and welcome to This Day in History brought to you by AARP. Take on today and every day with AARP. Here’s what happened on October 5th. Doctors tell us walking is good for us, yet most Americans struggle to reach the recommended 10,000 steps per day. That definitely wasn’t a problem for David Kunst, who on this day in 1974 completed the first round-the-world journey on foot. Kunst walked a staggering 14,500 miles across the land masses of four continents.

Hello, and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on October 4th. Whether you were a kid--or had kids-- in the 1990s, you’re probably more than familiar with Brenda, Brandon, Dylan and Kelly and their favorite hangout, the Peach Pit. On this day in 1990, the hit TV show Beverly Hills 90210 aired for the first time. The show went on to run for 10 seasons, making huge stars of young actors like Shannen Doherty, Jason Priestley and Luke Perry.

Hello, and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on October 2nd. As controversy continues to swirl around last year’s confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court, we look back to this day in 1967, when Thurgood Marshall was sworn in as America’s first black Supreme Court justice. Prior to his appointment, Marshall served as the NAACP’s chief counsel, arguing more than a dozen cases before the U.S.

Hello, and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on October 1st. If you’ve ever visited Half Dome, El Capitan, or the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias, you’ve experienced the wonders of California’s Yosemite National Park, which was established on this day in 1890. The previous year, conservationist John Muir discovered that the vast meadows surrounding Yosemite Valley, which lacked government protection, were being destroyed by sheep grazing.

Hello and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on September 30th. Even some 60 years after his death, he remains a Hollywood icon: On this day in 1955, 24-year-old screen idol James Dean was killed in a car crash on a California highway. Dean, a car racing enthusiast, was on his way to a road race in Salinas when his Porsche 550 Spyder was hit head-on by another vehicle.

Hello and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on September 29th. Next time you struggle to open a tamper-proof bottle, remember the frustrating design is there for a reason: On this day in 1982, a 12-year-old Chicago-area girl died after taking cyanide-laced Extra-Strength Tylenol. Fear gripped the nation as six more people died after taking the drug over the next three days.

Hello and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on September 28th. With another flu season upon us, we look back to this day in 1918, when a Philadelphia parade prompted a massive flu outbreak that went on to kill nearly 12,000 people in Philly alone. Although it was nicknamed the “Spanish” flu, the flu pandemic of 1918 likely started in the U.S., slowly spreading across the country before making its way to Europe via American soldiers during World War I.