Today:
1582 – Pope Gregory XIII’s calendar reform took effect in several Catholic countries. October 4 was immediately followed by October 15, eliminating 10 days to correct accumulated errors in the Julian calendar.
1777 – American and British forces fought the Battle of Germantown during the American Revolution. George Washington’s army attacked British forces near Philadelphia but was ultimately forced to retreat.
1824 – Mexico adopted its first federal constitution, establishing the country as a federal republic following independence from Spain.
1883 – The Orient Express began its first official journey, departing Paris for Constantinople. The luxury train would become one of the most famous passenger trains in history.
1927 – Work began on Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum directed the massive project, which took 14 years to complete.
1940 – Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini met at the Brenner Pass in the Alps to discuss Axis strategy during World War II.
1957 – The Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the world’s first artificial satellite. Its successful orbit marked the beginning of the Space Age and intensified the space race between the Soviet Union and the United States.
1965 – Pope Paul VI became the first reigning pope to visit the United States. During the visit, he addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.
1990 – Beverly Hills, 90210 premiered on Fox. The series became a major pop-culture phenomenon and ran for 10 seasons.
2004 – SpaceShipOne won the $10 million Ansari X Prize after completing its second privately funded crewed spaceflight within two weeks, an important milestone in the development of commercial human spaceflight.