11 Oct 1862 – Confederate commander J.E.B. Stuart leads his cavalry in a raid of strategically-important Chambersburg, PA. Stuart’s men cut telegraph lines, raid stores, and collect horses after the local Union militia disbands. Although Stuart intends to burn the Chambersburg bridge, local residents tell the Confederates that the bridge is made of iron and would not burn. (The bridge was actually made of wood.) 12 Oct 1492 – Christopher Columbus reaches the New World, lands in the Bahamas and believes he’s reached East Asia. His expedition to the New World was 492 years later than Viking Eric Leif’s voyage to Newfoundland circa 1,000 AD. 13 Oct 1775 – The Continental Congress authorizes America’s first navy, under the command of Esek Hopkins. It includes seven ships. 14 Oct 1944 – Erwin Rommel, the “Desert Fox,” commits suicide instead of standing trial for his part in a conspiracy to assassinate Adolf Hitler. 15 Oct 1917 – Born Gertrud Zelle in Holland, courtesan and spy Mata Hari is executed during World War I. After the British intercept German radio transmissions about a spy code named “H-21,” Hari is arrested in Paris, where she is later convicted of spying for Germany and being partially responsible for the death of tens of thousands of Allied soldiers. German documents declassified in 1970 prove that Mata Hari, indeed, was a German spy. 16 Oct 1946 – Hermann Goering, founder of the Nazi Gestapo, is hanged to death for war crimes during the Nuremburg Trials. (Too easy a death, but good riddance nonetheless.) 17 Oct 1835 – On this day, the Texas Rangers are commissioned to patrol the Lone Star State and guard it from Mexican and Indian incursions. Continue reading...
