1993 Earthquake strikes India The worst earthquake since the 1930s strikes central India, killing more than 20,000 people.

1992 Largest U.S. naval base in Asia closes Subic Bay in the Philippines.

1982 Cheers debuts on NBC.

1981 U.S. national debt reaches $1 trillion Source: Guinness Book of World Records

1970 The New American Bible is published in its entirety. It was the first Bible translated directly into English from the original text under the supervision of the Roman Catholic Church.

1960 The 2,343rd and final episode of Howdy Doody, so that's Clarabell's big surprise.

1960 The Flintstones The stone-age cartoon debuts - "Yaba, Daba, Dooo!"

1958 The Rifleman debuts on ABC, with Chuck Connors as Lucas McCain.

1951 The Red Skelton Show debuts on NBC.

1936 First around-the-world airplane passenger race Three reporters depart from Lakehurst, New Jersey. Using only commercial flying routes, Herbert Roslyn Ekins was the first to return on October 19th.

1911 First movie stuntman is hired, Lt. H.H. Arnold as a stand-in for The Military Scout.

1906 New York Central Railroad starts using electric trains.

1882 First U.S. hydroelectric power plant A single dynamo, powering 180 ten-candle-power lights, opens on the Fox River near Appleton, Wisconsin.

1846 First successful tooth extraction using anesthesia Performed by Dr. William Morton using ether.

1964 Crystal Bernard American actress. TV: Happy Days (K.C. Cunningham), It's a Living (Amy), and Wings (Helen).

1953 Victoria Tennant English actress. Film: All of Me (1984) and L.A. Story (1991). TV: The Winds of War (Pamela Tudsbury).

1947 Marc Bolan d. 1977 (Mark Feld), English musician, lead singer for T-Rex. Music: Bang a Gong (1971, #1 Britain) and Jeepster (1971, #2 Britain). He died in a car accident.

1935 Johnny Mathis American singer, and world-class high jumper. His hits span across 30 years with more than 60 gold and platinum record. Music: Too Much, Too Little, Too Late (1978, #1).

1931 Angie Dickinson (Angeline Brown), American actress. TV: Police Woman.

1924 Truman Capote d. 1984 American author. Writings: In Cold Blood (1965). He also won an Emmy for A Christmas Memory (1966).

1921 Deborah Kerr (Deborah Kerr-Trimmer), Scottish actress. Film: From Here to Eternity (1953) and The King and I (1956, Anna).

1882 Hans Geiger d. 1945 German physicist, inventor of the Geiger counter (1908). He also helped to prove that the atom is composed of a dense nucleus surrounded by electrons (1913).

1861 William Wrigley Jr d. 1932 American businessman. He founded the Wrigley Co. (1891), which first sold soap and baking powder and then of course chewing gum (1892).

106 B.C. Pompey the Great d. 48 B.C. Roman general. With Caesar and Crassus, he formed the first triumvirate (60 B.C.). In 49 B.C. he began the civil war against Caesar, in which he was defeated and killed by one of his old centurions while fleeing to Egypt.

1990 Rob Moroso b. 1968 American race car driver, NASCAR 1990 Rookie of the Year (awarded posthumously).  He died in a car crash near his home in North Carolina.  He was doing 75 mph (121 km/h) in a 35 mph (56 km/h) curve with a blood alcohol level of 0.22.  The accident killed himself and the driver of the oncoming vehicle.

1985 Charles Francis Richter b. 1900 American seismologist. He invented the Richter Scale (1935) for measuring earthquakes.

1978 Edgar Bergen b. 1903 (Edgar John Bergren), American ventriloquist with Mortimer Snerd and Charlie McCarthy.

1976 Paul Dehn b. 1912 British Oscar-winning playwright, screenwriter. He wrote four Planet of the Apes sequels and co-scripted Goldfinger (1964).

1955 James Dean b. 1931 American actor. He starred in only three films, of which only East of Eden (1955) was released before his death. His other films were Rebel Without a Cause (1955) and Giant (1956). His first job in TV (1952) was testing stunts for Beat the Clock.

1870 William Allen Miller b. 1817 English scientist. He performed the first trustworthy chemical analysis of stars.

1630 John Billington b. ???? first criminal executed by the English colonists. He was hanged for murder.

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