Today's Trivia and What Happened on October 5

Who was the first person to use the mathematical plus (+) and minus (‑) signs in print?

Who was the first person to use the mathematical plus (+) and minus (‑) signs in print? Close Large View

Johann Widmann, a German mathematician. They were used in reference to surpluses and deficits in business problems in his 1489 book Behende und hübsche Rechenung auff allen Kauffmanschafft (Nimble and neat calculation in all trades). He is also credited with giving the first university lecture on algebra.

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Quote: A lion doesn't lose sleep over the opinion of sheep. - Anonymous

Quote: A lion doesn't lose sleep over the opinion of sheep. - Anonymous Close Large View

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What Happened On

"Grizzly Man" Comes to a Grizzly End

"Grizzly Man" Comes to a Grizzly End Close Large View

"Grizzly Man" Comes to a Grizzly End

October 5, 2003

American environmentalist Timothy Treadwell, known as the "Grizzly Man," and his girlfriend are killed and eaten by a bear while camping among the grizzlies. He had lived among the grizzly bears of Katmai National Park in Alaska for 13 summers. This was the first fatal bear attack in the park's history. The film Grizzly Man (2005) documents his work and death with the bears. Writings: Among Grizzlies: Living With Wild Bears in Alaska (1997).

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Breakfast at Tiffany's

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Breakfast at Tiffany's

October 5, 1961

The American classic comedy Breakfast at Tiffany's is released, starring Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly.

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Harry Truman Harry Truman

Harry Truman Harry Truman
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First Televised U.S. Presidential Address From the White House

October 5, 1947

President Harry S. Truman makes the first televised presidential address from the White House. Truman asked Americans to abstain from eating meat on Tuesdays and eggs and poultry on Thursdays and to conserve food to help Europeans, who were still recovering from World War II.
The first U.S. President on Television was Franklin D. Roosevelt when he was broadcast giving a speech from the RCA pavilion as part of the opening ceremonies of the 1939 New York World's Fair. This was viewable only on about 200 sets in the local area.

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First Person Arrested for Distribution under the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937

First Person Arrested for Distribution under the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 Close Large View

First Person Arrested for Distribution under the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937

October 5, 1937

Samuel R. Caldwell becomes the first person arrested for distribution under the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937. He was caught selling three joints and in possession of four pounds of cannabis. He was sentenced to four years in Leavenworth.
Caldwell has previously served time in Leavenworth for bootlegging.
Two days earlier, Moses Baca became the first person arrested for possession.

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Left to right: Bill Power, Bob Dalton, Grat Dalton, Dick Broadwell Left to right: Bill Power, Bob Dalton, Grat Dalton, Dick Broadwell

Left to right: Bill Power, Bob Dalton, Grat Dalton, Dick Broadwell Left to right: Bill Power, Bob Dalton, Grat Dalton, Dick Broadwell
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End of the Dalton Gang

October 5, 1892

Two Dalton brothers along with two other gang members are killed by Coffeyville, Kansas citizens during an attempted bank robbery. A third brother was captured and sentenced to life in prison. They were attempting to rob two banks at once. An employee of one of the banks falsely convinced them the safe was on a time lock and couldn't be opened for another 45 minutes. While the robbers waited, word spread that the bank was being robbed. Residents armed themselves and when the gang exited the banks, a shootout began. Three townspeople were shot, and Town Marshal Charles Connelly was killed when he ran into the street after hearing gunfire. He returned fire and died while killing one of the gang. Gang members Grat and Bob Dalton, Dick Broadwell, and Bill Power were killed. Emmett Dalton survived, but received 23 gunshot wounds. He was sentenced to life in prison, but pardoned after 14 years.
The Dalton Gang were outlaws of the Old West from 1890-92. The three brothers were initially lawmen, but they became outlaws after not being paid the money owed them.

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Another Lost Satellite

October 5, 1993

A $228 million Landsat 6 disappears shortly after launch. It is the fourth U.S. satellite lost in two months; the total losses are estimated at $2.3 billion.

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NFL Fined $60,000,000

October 5, 1992

$30,000,000 was awarded to 235 developmental squad players because of wage fixing during the 1989 season. Another $30,000,000 was awarded to players who were shorted a week's pay at the end of the 1987 player strike.

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Jim Bakker Convicted of Fraud

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Jim Bakker Convicted of Fraud

October 5, 1989

Televangelist and former leader of the PTL Club, Jim Bakker, is convicted of fraud and conspiracy. He had defrauded followers out of $158 million. He would serve 4½ years in prison (1989-94).

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Sullivan walking in space to check an antenna (left) and Sullivan in spacesuit Sullivan walking in space to check an antenna (left) and Sullivan in spacesuit

Sullivan walking in space to check an antenna (left) and Sullivan in spacesuit Sullivan walking in space to check an antenna (left) and Sullivan in spacesuit
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First U.S. Woman to Walk in Space

October 5, 1984

The space shuttle Challenger is launched with Dr. Kathryn D. Sullivan aboard. She became the first U.S. woman to walk in space on the 11th.

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Tylenol Murders

October 5, 1982

264,000 bottles of the pain reliever are taken off the market after a California man is stricken from strychnine-laced capsules. A 12-year-old girl and a 27-year-old man died the previous week in the Chicago area after taking cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules. The man's brother and sister-in-law later also died from after taking Tylenol from the same bottle. Three other people would die in the following days. Tests showed that the Tylenol had been laced with cyanide. Several others also died in copycat murders.

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The Beatles Release Love Me Do

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The Beatles Release Love Me Do

October 5, 1962

The Beatles release the single Love Me Do. The flip side contained P.S. I Love You.

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First Radio Broadcast of the World Series

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First Radio Broadcast of the World Series

October 5, 1921

KDKA and WJZ of Newark broadcast the first World Series on the radio, between the New York Giants and the New York Yankees, with Grantland Rice and Tommy Cowan calling the games for KDKA and WJZ, respectively. The broadcasters were not actually present at the game, but gave reports from a telegraph wire.

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First Airplane Shot Down by Another Plane

October 5, 1914

A German plane shoots down a French pilot.

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Harrison (left) and Tecumseh Harrison (left) and Tecumseh

Harrison (left) and Tecumseh Harrison (left) and Tecumseh
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War of 1812 - Battle of the Thames

October 5, 1813

Future U.S. President William Henry Harrison defeats the British and Indians during the War of 1812. Shawnee Indian chief Tecumseh was killed in this battle. As a result, the British lost control of Southwestern Ontario and Tecumseh's Confederacy collapsed.
Future U.S. Vice President Richard Mentor Johnson would later claim that he personally killed Tecumseh during the battle.

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Birthdays

Bil Keane

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This is a birthday

Bil Keane (William Aloysius Keane)

Born October 5, 1922 d. 2011

American cartoonist. Creator of The Family Circus (1960) and Channel Chuckles (1954). Quote: "Yesterday's the past, tomorrow's the future, but today is a gift. That's why it's called the present."

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Ray Kroc

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Ray Kroc

Born October 5, 1902 d. 1984

American businessman. Kroc built McDonald's into a hamburger empire. The brothers Dick McDonald and Maurice "Mac" McDonald started the chain in 1940. Kroc met the McDonald's brothers while trying to sell them Multimixers. After seeing their operation he decided to open one of his own in Des Plaines, Illinois. His first day sales were $366.12. It was the ninth restaurant in the chain. Kroc eventually bought out the brothers and built McDonalds's into the hamburger empire it is now.
The McDonald brothers introduced the "Speedee Service System" in 1948. The original McDonald's mascot was a chef hat on top of a hamburger called "Speedee." Speedee was replaced in 1962 by the Golden Arches. The clown Ronald McDonald was introduced in 1965.

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Left to right: Moe, Curly, Larry Left to right: Moe, Curly, Larry

Left to right: Moe, Curly, Larry Left to right: Moe, Curly, Larry
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Larry Fine (Louis Feinberg)

Born October 5, 1902 d. 1975

American comedian. One of the original Three-Stooges. He started performing as a violinist and had a brief career as a boxer, winning one professional bout.

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Goddard next to the first liquid-fueled rocket Goddard next to the first liquid-fueled rocket

Goddard next to the first liquid-fueled rocket Goddard next to the first liquid-fueled rocket
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Father of the Space Age

Robert Hutchings Goddard

Born October 5, 1882 d. 1945

American physicist, rocket pioneer, "Father of the Space Age." He launched the first liquid-fueled rocket (1926). A New York Times editorial mocked Goddard, stating that rockets will never fly in space and saying that "…he only seems to lack the knowledge ladled out daily in high schools." Goddard's response was, "Every vision is a joke until the first man accomplishes it; once realized, it becomes commonplace."
The New York Times issued an apology in 1969 after the successful launch of Apollo 11 to the Moon.

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Chester A. Arthur

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Chester A. Arthur (Chester Alan Arthur)

Born October 5, 1829 d. 1886

American politician. 21st U.S. President (1881-85) and 20th U.S. Vice-President (1881). He became President after the assassination of President James A. Garfield.

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Karen Allen

Born October 5, 1951

American actress. Film: National Lampoon's Animal House (1978) and Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981).

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Bob Geldof Photo Credit: 'ElLo57 (Elmar J. Lordemann)

Bob Geldof Photo Credit: 'ElLo57 (Elmar J. Lordemann)
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Bob Geldof (Robert Frederick Xenon Geldof)

Born October 5, 1951

Irish singer with the Boomtown Rats. He organized the recording of the record Do They Know It's Christmas? (1984) and the Live Aid concert (1985) to raise funds for famine relief. He also starred in the film Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982). He co-wrote the Boomtown Rats song I Don't Like Mondays, based on 16-year-old Brenda Spencer opening fire on children in an elementary school playground, killing two adults and injuring eight children and a police officer. She stated, "I don't like Mondays."

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Steve Miller

Born October 5, 1943

American guitarist. Music: The Joker (1973) and Fly Like an Eagle (1976).

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Bill Dana (William Szathmary)

Born October 5, 1924 d. 2017

American comedian, screenwriter. TV: The Bill Dana Show (Jose Jimenez) and St. Elsewhere (father of Wayne Fiscus).

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Donald Pleasence

Born October 5, 1919 d. 1995

British actor. Film: The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965, the Devil), You Only Live Twice (1967, Ernst Blofeld), and Halloween (1978).

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Allen Ludden

Born October 5, 1917 d. 1981

American game show host. TV: Password (1961-80).

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John Hoyt

Born October 5, 1905 d. 1991

American actor. TV: Gimme a Break! (Grandpa Kaminsky).

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Louis Lumière

Born October 5, 1864 d. 1948

French motion picture pioneer. He and his brother Auguste Lumière developed the Cinématographe motion picture camera and projector. They conducted the first paid movie screening.

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Henry Chadwick

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The Father of Baseball

Henry Chadwick

Born October 5, 1824 d. 1908

English-born American sports writer. Called "The Father of Baseball" for his early reporting on and contributions to the development of the game. He wrote the first baseball rule book (1858) and is credited with creating box scores, the abbreviation "K" for a strikeout, and the statistics of batting average and earned run average. Chadwick also edited The Beadle Dime Base-Ball Player (1860-81) the first annual baseball guide on public sale and in 1868 wrote the first hardcover baseball book, The Game of Base Ball.

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Deaths

Steven Paul Jobs

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Apple Computer Co-Founder

Steven Paul Jobs

Died October 5, 2011 b. 1955

American businessman, co-founded Apple Computer, Inc. (1975) working out of his parents' garage.

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Rodney Dangerfield

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Rodney Dangerfield (Jacob Cohen)

Died October 5, 2004 b. 1921

American Grammy-winning comedian. Film: Caddyshack (1980) and Back to School (1986). Comedy Album: No Respect (1980, Grammy) and Rappin' Rodney (1980, Grammy).
Joke: Last week my house was on fire. My wife told the kids, "Be quiet, you'll wake up Daddy."
Joke: I was ugly, very ugly. When I was born, the doctor smacked my mother.

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Maurice Wilkins

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Maurice Wilkins

Died October 5, 2004 b. 1916

British biochemist, co-winner of the 1962 Nobel prize for discovering the structure of DNA. He also worked on creating the first atomic bomb.

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Seymour Cray and a Cray-1 Seymour Cray and a Cray-1
Photo Credit: Michael Hicks

Seymour Cray and a Cray-1 Seymour Cray and a Cray-1
Photo Credit: Michael Hicks
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Supercomputers Designed by Elves

Seymour Cray

Died October 5, 1996 b. 1925

American supercomputer architect. Seymour Cray designed the supercomputers that were the fastest in the world and founded Cray Research that built many of these. Called the "Father of Supercomputing", he is credited with creating the supercomputer industry. His CDC 6600 was the first commercial supercomputer and with a performance of up to 3 megaflops it was three times faster then the previous fastest computer. It held the record as the fastest computer from 1964-1969.
Cray's pastimes included digging tunnels under his home. He claimed that elves would visit him while digging his tunnels and they would provide solutions to his design problems.

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Dick Butkus

Died October 5, 2023 b. 1942

American football player, actor. Butkus played in the NFL for the Chicago Bears from 1965 to 1973 and was twice the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year.

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Timothy Treadwell

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Grizzly Man

Timothy Treadwell (Timothy Dexter)

Died October 5, 2003 b. 1957

American environmentalist, "Grizzly Man." After spending 13 summers with the brown bears in Alaska, he and his girlfriend were killed and partially eaten by one. This was the first fatal bear attack in Katmai National Park history. The film Grizzly Man (2005) documents his work and death with the bears. Writings: Among Grizzlies: Living With Wild Bears in Alaska (1997).

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Eddie Kendricks

Died October 5, 1992 b. 1939

American singer. With the Temptations, the most successful male vocal group of the 1960s and '70s. Music: My Girl (1965, #1).

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Founder of Al-Anon

Lois Wilson

Died October 5, 1988 b. 1891

American founder of Al-Anon, the support group for friends and family of alcoholics. She was the wife of Alcoholics Anonymous cofounder Bill Wilson.

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Rudolf Flesch

Died October 5, 1986 b. 1911

Austrian-born American author. His book Why Johnny Can't Read (1955) advocated the use of phonics to sound out words. This book inspired Dr. Seuss to write The Cat in the Hat (1957).

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Earl Silas Tupper

Died October 5, 1983 b. 1907

American businessman, invented Tupperware (1942) and used the neighborhood party method to sell it.

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Louis Dembitz Brandeis

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First Jewish U.S. Supreme Court Justice

Louis Dembitz Brandeis

Died October 5, 1941 b. 1856

American jurist. He was the first Jewish U.S. Supreme Court Justice (1916-39). He graduated from Harvard Law School at the age of 20 with what is widely rumored to be the highest grade average in the law school's history. Known for taking cases for no pay, he became known as the "Robin Hood of the Law."

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Sam Warner

Died October 5, 1927 b. 1887

American film executive. He and his brothers Harry, Albert, and Jack founded Warner Bros. Pictures (1923).

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Tecumseh

Died October 5, 1813 b. circa 1768

Shawnee Indian chief. He was killed in the Battle of the Thames. Future U.S. Vice President Richard Mentor Johnson would later claim that he personally killed Tecumseh during the battle.
Note: The statue of Tecumseh outside of U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis is actually of Delaware Chief Tamenend.

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