Today in History....October 24

On this day in …

1648, the Treaty of Westphalia is signed, ending the Thirty Years War and radically shifting the balance of power in Europe
1861, workers of the Western Union Telegraph Company link the eastern and western telegraph networks of the nation at Salt Lake City, Utah, completing a transcontinental line that for the first time allows instantaneous communication between Washington, D.C., and San Francisco. The message was sent by Justice Stephen J. Field of California to President Lincoln, predicting that the new communication link would help ensure the loyalty of the western states to the Union during the Civil War

1901, Anna Edson Taylor became the first person to survive going over Niagara Falls in a barrel

1908, the Locomobile Old 16, driven by George Robertson, became the first American-made car to beat the European competition when it raced to victory in the fourth annual Vanderbilt Cup held in Long Island, New York

1931, the George Washington Bridge, connecting New York and New Jersey, opened to traffic

1939, nylon stockings were sold publicly for the first time, in Wilmington, Del.

1940, the 40-hour work week went into effect under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938

1945, tthe United Nations officially came into existence as its charter took effect

1952, Republican presidential candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower declared, "I shall go to Korea" as he promised to end the conflict. (He made the visit over a month later.)

1962, the U.S. blockade of Cuba during the missile crisis officially began under a proclamation signed by President Kennedy

1992, the Toronto Blue Jays became the first non-U.S. team to win the World Series as they defeated the Atlanta Braves, 4-3, in game six

2003, the supersonic Concorde jet makes its last commercial passenger flight, traveling at twice the speed of sound from New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to London’s Heathrow