Today in History....October 3

On this day in …

1650, the English parliament declares its rule over the fledgling American colonies

1776, in need of money to fuel the American Revolution, Congress gave its seal of approval to the nation's very first loan, $5 million at a 4 percent interest rate. It also gave colonial officials stationed in Paris the go-ahead to take out loans worth up to 2 million pounds

1863, President Lincoln declared the last Thursday in November Thanksgiving Day

1895, he Red Badge of Courage, by Stephen Crane, is published in book form. The story of a young man's experience of battle was the first American novel to portray the Civil War from the ordinary soldier's point of view. The tale originally appeared as a serial published by a newspaper syndicate

1899, J.S. Thurman patents a motor-driven vacuum cleaner

1910, British comedians Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel arrive in the United States on tour with a famous British vaudeville company. Both later became silent film stars
1922, the first facsimile photo (fax) was sent over city telephone lines in Washington, DC.

1941, Adolf Hitler, ym"sh, declared in a speech in Berlin that Russia had been "broken" and would "never rise again."

1952, the first video recording on magnetic tape is made in Los Angeles, California

1970, baseball umpires call their first strike

1990, less than one year after the destruction of the Berlin Wall, East and West Germany come together on what is known as "Unity Day"

1993, Boris Yeltsin declares a state of emergency in Moscow, as fighting erupted in the streets between pro- and anti-Yeltsin forces. Sixty-two people die in the violence

1994, South African President Nelson Mandela addresses the United Nations, urging the world to support his country's economy

1995, former American football star O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the 1994 double murder of his estranged wife Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman. (However, Simpson was later found liable in a civil trial)