Note: The calendar is also a page index. Select a date or other item of interest for more information.

The daily notes for this month are from the The History Channel's Home Page. If you like these notes, you'll love looking at the other notes and birthdays they have recorded for every day of the year.

12 -- Columbus Day

25 -- Daylight Savings Time Ends (Set Clock Back 1 Hour)

31 -- Halloween

1 October -- This is "I Love My Dog" Day!

It was on this day in 1966 that the little ditty, "I Love My Dog" was released by Cat Stevens. When this song was released, Stevens was 19 years old. Five years later, he recorded such hits as "Wild World", "Morning Has Broken", "Peace Train" and "Oh Very Young".

By 1979, Cat Stevens [born, Steven Demitri Georgiou], disenchanted with the music business, converted to the Islamic religion and changed his name to Yusef Islam.

He may not have liked the music biz anymore but Cat still loves his dog.

Word Of The Day: Spate (spayt) n. A massive outpouring; a rush or flood. A spate of invective rushed from the prisoner's lips

2 October -- This is "Peanuts" Day!

The renowned comic strip "Peanuts", from the pen of cartoonist, Charles Schultz, began on this day in 1950. Appearing in thousands of newspapers around the world, the strip, for the United Features Syndicate, had only four characters at its inception: Charlie Brown, Peppermint Patty (Reichardt), Shermy and, of course, the world's most famous beagle, Snoopy.

Later, we were introduced to Linus, Lucy Van Pelt, Sally and Schroeder; and learned that the "Peanuts" gang came from the California town of Sebastopol, which really exists.

Charlie Brown starred in his own Broadway musical, "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown" along with the rest of the gang; and in several movies; and in several TV specials. "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas" are rerun on TV year after year, no doubt attracting new audiences each time around.

Snoopy, everyone's favorite character in the strip, became so famous that the comic strip, although titled, "Peanuts", is often referred to as "Snoopy".

Maybe this year ... just maybe ... Charlie Brown will finally kick the football. And readers of 2400 newspapers, in 68 countries, who speak in 26 different languages, will stand up and cheer!

Word Of The Day: Raucous (RAH kuhs) adj. Loud, rowdy, shrill. This peaceful protest could turn into a raucous riot.

3 October -- This is "Sheriff Andy Taylor" Day!

Imagine a TV sitcom centering around a sheriff; with plots that contained no crime! No crime, you say? How can that work? Well, CBS-TV figured it out on this night in 1960 when "The Andy Griffith Show" premiered.

Maybe you remember the small town of Mayberry, North Carolina with its sheriff, Andy Taylor, played gently and philosophically by Andy Griffith. Andy was a widower with a young son, Opie, played by the now, award-winning movie director, Ron Howard. Other members of the cast of "The Andy Griffith Show" went on to become celebrated show biz stars, too -- Don Knotts who played Andy's deputy, Barney Fife; and Jim Nabors, the lovable, extremely naive gas station attendant, Gomer Pyle come to mind.

Since there was very little crime in Mayberry, the stories centered around the personal lives of the citizens, mainly that of Sheriff Andy Taylor. The sheriff was so beloved, that although the last show aired in September of 1968, millions of viewers continue to see "The Andy Griffith Show" in reruns. There's even a worldwide organization, The Andy Griffith Show Rerun Watchers Club (TAGSRWC), 12,000 members strong.

It seems that Sheriff Andy Taylor may live forever.

Word Of The Day: Inadvertent (in uhd VUR tuhnt) adj. Not attentive; heedless. Such an inadvertent remark was inexcusable

And you thought Laura Lee Hope wrote "The Bobbsey Twins". Wrong! Hope was the pen name of Edward L. Stratemeyer, born on this day in 1862. Stratemeyer used over 60 different names to pen over 800 books.

Stratemeyer created the Stratemeyer Syndicate in 1906 to produce such popular teenagers' reading material as "The Hardy Boys" and "Nancy Drew" mystery series. Under the name, Arthur Winfield, Stratemeyer penned twenty books about the adventures of the "Rover Boys" from 1899-1917, plus forty books centered around the young inventor, "Tom Swift".

He wrote the first of many "Bobbsey Twins" stories in 1904. It was titled "Merry Days Indoor and Out" and featured the adventures of two sets of twins, eight-year-olds, Bert and Nan and four-year-olds, Freddie and Flossie.

Thanks go to Mr. Stratemeyer, or whatever his name was, for many hours of great reading for many, many generations of young people.

Word Of The Day: Sedulous (SEJ uh luhs) adj. Diligent, industrious. Did you find the natives sedulous, or were they lazy?

This was the day that saw the record charts dominated by a folk song for the first time. It was 1958 and the The Kingston Trio scored with "Tom Dooley".

The story told in song is of an embittered Civil War veteran, Tom Dula. It seems that he had been forced to make a confession just before having to face the gallows, saying that he had killed his girlfriend out of jealousy. Some said he was innocent.

The story became a folk song in the 1860s, and The Kingston Trio, a group of clean-cut, shorthaired, button-down shirted, young men, rode the folk revival to fame and fortune with their rendition of "Tom Dooley".

Word Of The Day: Substantiate (suhb STAN shee ayt) v. To prove true using evidence; confirm. It won't be difficult to substantiate the experiment.

"Mammy, how I love you, how I love you, my dear old mammy!" It was Al Jolson in blackface, singing in the first, full-length, talking picture, "The Jazz Singer", as it opened in New York City this day in 1927.

In reality, "The Jazz Singer" was not a true talkie. There were only 291 spoken words in the landmark film; however, it was the first to integrate sound and this small amount of dialogue into a story through the Vitaphone disk process; and the first to entertain a large audience. The talking part was mostly singing, and it was Al Jolson who made the flick a success, proving to the critics that an all-talking film could work. (Because he didn't think the pioneer of talkies would be all the rage, George Jessel actually turned down the starring role; as did Eddie Cantor.) A silent version of the film was released to movie theaters who had not yet popped for the $20,000 or so it cost to rewire their venue.

The audience was thrilled with Jolson's sound performance as a cantor's son, Jake Rabinowitz, rejecting the world he came from to become a singer of popular music, changing his name to Jack Robin in the process. Although not jazz as we know it, the songs Jolson sang became part of American music culture: "Toot Toot Tootsie (Goodbye)", "Blue Skies", "Waiting for the Robert E. Lee" and, of course, "My Mammy".

For those truly with a need to know, Neil Diamond did not audition for Jolson's part when finding out that Jessel had turned it down. Diamond performed in a remake of "The Jazz Singer" in 1980.

As Jolson said, "Wait a minute, wait a minute, you ain't heard nothin' yet!" Maybe, through the wonders of modern technology, we could hear Jolson and Diamond together, in concert. That would be the Mammy of all jazz singin'.

Word Of The Day: Sultry (SUL tree) adj. Oppressively hot and moist; torrid, inflamed. The first-ever football game was played on a sultry day in August.

Ah, to be a radio or TV sportscaster back on this day in 1918 -- a crisp, clean autumn gridiron day --a day to watch the rambling wrecks from Georgia Tech win big time against helpless Cumberland College. This was one of the most lopsided wins in football history. Ga. Tech's Bulldogs ate the competition 222-0!

This was football, sports fans! We're speaking slaughter, here. We're talking tune out ratings. Boy, the instant replay gizmo must have gone ballistic on this one, eh? In the words of ABC's Keith Jackson, "Whhhhoooaaa, Nellie! Touchdown!!!! Georgia Tech. Again! For the 53rd time! This game is waaaaaaay out of control." Unfortunately, there was no play by play of this classic game, but can you imagine the number of commercial breaks?

Word Of The Day: Volition (vo LISH uhn) n. Will-power; choice. You will leave of your own volition or you will be removed by force.

When Mrs. O'Leary's cow kicked over a lantern in the barn on this day in 1871, it was no laughing matter.

The barn, on DeKoven Street in Chicago, caught fire. The fire spread, scorching almost four square miles, killing about 300 people and leaving a path of destruction valued at over two hundred million dollars -- a lot of dollars for that time.

Of course, Patrick & Mrs. O'Leary's barn was destroyed; as were 17,450 other buildings, leaving almost 99,000 people homeless. The city of Chicago was virtually leveled. And out of the ashes, a phoenix, in the guise of a steel and concrete Chicago, rose -- all because of one cow.

Word Of The Day: Glib (glib) adj. Smooth of speech. Salesmen surrounded him offering up their glib pitches.

John Winston Lennon -- composer; musician; one fourth of the famed rock group, The Beatles; husband of Yoko Ono; father of Julian and Sean -- was born on this day in 1940 in Liverpool, England. It's hard to imagine what the world would be like without his influence in music.

There is hardly a soul anywhere in the world who isn't familiar with the songs he wrote as half of the team of Lennon and McCartney. When the Beatles were no longer touring, John Lennon collaborated with Yoko Ono in avant-garde works. He then began to express his political views through his music, and in some cases, his actions. "Live Peace in Toronto" was his first gesture for world peace. And, he returned the coveted Order of the British Empire award (the MBE) to protest British involvement in the Nigerian Civil War. He continued his quest for peace in "Give Peace a Chance" and his bed-in for peace at the Amsterdam Hilton following his marriage to Yoko Ono.

His music traced his lifestyles, his views, his childhood, his pain and his jubilation: "Cold Turkey", "Instant Karma", "Mother", "Working Class Hero", "Jealous Guy", "Crippled Inside" and "How Do You Sleep". "Imagine" from the LP of the same title, became his best known work. It also made a statement, paying homage to nonmaterialism. Then there was the LP, "Sometime in New York City" filled with anti-establishment verses. "Mind Games" and "Walls and Bridges" followed.

"Whatever Gets You Through the Night" was cause for celebration. It was his first solo #1 hit in the U.S. Lennon then recorded an LP with Yoko, each alternating songs on "Double Fantasy". He celebrated his son Sean with "Beautiful Boy", his wife with "Woman" and his new life with both in "Just like Starting Over".

He had barely begun to start over when, on December 8, 1980, John Lennon was shot to death outside his New York City apartment building.

It's hard to "Imagine" ...

Word Of The Day: Germane (juhr MAYN) adj. Helpful, relevant, pertinent. That evidence is germaine to solving the case.

10 months into the 20th century, the world received a gift. A baby, named Helen Brown was born in Washington, D.C. on this day in 1900. She was destined to become the First Lady of the American Theater. We know her as Helen Hayes. Her best work on stage was as Great Britain's Queen Victoria in the play, "Victoria Regina". She was more than wonderful on Broadway and her Tony Awards attest to that: Best Dramatic Actress in 1947 for "Happy Birthday", and again in 1958 for "Time Remembered". Her talents were recognized on movie screens (Hayes appeared in films as early as 1927). She received an Academy Award for Best Actress for her first major role: "The Sin of Madelon Claudet" in 1931, and forty years later for Best Supporting Actress in "Airport". Other silver screen performances included roles in "Arrowsmith", "A Farewell to Arms" and "Anastasia". Helen Hayes was recognized for her talents on the small screen as well, garnering an Emmy for TV's Best Actress on February 5, 1953. And, as late as 1974 she was still performing on TV in "The Snoop Sisters".

Helen Hayes passed away on March 17, 1993. The mother of one of TV's well-known actors, James MacArthur ("Hawaii Five-O's" Danno), Helen Hayes will always be The First Lady of the American Theater.

Word Of The Day: Envisage (en VIZ ij) v. To imagine; picture in the mind. I envisage a corporation composed of three separate divisions.

As children, many of us were scolded for telling a lie -- even a little white lie. In fact, we were told about the first President of the United States, George Washington, who, as a little boy had chopped down his father's cherry tree with a hatchet. Little George could not tell a lie, so he told his father what he had done. George Washington was to be an example for us all.

The truth of the matter is that the story about George and the cherry tree was a lie ... or rather, a fictitious story. It seems that Mason Weems, who was born on this day in 1759, grew up to become a preacher; an Episcopalian clergyman to be exact. Parson Weems was also a seller of books. Weems would fictionalize history in stories like the one he wrote of George Washington. The readers of his books loved the stories and often believed that they were true.

The fables got the readers interested in history and Parson Weems had some best sellers on his hands. Some of his tales live on today -- like the story of George and the cherry tree.

Word Of The Day: Mortify (MOR tuh fai) v. To embarrass, humiliate. My own fears of swimming have mortified me for years.

In fourteen hundred and ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. And on this day, with a crew of 90 and three ships, the Santa Maria, the Nina and the Pinta, he landed on Guanahani Island in the Bahamas.

Italian born Columbus, sailing for Spain's Queen Isabel, had been in search of a water passageway to Cathay. It was a long and dangerous journey across what Columbus called "shoreless seas", so there was much jubilation when they saw land. Columbus renamed the island, San Salvador and claimed it for the Spanish Crown.

An entry in his journal described meeting the natives of the island, "As I saw that they were friendly to us, and perceived that they could be much more easily converted to our holy faith by gentle means than by force, I presented them with some red caps, and strings of beads to wear upon the neck, and many other trifles of small value, wherewith they were much delighted and became wonderfully attached to us."

And most people in Spanish-speaking countries and the Americas are still pretty much attached to Columbus, as they continue to celebrate this day as a holiday in his honor.

Word Of The Day: Gaunt (gahnt) adj. Haggard; thin or bony. The old woman's gaunt, hungry appearance saddened me.

Born Mary Ludwig on this day in 1754, Mary grew up near Trenton, New Jersey and married a man named John Hays. John called Mary by her nickname, Molly.

During the American Revolution, and specifically at the Battle of Monmouth, Molly was helping out as a water carrier. She gained a new nickname, Molly Pitcher.

Her husband, John, was wounded during the battle. At that point, Molly dropped the water pitcher and picked up her husband's job of loading and firing a cannon. General George Washington named her a noncommissioned officer and Mary Ludwig Hays garnered a new nickname, Sergeant Molly.

Molly Pitcher became a synonym for a heroine. Her nickname name was later given to another famous woman, Harriet Tubman, rescuer and heroine of abolitionist times.

Word Of The Day: Riposte (ri POST) n. A retaliatory maneuver; a retort. Taken aback by his scathing riposte, I stood there, speechless.

Oh-tay, boys and girls, gather 'round as we tell you that the classic A.A. Milne book, "Winnie-the-Pooh" made its debut on this day in 1926.

Alan Alexander Milne wrote this and other delightful "Winnie-the-Pooh" stories, centering the tales around his little son, Christopher Robin and Christopher's stuffed animals, like the honey-loving Pooh Bear, Eeyore (the donkey), Piglet and Tigger, too.

The other A.A. Milne Pooh books were "The House at Pooh Corner", "When We were Very Young" and "Now We are Six". That's it.

Word Of The Day: Imperious (im PIR ee uhs) adj. Urgent, pressing; domineering. I could tell by her imperious manner that something was wrong.

If you're a country music performer, the day you make it to the stage of the "Grand Ole Opry" is the day you've made it. The "Grand Ole Opry" started on radio in Nashville, Tennessee (where it still originates) in 1925. It was first heard on network radio in 1939. The show finally made it to TV on this day in 1955.

The ABC network carried just one hour of "Opry" (it continues through the night), live from Nashville. This arrangement only lasted for one year; although the "Grand Ole Opry" was used as a staging arena for other successful shows like "Classic Country Featuring Stars of the Grand Ole Opry" and "Hayride".

Then, miracle of miracles for country music fans, "Grand Ole Opry" came to TV to stay. In 1985, the Nashville Network (appropriately enough) positioned "Opry" on Saturday nights. And there it stays.

The "Grand Ole Opry" made it! And it will probably continue in Nashville whether it stays on TV or not.

Word Of The Day: Perpetuate (puhr PECH yoo ayt) v. To cause to continue. They want to perpetuate the myth that only big businesses have high profits.

If you think that Planned Parenthood and other such organizations are unique to society in the late 20th century, think again.

Long before most of us were born, three women, Margaret Sanger, Fania Mindell and Ethel Burne, all from New York, decided that the poor should have some help in controlling the size of their families. They felt they could help if they opened a birth control clinic because "no social progress is possible, especially where poverty is a factor, unless the size of families is limited." Talk about being way ahead of your time...

They opened the doors of the first such clinic in the United States, right smack in the middle of Brooklyn at 46 Amboy Street on this day in 1916. Ms. Sanger served 30 days in jail for her bold action. A year earlier she had been indicted for using the U.S. mail to disseminate birth control information in three languages throughout the United States.

A public nurse, Margaret Sanger went on to become the first president of the International Planned Parenthood Foundation in 1953.

Word Of The Day: Iota (ai O tuh) n. A very small amount. Don't give an inch, not one iota!

The first issue of "National Geographic Magazine" was on newsstands this day in 1888. The highly acclaimed magazine would be published on a somewhat irregular basis at first. Material was hard to come by in the early years, so, the publisher just waited until enough material accumulated for the next issue.

The science and travel magazine, the official journal of the National Geographic Society, quickly became a monthly and it wasn't long before it became famous for its maps and photographic essays of exotic locales and peoples.

At last check, with a circulation of over ten million, "National Geographic Magazine" maintains the third largest circulation of all other magazines.

Word Of The Day: Synergy (SIN uhr jee) n. The action of a group achieving a greater effect than that of which each individual is capable. Our relationship was built on synergy.

One of the most influential artists of the 1900s was French painter, Henri Matisse. Although human figures, still life and interior scenes were his favorite subjects, one wouldn't necessarily know that his paintings were depicting these. His method of painting consisted of the use of intense color and lines to produce patterns and sense of movement; creating the illusion of realistic forms and space.

You see, Matisse believed that a painting was an object of art and that was more important than seeing it as a representation of reality.

On this day in 1961, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, proved Matisse's point -- accidentally. His painting, "Le Bateau" went on display in the museum, attracting large numbers of viewers. What nobody realized, for six days, was that "Le Bateau" was hanging upside down. Any way you look at it, it is still art.

Word Of The Day: Droll (drol) adj. Oddly comical or amusing. We all enjoyed the pet chicken's droll antics.

On this day in 1850, a baby girl was born in New York City, destined to become one of the world's renowned mountain climbers. Her name was Annie. Annie Peck.

When Annie turned 45, she gained international recognition by climbing the Matterhorn -- and we're not talking about the Disney ride here, but the real thing in the Swiss Alps. Annie would probably have loved the song, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough". After the Matterhorn she took on 21,812 feet high Huascaran, a mountain peak in Peru. She accomplished the feat gaining the distinction of being the first American to reach this high a pinnacle in the Western Hemisphere. Then, Mt. Coropuna, also in Peru, proved no obstacle. It was a mere 562 feet shorter than Huascaran. Not bad for a 61-year-old woman. When Annie got to the top of this mountain she placed a banner there that said, "Votes for Women".

Why did Annie Peck climb those peaks? Because they were there...

Word Of The Day: Vestige (VES tij) n. A trace; evidence of past existence. He's merely a vestige of his former talented self.

Richard M. Nixon pulled out his presidential pistol and let 'em have it this night. Nixon was under heavy pressure to turn over some tape recordings he had made of conversations with various folks in the Oval Office. The taped conversations were regarding the break-in at the Watergate apartment/office complex in Washington DC.

Special Watergate Prosecutor, Archibald Cox, whom Nixon had appointed, was applying the pressure, thinking that there might be some interesting stuff on those tapes. So, on this Saturday night in 1973, the President asked U.S. Attorney General, Elliot Richardson to fire Cox. Richardson refused, so Nixon fired Cox himself. Then, in protest, Richardson resigned. Nixon, a little peeved by now, fired Deputy Attorney General, William D. Ruckelshaus, who also had refused to fire Cox.

Unfortunately for the U.S. President, this Saturday Night Massacre, as it immediately came to be known, only made things worse. Nixon eventually did turn over those tapes; but since there were little pieces of dialogue mysteriously missing, suspicion about the President's involvement in Watergate grew to the point where he resigned from office (August 9, 1974) rather than face (almost certain) impeachment.

It seems Nixon was also a victim of the Saturday Night Massacre.

Word Of The Day: Sophistry (SAHF uh stree) n. False reasoning, clever but misleading argument. Their sophistry convinced me to go along with them.

The Battle of Trafalgar was fought this day in 1805. Admiral Horatio Nelson led the English fleet to victory over Napoleon's combined French and Spanish navies. This win ended any threat to England by Napoleon.

In those days, a lot of drinking was done on board the ships. You've heard the refrain, "Yo, ho, ho and a bottle of rum." And rum probably had a lot to do with the victory. All Lord Nelson had to say to his men was, "England expects that every man will do his duty" and they did, getting up enough nerve to defeat the enemy in a mere five hours. There was much bravery or bravado.

Unfortunately, the good Admiral was hit by an enemy musket ball and died as the enemy surrendered.

The crew preserved his body in the rum. Now we know where that other refrain came from, "Oh, it's rum, rum, rum that makes you feel so numb."

Word Of The Day: Harbinger (HAHR bin juhr) n. A forerunner; advance notice. Her huge vocabulary was a harbinger of her prolific medical skill.

There have been many days that you probably thought the world was coming to an end -- or maybe wished that it would. Well, on this day in 1844, according to those who practiced Millerism, the world was to definitely come to an end.

A man named William Miller, religious leader and founder of the Adventist church, started the Millerism movement. Some say his followers got rid of all their earthly possessions and climbed to high places so as to be saved when the world ended.

Somehow, things have continued on as usual since 1844, although sometimes we wonder how.

Word Of The Day: Penchant (PEN chuhnt) n. A strong liking, fetish; an inclination. He had a penchant for fast cars

How does that old saying go? Eat what you can, and what you can't eat, we'll can ... or something similar. Well, without old Nicolas Appert we wouldn't be familiar with any part of that saying because he was the one who invented the canning process.

Nicolas Appert was born on this day in 1752, at Chalons-Sur-Marne, France. He was destined to become a great chef and confectioner -- and, chemist and inventor. In 1809 the French government awarded Appert with twelve thousand francs for his contribution to the world. Nicolas Appert had, in his search to preserve food, invented a process of heating foods and sealing them in airtight containers. In 1812 he was bestowed with the title, 'Benefactor of Humanity'. Just think, we still use his methods of food preservation today!

And, we wouldn't want to forget another invention of Appert's: the bouillon cube. It was probably the first instant soup. Just add water. Then heat to boiling and seal in an airtight jar, tin or can and serve it on Canned Food Day next year!

Word Of The Day: Guise (gaiz) n. Manner, appearance; a false appearance. Under the guise of romance, she was able to obtain the top-secret information.

The United Nations charter took effect this date in 1945 at the San Francisco Conference -- establishing the United Nations. 51 countries came together determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, to reaffirm faith in human rights, to promote social progress and better standards of life, to practice tolerance and live together in peach with one another and unite their strength to maintain international peace and security.

Today there are 186 member countries in the United Nations, led by a Secretary-General, controlled by the General Assembly and the Security Council. The Security Council has five permanent members (United States, Great Britain, France, China, Russian Federation) and ten temporary members (serving two-year terms, representing five regions of the world). Fifty-four members sit on the Economic and Security Council for three-year terms. There is also a Trusteeship Council and an International Court of Justice. At least fifteen agencies also exist under the auspices of the United Nations, such as the International Atomic Energy Agency and the World Health Organization.

Since 1971, by unanimous request of the U.N. General Assembly (the world's forum for discussing matters affecting world peace and security), this day has been observed throughout all UN member nations as a public holiday, United Nations Day.

Word Of The Day: Quandary (Kwahn dree) n. A state of doubt; a dilemma. I was in a quandary over the marriage proposal.

It all started on this, a fall football day in 1970.

George Blanda, who had played pro football for the Chicago Bears for ten years, retired and then returned to the game as starting quarterback for the Houston Oilers. He led the Oilers to two AFC championships, earning the title of AFC Player of the Year in 1961. By 1966 he was no longer the starter for the team, but was the team's kicker, leading the league with 116 points. Blanda was then traded to the Oakland Raiders, primarily as a kicker.

That's when George Blanda became a legend in his own time. As we said, it was on this day in 1970 when Blanda, 43 years old, replaced Daryle Lamonica, the Raiders injured quarterback. Blanda tossed three touchdown passes (19, 43 and 44 yards), taking the Raiders to an easy victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, 31-14. And that was only the beginning.

The following week, George Blanda kicked a field goal 48 yards to tie the Raiders with Kansas City -- with only three seconds left to play. The next week, Blanda replaced Lamonica in the last quarter. Oakland was down by one touchdown. With one minute and fourteen seconds remaining, Blanda threw a 14-yard touchdown, tied the game, then kicked a 52-yard field goal in the last three seconds.

Another week, another game and another Blanda heroic ending -- with only four minutes left to play. Denver was in the lead over Oakland by two points. Blanda drove for 80 yards, then threw a touchdown pass to Fred Biletnikoff. Oakland won. His heroics continued the following week. With four seconds remaining, the game tied at 17, Blanda kicked a 16-yard field goal and San Diego went home the loser. Oakland won the division championship and Blanda became AFC Player of the Year and AP male athlete of the year. That's why George Blanda is enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame!

Word Of The Day: Pragmatic (prag MAT ik) adj. Practical, workable, based on experience. That might be the most pragmatic solution.

After 8 years of digging ... and digging ... and digging, Clinton's Big Ditch was completed. (That's not Bill Clinton, folks, but De Witt Clinton, governor of the state of New York, at the time.)

The 363-mile-long, inland waterway connecting Lake Erie to New York City by way of the Hudson River, opened to boat traffic this day in 1825. Cannons fired in celebration and folks lined the route to cheer the $7,602,000, pet project of Governor Clinton. He knew that this, the first major, man-made waterway in the U.S. would be enormously important to the settlement of the Great Lakes region. And right he was!

By the 1840s, thousands of barges used the ditch. The boatmen who worked them, known for their drinking and brawling, and their adventures on the Erie Canal became subjects of many stories and songs. One such refrain, the result of a storm that halted the 'canawlers' (as the barge operators were called) went something like this:

Oh, the Erie was a risin'
And the gin was gettin' low,
And I scarcely think we'll get a drink
Till we get to Buffalo.

Word Of The Day: Blasé (blah ZAY) adj. Bored, indifferent. This blasé young student leads an empty life.

Marconi, Fessenden, and De Forest were the catalysts, but it was an engineer for Westinghouse Electric who, in 1916, was broadcasting music from his garage (in Wilkinsburg, PA, a suburb of Pittsburgh) over a wireless -- an amateur radio station 8XK -- that really got the whole thing started. A newspaper article about the broadcasts caused such interest that Westinghouse decided to build a real radio station.

It took until this day in 1920 for the Westinghouse radio station to receive a license to broadcast. The license for KDKA Radio, Pittsburgh, PA, came from the U.S. Department of Commerce. While the license was issued on this day, KDKA did not commence broadcast operations for a week (they had to wait until the license was posted in the station). On November 2, 1920, the station aired the returns of the Harding/Cox election ... the first radio programming to reach an audience of any size ... approximately 1,000 people.

And so we salute this day as the official birthday of mass appeal radio.

Word Of The Day: Wreak (reek) v. To inflict; vent, express, or gratify. "Wreak destruction on the aliens!" shouted Captain Kirk.

An emblem of Franco-American unity, the Statue of Liberty was presented to the American people by the French and unveiled this day in 1886.

The Statue of Liberty, at Bedloe's Island in New York Harbor, is the work of French sculptor, Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, who called it "Liberty Enlightening the World." Bartholdi was present at the dedication presided over by U.S. President Grover Cleveland.

Inscribed on a tablet inside the pedestal of "Miss Liberty" is a poem by Emma Lazarus. It describes the statue of a woman holding a book and torch as a symbol of the freedom waiting for immigrants who passed by it on their way to Ellis Island and admission to America. It reads:

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, with conquering limbs astride from land to land; here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand a mighty woman with a torch, whose flame is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command the air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. "Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she with silent lips.

"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

The 152-foot high statue, weighing 225 tons, now sits on Liberty Island. On August 3, 1957, U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower changed the name, from Bedloe's Island to Liberty Island.

Liberty and justice for all!

Word Of The Day: Solicitous (suh LIS I tuhs) adj. Concerned; attentive; eager. Solicitous youths are the most likely to be hired.

More than 16 million shares were traded in panic selling on the New York Stock Exchange and thousands of investors were wiped out on this day in 1929. Prices plummeted, millions lost billions, and the buying boom was over.

The market crashed. It had been preceded, by four days, with a speech by the President of the United States, Herbert Hoover, in which he said, "The fundamental business of the country ... is on a sound and prosperous basis."

The Great Depression was longer and harsher than previous depressions. Earlier depressions had seen an upturn in business activity after one or two years. But, from October, 1929, until Franklin D. Rooselvelt became President in March, 1933, the economy got worse almost every month. Banks, factories and stores failed and unemployment soared. Millions of people lost their jobs, savings and homes.

Evangeline Adams saw into the future and predicted the crash - along with other events that actually occurred, like Lindbergh's flight - but didn't listen to her own predictions. She lost $100,000.

The Great Depression was depressing, indeed!

Word Of The Day: Blunt (blunt) v. To deter, disincline; desensitize; dull. I hat to blunt your enthusiasm, but your plan simply will not work.

Folks throughout the United States were pretty skittish this night in 1938. Maybe they just wanted to believe that the world was going to come to an end. Nobody ever found out why thousands of people believed the science fiction drama that was played out over the Columbia Broadcasting System.

Orson Welles, known to radio audiences as "The Shadow", presented his famous dramatization of H.G. Wells' "The War of the Worlds" on CBS Radio's "Mercury Theater" this night at 8 p.m. The show was set up as a music program interrupted by news bulletins saying that Martians had landed near Princeton, New Jersey. Though a disclaimer was broadcast several times throughout the hourlong program, most people did not pay attention to the explanation telling them that the story was fictional and a radio fabrication. Even the newspaper program guides printed the warning. But thousands paid no attention.

Some folks, in fact, got pretty desperate when they heard the 'news' that the world was coming to an end. They rushed out of their homes with handkerchiefs covering their mouths to guard against Martian gas ... clogged phone lines ... caused traffic jams and checked into hospitals in shock.

In just one hour, Orson Welles panicked the populace with his version of "War of the Worlds".

Word Of The Day: Pugnacious (puhg NAY shuhs) adj. Quarrelsome, eager to fight. Fido is an extremely pugnacious poodle.

This is the day to keep some tricks up your sleeve, much like the famous magician, illusionist and escape artist, Harry Houdini.

Houdini (born Ehrich Weisz), the greatest escape artist in history, always managed to find his way out of handcuffs, straitjackets, padlocked boxes, even a Scotland Yard jail cell. He could walk through walls, make an elephant disappear, and escape from the Water Torture Cell (suspended headfirst into a tank of water with his ankles locked in stocks). However, Harry Houdini was unable to escape fate.

Before he could tense his abdominal muscles correctly to ward off punches -- as he had done many times before -- he was taken by surprise. The untimely punch caused an internal rupture and Houdini died this night in 1926. Magicians and mediums throughout the world gather on this night, Halloween, to honor the Great Houdini.

Halloween (All Hallow's Eve), an ancient celebration dating back to the sixth or seventh centuries, is a rather fitting time for this memorial celebration. Houdini was not only a magician but one who devoted much of his time to exposing fake mediums. His spirit still lives on this, the holiday which combines the Druid autumn festival and the Christian celebration of Hallowtide, long associated with witches, ghosts, devils, spirits, magic ... and all scary things that go bump in the night.

Word Of The Day: Regale (ruh GAYL) v. To entertain, delight. For three hours she regaled us with her adventurous life.

George R. Self
E-mail me at: grself@c2i2.com

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