Today is Wednesday, Oct. 18, the 291st day of 2023. There are 74 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Oct. 18, 1867, the United States took formal possession of Alaska from Russia.
On this date:
In 1892, the first long-distance telephone line between New York and Chicago was officially opened.
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In 1954, Texas Instruments unveiled the Regency TR-1, the first commercially produced transistor radio.
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In 1969, the federal government banned artificial sweeteners known as cyclamates because of evidence they caused cancer in laboratory rats.
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In 1972, Congress passed the Clean Water Act, overriding President Richard Nixon’s veto.
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In 2012, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York ruled that a federal law defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman was unconstitutional. (The following June, the Supreme Court would use that case to strike down provisions keeping legally-married same-sex couples from receiving federal benefits that were otherwise available to married couples.)
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In 2018, President Donald Trump threatened to close the U.S. border with Mexico if authorities could not stop a caravan of migrants making their way from Central America.
Today’s Birthdays: College and Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Ditka is 84. Author Terry McMillan is 72. International Tennis Hall of Famer Martina Navratilova is 67. International Hall of Fame boxer Thomas Hearns is 65. Jazz musician Wynton Marsalis is 62.
