World History

  1. October 16, 1793: Marie Antoinette, the Queen of France, was guillotined during the French Revolution. Her execution followed that of her husband, King Louis XVI, and was a key moment in the revolution that dramatically changed the course of French history.
  2. October 17, 1933: Albert Einstein arrived in the United States after fleeing Nazi Germany. Einstein, one of the most prominent scientists of the 20th century, took up a position at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, and lived in the U.S. for the rest of his life.
  3. October 18, 1867: The Alaska Purchase was formally transferred from Russia to the United States in a ceremony known as the Alaska Transfer. The acquisition added 586,412 square miles of new territory to the United States for a cost of $7.2 million.
  4. October 20, 1944: General Douglas MacArthur returned to the Philippines with a force of American and Filipino troops, fulfilling his promise of “I shall return” after having been ordered to leave the islands in 1942. The landing marked a turning point in the liberation of the Philippines from Japanese occupation during World War II.
  5. October 22, 1962: U.S. President John F. Kennedy announced the discovery of Soviet missiles in Cuba, leading to the Cuban Missile Crisis. This was a pivotal moment in the Cold War, bringing the United States and the Soviet Union to the brink of nuclear conflict.

Cleveland History

  1. October 16, 1938: The Cleveland Rams, an American football team that later moved to Los Angeles, played their first National Football League game at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.
  2. October 17, 1970: The Cleveland State University’s Convocation Center (now known as the Wolstein Center) was officially dedicated. This event was significant for education and community activities in Northeast Ohio.
  3. October 19, 2007: LeBron James, who would later become an iconic figure in Cleveland sports, played in a pre-season game with the Cleveland Cavaliers against the San Antonio Spurs. Though not a regular-season game, it was a matchup against the team the Cavs had lost to in the NBA Finals earlier that year.
  4. October 20, 1964: The Cleveland Browns played against the Chicago Bears and secured a victory in a home game. This match was part of a season that led the Browns to the NFL championship.
  5. October 21, 2002: The Cleveland Museum of Art announced a major renovation and expansion project that would eventually cost over $350 million. The project aimed to add new gallery space and modernize the museum, and it had a significant impact on the cultural life of Northeast Ohio.

While the list includes events mostly from Cleveland, they all had broader implications for Northeast Ohio, including communities like Bedford.