Today is Saturday, Oct. 7, the 280th day of 2017. There are 85 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Oct. 7, 1977, the Queen double-A single “We Are the Champions” (by lead singer Freddie Mercury) and “We Will Rock You” (by lead guitarist Brian May) was released in the United Kingdom by EMI Records.
On this date:
In 1571, the Battle of Lepanto is fought, and the Holy League (Spain and Italy) annihilates the Turkish fleet.
In 1765, the Stamp Act Congress convened in New York to draw up colonial grievances against England.
In 1849, author Edgar Allan Poe died in Baltimore at age 40.
In 1919, KLM, the flag carrier of the Netherlands, is founded. It is the oldest airline still operating under its original name.
In 1949, the Republic of East Germany was formed.
In 1950, Mother Teresa establishes the Missionaries of Charity.
In 1959, U.S.S.R. probe Luna 3 transmits the first ever photographs of the far side of the Moon.
In 1960, Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kennedy and Republican opponent Richard Nixon held their second televised debate, this one in Washington, D.C.
In 1982, the Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice musical “Cats” opened on Broadway. (The show ended its original run on Sept. 10, 2000, after a then-record 7,485 performances.)
In 1985, Palestinian gunmen hijacked the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro in the Mediterranean. (The hijackers killed Leon Klinghoffer, a Jewish-American tourist, before surrendering on Oct. 9.)
Today’s Birthdays: Retired South African Archbishop and Nobel Peace laureate Desmond Tutu is 86. Author Thomas Keneally is 82. Comedian Joy Behar is 75. Rock musician Kevin Godley (10cc) is 72. Actress Jill Larson is 70. Singer John Mellencamp is 66. Russian President Vladimir Putin is 65. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma is 62. Olympic gold medal ice dancer Jayne Torvill is 60. Recording executive and TV personality Simon Cowell is 58. Rock singer-musician Thom Yorke (Radiohead) is 49.
Thought for Today: “An egotist is a person of low taste — more interested in himself than in me.” — Ambrose Bierce, American author-journalist (1842-1914?).
