Moments in Time: Old Ironsides
The History Channel
On Oct. 21, 1797, the USS Constitution, a 44-gun U.S. Navy frigate, is launched in Boston Harbor. She was built to fight Barbary pirates off the coast of Tripoli and won the nickname "Old Ironsides" during the War of 1812, when British shots merely bounced off Constitution's sides.
On Oct. 19, 1931, David Cornwell, known as spy novelist John le Carre, is born in Poole, England. He published his first spy novel, "Call for the Dead," in 1961. The novel, like his second, "A Murder of Quality" (1962), featured spy George Smiley.
On Oct. 22, 1957, in Saigon, Vietnam, 13 American military personnel are wounded in three terrorist bombings. During America's official involvement (1964-1973), over 3 million armed forces were deployed to Vietnam, resulting in 58,220 deaths.
On Oct. 20, 1968, 21-year-old Dick Fosbury sets an Olympic record at the Mexico City Games when he high-jumps 7 feet, 4 1/4 inches. Fosbury's unique jumping, known as the Fosbury Flop, was described in the press as "a guy falling off the back of a truck."
On Oct. 18, 1974, singer Al Green is attacked when an ex-girlfriend pours a pot of hot grits on his back while he was in the bathtub. Green was left with severe injuries but also a spiritual awakening. By 1976, Green had become an ordained Baptist minister and established a Memphis church.
On Oct. 17, 1986, President Ronald Reagan signs into law an act that approves $100 million in humanitarian and military aid for Nicaraguan Contras with a goal of overthrowing the Sandinista government. Shortly afterward, however, the Iran-Contra scandal was revealed wherein the U.S. had sold missiles and arms in secret deals with Iran and $30 million were diverted to the Contras.
On Oct. 23, 2002, nearly 800 people in a Moscow theater are taken hostage by 50 Chechen Army rebels. Russian special forces surrounded the building and pumped in a gas that rendered the terrorists and hostages unconscious. During the subsequent raid, 120 hostages were killed as well as most of the rebels.
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