October 4

This Day in History

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Lead Story
Sputnik launched, 1957
American Revolution
Both sides battered at Germantown, 1777
Automotive
Blues singer Bessie Smith, killed in Mississippi car wreck, is buried, 1937
Civil War
Lincoln watches a balloon ascension, 1861
Cold War
Soviet Union launches Sputnik I, 1957
Crime
Jim Bakker is indicted on federal charges, 1988
Man who served 25 years for murder exonerated by DNA, 2011
Disaster
Plane crashes into apartment building, 1992
General Interest
The Battle of Germantown, 1777
Pope visits U.S., 1965
White House siege ends in Moscow, 1993
Hollywood
Beverly Hills, 90210 debuts, 1990
Literary
Anne Rice is born, 1941
Music
Janis Joplin dies of a heroin overdose, 1970
Old West
Frederic Remington is born in Canton, New York, 1861
Presidential
Rutherford B. Hayes is born, 1822
Work begins on Mount Rushmore, 1927
Sports
So-called Brooklyn bums win their first World Series, 1955
Vietnam War
Johnson orders the commencement of Oplan 34A raids, 1964
Pope calls for end to the Vietnam War, 1966
World War I
Germany telegraphs President Wilson seeking armistice , 1918
World War II
Heinrich Himmler encourages his SS group leaders, 1943
Ike warns of the risk of "shell shock", 1944

General Interest

Oct 4, 1777:

The Battle of Germantown

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Near the British-occupied city of Philadelphia, Patriot forces under General George Washington attempt an early morning attack on Sir William Howe's British troops at Germantown. Heavy morning fog threw Washington's divisions into disarray, and by 10 o'clock the battle was over. Although the Americans were forced into a retreat, both sides suffered heavy losses, and the battle demonstrated Washington's strategic abilities. Coupled with the American victory at the Battle of Saratoga in New York on October 17, the Battle of Germantown convinced France to recognize and support American independence and give open military assistance, thus marking a turning point in the American Revolution. After Germantown, General Washington led his forces into their winter quarters at Valley Forge.

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This Week in History, Oct 4 - Oct 10

Oct 04, 1777
The Battle of Germantown
Oct 04, 1965
Pope visits U.S.
Oct 04, 1993
White House siege ends in Moscow
Oct 05, 1813
Tecumseh defeated
Oct 05, 1877
Chief Joseph surrenders
Oct 05, 1969
Cuban defector lands MiG in Miami
Oct 05, 1974
American circumnavigates the globe on foot
Oct 05, 1989
Dalai Lama wins Peace Prize
Oct 05, 2011
Apple founder Steve Jobs dies
Oct 06, 1683
First Mennonites arrive in America
Oct 06, 1961
Kennedy urges Americans to build bomb shelters
Oct 06, 1973
Yom Kippur War begins
Oct 07, 1780
Battle of King's Mountain
Oct 07, 1913
Moving Assembly Line at Ford
Oct 07, 1949
East Germany created
Oct 07, 2001
U.S.-led attack on Afghanistan begins
Oct 08, 1919
First transcontinental air race
Oct 08, 1967
Che Guevara defeated
Oct 08, 2005
Massive earthquake hits Kashmir region
Oct 09, 1635
Rhode Island founder banished from Massachusetts
Oct 09, 1940
St. Paul's Cathedral bombed
Oct 09, 1974
Oskar Schindler dies
Oct 09, 1975
Sakharov wins Peace Prize
Oct 10, 732
Battle of Tours
Oct 10, 1845
Birth of the U.S. Naval Academy
Oct 10, 1970
October Crisis in Canada
Oct 10, 1973
Vice President Agnew resigns

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