October 24: Stock market crashes, U.S. puts blockade on Cuba

October 25, 4:17 PMPortland History ExaminerNatalie Leavitt

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Maine Fast Fact: Maine has the 3rd lowest crime rate in the country.

Births:

• 1855: James S. Sherman, Vice President of the United States from 1909 to 1912 under President William Howard Taft
• 1915: Bob Kane, American cartoonist, creator of Batman
• 1930: J.P. Richardson, also known as The Big Bopper, American singer
• 1936: Bill Wyman, English musician, bassist for the British band The Rolling Stones
• 1946: Jerry Edmonton, Canadian musician, drummer for the rock band Steppenwolf
• 1947: Kevin Kline, American actor
• 1980: Casey Wilson, American actress and comedienne, cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2008 to 2009; Monica, American R&B singer

 Deaths:

• 1852: Daniel Webster, American lawyer and politician
• 1922: George Cadbury, British chocolate and cocoa manufacturer
• 1972: Jackie Robinson, American baseball player, first African American player in Major League Baseball
• 2005: Rosa Parks, American civil rights activist

History:

• 1861: The first transcontinental telegraph line across the United States is finished and the first message is sent from California to President Abraham Lincoln.
• 1901: Annie Edson Taylor goes over Niagara Falls in a barrel, the first person to do so.
• 1929: The New York Stock Exchange stock market crashes, becoming known as "Black Tuesday."
• 1940: The 40-hour work week goes into effect in the United States.
• 1945: The United Nations charter takes effect.
• 1946: The first photograph of Earth is taken from outer space on board a rocket.
• 1947: Walt Disney testifies to the House Un-American Activities Committee and names employees he believes to be communists.
• 1962: President John F. Kennedy signs a proclamation creating a U.S. blockade of Cuba during the missile crisis.
• 1964: Northern Rhodesia declares its independence from the United Kingdom and becomes the Republic of Zambia.
• 2001: The House of Representatives passes a $100 billion economic stimulus package after the September 11 terrorists attacks.
• 2003: Concorde makes its final commercial flight.

October 24 is United Nations Day, a celebration of the anniversary of the charter of the United Nations which took place on this date in 1947. Today is also Independence Day in Zambia, the date it gained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1964.