October 21, 1879 - Thomas Edison and His Team Invent the Incandescent Lightbulb

Thomas Edison holding his incandescent light bulb

 Can anyone imagine a world with no electric lights, just candle light? Many people used gas lights and candles in their homes, which left their homes smelly and also were not safe! On this day in 1879, Thomas Edison, a great inventor of many things and his team created a successful incandescent light bulb, in his laboratory in Menlo Park, NJ. Many others attempted to make an incandescent light for years, but Edison and his team were the first to get a light to burn for 13.5 hours! Soon after Edison discovered the lasting bulb, he attempted to light up his laboratory and home. [1]

Earlier in 1879, Joseph Swan attempted to create the light bulb, he used just carbonized paper to try to make a light bulb. Just before Edison figured out the right kind of filament to put into the light bulb, he tested over 6,000 vegetable growths. Edison was able to figure out that in his attempt at the light bulb, he needed to use not only carbonized filaments made from cotton thread, but also he added a pure vacuum, sprengle pump, and filament material of high resistance.[2] He discovered that the pure vacuum would help to make the light less dark and glow more! In the process of his discovery, Edison figured out that if he pumped air out while heating the bulb, the pure vacuum

The Sprengle Pump Edison used to create his light bulb

worked better. At an earlier attempt Edison originally used a platinum filament in his project, but quickly learned that this was too expensive. [3] Edison needed a brighter light that was more efficient for people to use.

Before Thomas Edison could make any money off of his invention, they had to go through a lot of different test and trials. The test and trials were to see how the light bulb can be used and how it could be improved to work better. Thomas Edison tried over 1,000 times before becoming successful in making the electric light. About getting closer, he said, “I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.” Thomas Edison would never give up on his goals of making his invention successful, and that is what drove him to become very successful in his attempts.

Edison’s main goal was to successfully create a light that would be bright, long lasting, cheaper, use little power, and safer for people’s homes! Even in his younger days, he enjoyed learning about how to improve inventions to make the lives of people better. In his discovery, he successfully spread electrical power to everyone. The current discovery provided people with a source that was reliable and flexible. It still needed some more work and adjustments to keep the light burning strong and bright, which led Edison and his team’s discovery into further work in December to quickly start expanding electrical power to households and businesses in the world.

-Amanda D. and Brandon C.





[1] “Menlo Park.” Edison Memorial Tower Corporation, accessed 9 October, 2013, http://www.menloparkmuseum.org/thomas-edison-and-menlo-park

[2] “Incandescent Lamps” Edison Tech Center, accessed 9 October, 2013, http://www.edisontechcenter.org/incandescent.html

[3] “First Public Demonstration of Edison's Light Bulb.” American Library, accessed 9 October, 2013, http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/gilded/jb_gilded_edison_3.html

[4] “Thomas A Edison Quotes.” Brainy Quotes, accessed 16 October, 2013, http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/t/thomas_a_edison.html

[5] “Cover Boy—Thomas Edison.” Patently Brilliant, accessed 16 October, 2013, http://patentlybrilliant.com/blog/?p=224

October 16, 1968 - Two Americans Give the Black Power Salute at the Olympics

At the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Mexico, American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos won the gold and bronze medals in the 200m sprint. During the medal ceremony, the two men planned their wardrobe in one of the most political visual statements in recent memory. The two men received their awards without shoes but wearing black socks to represent the poverty of African Americans in the United States. Smith in particular wore a black scarf as a symbol for black pride and woke a bead necklace for all of the lynched blacks in the south.

Even though the two black sprinters stole the show, Australian Peter Norman won the silver medal in the race and stood on the podium next to Carlos and Smith wearing an OPHR (Olympic Project for Human Rights) badge to show support and to protest against the White Australia bill passed by his own government. This statement was so powerful because of the volatile conditions in the United States for black people following the assassination of Martin Luther King a few months before the Olympics. It showed that the struggles of the blacks to be recognized as equals along with white people were not in vain. Furthermore, the black power salute put the Civil Rights Movement on a global stage as more countries became aware of what was happening in the American south.

However, as heroic and brave the salute was, at the time it was considered villainous. There was a backlash from the groundbreaking gesture as the newspapers compared the men to Nazis as the salute is visually similar to the Nazi Salute. ABC reporter Brett Musburger likened them to storm troopers with dark complexions. TIME Magazine called their salute reprehensible and ugly and the black sprinters’ actions led to Smith being discharged out of the military for his “Un-American” actions and both sprinters receiving death threats after the event. The final straw was reached when someone threw a rock through a plate glass window at Smith’s baby’s crib.

Negative reception aside, this event is important to American history as a whole because of how it coincided with the Black Power movement in the United States but diffused the criticism about how the Black Power Movement was primarily violent. This event showed that people of all races could in fact come together and combat racism and all those who practice it. In conclusion, the Black Power Salute at the 1968 Olympics put the United States on notice that it could not keep its bigoted customs any longer.

- Anthony S. and Joe E.

October 15, 1968 - First Live Telecast from Space

The Apollo 7 was the seventh space mission that NASA launched, attempting to reach their goal publicly announced by John F. Kennedy: to have the first man on the moon be an American. There was a competition between arguably the two most technological dominant nations at the time, being Russia (Soviet Union) and America. When Kennedy was president, one of his primary goals for the country was to make advancements in space (1961). Russia had beaten the U.S with the first man in space, in 1961. (“Apollo 7 (AS-205).”) The Soviet Union also got the first spacecraft to orbit the Earth, in 1957. The Apollo 7 was the first mission set to broadcast live to the audience in America. The mission launched October 11, 1968

Americans were very interested in the Apollo 7 mission for a few reasons. First of all. the fire that killed the three pilots on the Apollo 1 before it made it to space gained tons of public attention. Secondly, the patriotic Americans wanted to see their country beat Russia in the “man to the moon” race. And thirdly, Americans wanted to see if space was really what they heard it was. In 1968, they rarely saw pictures or videos like we would see nowadays, they had only heard rumors of space, with zero gravity and being extremely cold as well as never seeing it firsthand until this mission. It was essentially an “unknown” for all humans, if you never studied space or worked for NASA.

America’s launching of the Apollo 7 was the first ever three man mission to space. The three Americans were Donn Eisele, Walter Cunningham, and Walter Schirra Jr., the captain. When they launched on October 11th, 1968 there were a few planned broadcasts but they were delayed by Schirra, because the three man crew was sick. (“Apollo 7 (AS-205).”) The crew ended up orbiting the Earth 163 times in just 10 days, 20 hours, and four days into the mission they decided to make their broadcast, with all of America waiting. On October 15th, 1968, the first ever live television broadcast from space aired, and American viewers were intrigued. For the first time, viewers saw the men floating in their spacecraft with no gravity affecting their movements; they were enjoying hot food, too. Captain Schirra started the broadcast with “Hello from the lovely Apollo Room high atop everything.”(“Apollo 7 (23) The Walt, Wally, and Don Show.”) It ended up being one of the highest watched programs in television history. Despite the incredible amount of popularity, only NASA knew that the Apollo 7 was just a test run for the Apollo 8, for the first craft to land on the moon.

The event was actually more significant for the future than the current time. It led to an opening for live broadcasts to be made from space on every manned mission, and even non-manned missions. It gave NASA and America some confidence in advancing the space race; just two months later the Apollo 8 landed on the moon, before the Russians, where another live broadcast was made. It then led to the Apollo 11 where the first man walked on the moon, which was also broadcasted for the world to see. In our opinion, the Apollo 7 was significant in establishing what was to come of space exploration for the rest of the 1960s and gave all Americans a first-hand look at what was really out there beyond what they had heard.

- Ryan R. and Percell D.





“Apollo 7 (AS-205).” Airandspace.si.edu, last modified January 30, 2006. http://airandspace.si.edu/explore-and-learn/topics/apollo/as07/a07.htm


“Apollo 7 (23) The Walt, Wally, and Don Show.” NASA.gov, last modified April 5, 2002. http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/history/apollo/apollo-7/apollo-7.htm

October 14, 1962 - Start of the Cuban Missile Crisis

“Power” has its riches and ditches, and in the hands of leaders of great nations, it can be a weapon of destruction. On October 14, 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis began as a result of discovery of the United States' plan to overthrow Fidel Castro, the Communist leader of Cuba (1). This discovery of Operation Mongoose aided Castro’s insecurities, and he allowed the installment of Soviet missile sites in Cuba, in exchange for more military aid (2). Although the United States and Russia fought alongside during World War II, they didn’t get along because of their different form of government. The United States was democratic, Russia was communist, and by the end of the war they developed a great sense of mistrust and enmity towards each other. The actions taken by the United States at the beginning of the Cuban missile crisis supports their post-war view about Russia (3).

British cartoon of 29 October 1962
shows Kennedy and Khrushchev arm-wrestling
 for power while sitting on hydrogen
bombs. The caption read: 'OK Mr president, let's talk.'

After the failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion (a United States invasion to oust Fidel Castro on April 4, 1961) (5), Fidel Castro rationalized that he needed a larger military defense to protect his communist rule. His thirst for this more military defense heightened in 1962 when the Cuban Intelligence discovered documents regarding Operation Mongoose (a United States plan to overthrow Castro planned for October 1962). This created the avenue the Soviet Union needed—a range close enough to strike the United States effectively, so Khrushchev , who was worried about an imbalance of power due to the American missile in Turkey, proposed installing Soviet missiles in Cuba and Castro accepted. (6) 

The construction of the missile sites in Cuba began in mid-July in 1962, but in  August, suspicions arose when American intelligence unraveled the increased shipping activities between the Soviet Union and Cuba (7). In that same month, on the 29th, the first photographic evidence showed the type of missiles installed, and that they were not offensive, but indicated Cuban desire for stronger security. The Soviet Ambassador even convinced Robert F. Kennedy, (one of President Kennedy’s closest advisors), that the installations were only for defensive purposes (8). However, to be certain of this, more photographic evidence was acquired on October 14, 1962. This second piece of evidence proved that the Soviet Union and Cuba could not be trusted, for six larger medium range ballistic missiles (MRBMs) had been installed (9).

Tension began to greatly build between the Soviet Union, and a nuclear war was about to begin based on the events above. “During the next two weeks, the united States and the Soviet Union would come as close to nuclear war as they ever had, and a fearful world awaited the outcome” (10). The decision made, and action taken by these nations began the Cuban Missiles Crisis, and they were based on the mistrust between these nations, their fear and test of power, and the resentments from the Cuban war, Bay of Pigs Invasion, and World War II. These actions brought the United States and Russia on the brink of a nuclear war.

- Lindsay T. and Teledalase O.





(1) "Cuban Missile Crisis." United States History, accessed 09 October, 2013, http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1736.html
(2) “Cuban Missile Crisis”
(3)"The Cuban Missile Crisis begins” Today in History, History.com, accessed on 09 October, 2013, http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-cuban-missilecrisis-begins
(4) “Cuban Missile Crisis”
(5)"Bay of Pigs Invasion." United States History, accessed 09 October, 2013, http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1765.html
(6) “Cuban Missile Crisis”
(7) “Cuban Missile Crisis”
(8)"The Cuban Missile Crisis Begins”
(9) “The Cuban Missile Crisis Begins”
(10) “The Cuban Missile Crisis Begins”

October 12, 1942 - U.S. Defeats Japan at the Battle of Cape Esperance

October 14, 1942 headlines of the New York Times

Today marks the 71st anniversary of the United States defeat of Japan in the Battle of Cape Esperance during WWII. The battle was part of a six-month power struggle between U.S. and Japanese navy fleets fight for control of the Guadalcanal. The two navies were fighting over the airfield built by the Japanese which was currently under the control of U.S. Marines since August 1942, named Henderson Field. The battle lasted less than an hour, but the destruction was enormous, with damages to both navies. However, the win helped to boost moral for the U.S. military during WWII. [1]

For over two months, the U.S. had maintained control of the sea surrounding the island during daylight hours, which forced the Japanese to perform reinforcement and supply missions at night. The missions, called the “Tokyo Express,” brought supplies to the Imperial Japanese Navy or IJN soldiers who were trying to regain control of Henderson Field from the U.S. Marines. The U.S. let these missions occur without much interference until the night of October 11-12, 1942. The IJN had become accustomed to only encountering its own ships at night to the point that when a fleet of U.S. Naval destroyers and cruisers appeared, their warships assumed that it was a part of the Japanese supply fleet and contacted the U.S. fleet. The U.S. Navy leader commanded that the recognition lights be turned on in order to see the Japanese ships and immediately fired on them, which led to over forty minutes of gunshots and torpedo launchings in the darkness.[2]

The entire battle was essentially a mistake. Both the U.S. Navy and the IJN had the wrong information and their actions ultimately led to the Battle of Cape Esperance. First, the U.S. Navy knew that there was a Japanese supply convoy mission, but they did not know that there was a fleet of IJN warships tagging along behind the convoy. The U.S. ran into the warships instead of the convoy they had planned on attacking. They quickly realized their mistake, and attacked the Japanese warships.[3] Secondly, there had been a reinforcement and supply mission earlier in the day on October 11th and the IJN warships assumed that the U.S. ships were stragglers from that mission. The Japanese made the mistake of not following their proverb of “treat a stranger as a thief.” The proverb basically meant that if you did not know the person, you should assume that they would steal from you or were there to harm you. The IJN did not know the ships, but assumed that the ships were part of the Japanese fleet and contacted the ships over the radio, which allowed the U.S. to pinpoint their exact location. The U.S. took advantage of the IJN’s mistake, and immediately fired on them. The U.S. Navy had the element of surprise and overtook the IJN in a tactical win.[4]

The U.S. Navy won the Battle of Cape Esperance by a small margin, but the IJN’s reinforcements and supplies still arrived safely. The U.S. entered the battle with four cruisers and five destroyers. They walked away from the battle with a loss of 163 men, one sunken destroyer and two severely damaged ships. The IJN entered the battle with three cruisers and eight destroyers.

USS Boise entering the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard for Repairs

They left the battle with a loss of 450 men, one cruiser and three destroyers. The battle gave the U.S. Navy a false sense of ability in regards to nighttime warfare because it was the first night battle win against the Japanese. The U.S. had not, however, perfected the art of nighttime warfare. The U.S. had stumbled upon a victory once, but the IJN would not make the same mistake twice, as the U.S. would learn in the next several battles. On a positive note, the battle taught the U.S. military that it was capable of successfully planning and executing nighttime warfare with practice.[5]

- Jordan C. and Amanda D.






[1] “United States Defeats Japan in the Battle of Cape Esperance,” History website for This Day in History: World War II: October 11-12, http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/united-states-defeats-japanese-in-the-battle-of-cape-esperance (accessed on October 2, 2013); Hickman, Kennedy. “World War II: Battle of Cape Esperance,” About Military History website: Conflict and Dates, http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/navalbattles1900today/p/capeesperance.htm (accessed on October 2, 2013).

[2] “The Battle of Cape Esperance,” The Americans in Wartime Museum website, www.nmaw.org/the-battle-of-cape-esperance/ (accessed on October 2, 2013); “Stumbling into Victory: The Battle of Cape Esperance October 11-12, 1942,” The Microworks website, http://www.microworks.net/pacific/battles/cape_esperance.htm (accessed on October 2, 2013).

[3] “Stumbling into Victory: The Battle of Cape Esperance October 11-12, 1942,” The Microworks website, http://www.microworks.net/pacific/battles/cape_esperance.htm (accessed on October 2, 2013).

[4] “Treat a Stranger as a Thief,” Today’s History Lesson Website: Posts tagged ‘Cape Esperance,’ http://todayshistorylesson.wordpress.com/tag/cape-esperance/ (accessed on October 2, 2013).

[5] “The Battle of Cape Esperance,” The Americans in Wartime Museum website, www.nmaw.org/the-battle-of-cape-esperance/ (accessed on October 2, 2013); “Treat a Stranger as a Thief,” Today’s History Lesson Website: Posts tagged ‘Cape Esperance,’ http://todayshistorylesson.wordpress.com/tag/cape-esperance/ (accessed on October 2, 2013); “United States Defeats Japan in the Battle of Cape Esperance,” History website for This Day in History: World War II: October 11-12, http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/united-states-defeats-japanese-in-the-battle-of-cape-esperance (accessed on October 2, 2013); Hickman, Kennedy. “World War II: Battle of Cape Esperance,” About Military History website: Conflict and Dates, http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/navalbattles1900today/p/capeesperance.htm (accessed on October 2, 2013); “Stumbling into Victory: The Battle of Cape Esperance October 11-12, 1942,” The Microworks website, http://www.microworks.net/pacific/battles/cape_esperance.htm (accessed on October 2, 2013).

October 5, 1877 - Chief Joseph Surrenders

Chief Joseph

Joseph was a chief of the Nez Perce, which was a Native American tribe of the Wallowa Valley in Northwest Oregon. Joseph continued his father’s efforts to secure the land of Nez Perce. Chief Joseph, known to his people, the Nez Perce, as “Thunder Traveling to the Loftier Mountain Heights,” tried to resist the takeover by white settlers of Nez Perce territory in 1877. Chief Joseph led his people to Canada due to the United States forcing them to relocate. [i]

In 1877, the United States ordered the Nez Perce to leave their reservation in Oregon. They refused to leave. This started Chief Joseph’s journey from Idaho and Montana to Canada. During this journey Joseph the Nez Perce and the white settlers fought for five days. The Nez Perce won several victories against a U.S. force. Chief Joseph and his people reached the Bear Paw Mountains of Montana by the fall of 1877. As they arrived, they were too exhausted and starved to continue to fight. This led Chief Joseph to surrender to his enemy. He created one of the greatest speeches in American history. [ii]

In one of the greatest speeches in American history, Chief Joseph surrendered to the U.S government on, October 5, 1877. This speech tells Americans how his people weren’t taken care of on the reservation, and that they would have been abandoned after being forced off their reservation. The speech that Chief Joseph had announced was to tell everyone that he was surrendering with his people. He was not afraid of what people would have to say about this speech. According to Chief Joseph, he said,

"Tell General Howard I know his heart. What he told me before, I have it in my heart. I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed; Looking Glass is dead, Too-hul-hul-sote is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say yes or no. He who led on the young men is dead. It is cold, and we have no blankets; the little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills, and have no blankets, no food. No one knows where they are, perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children, and see how many of them I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead. Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever." Chief Joseph did not want his people to suffer any longer and that is why he said this speech. Understanding the significance of being a real leader to his people, he chose to surrender. According to what Joseph has done, “this was considered one of the greatest retreats in military history."[iii]

Following his surrender, Chief Joseph and his people were escorted first to Kansas, and then to Oklahoma. Joseph spent years pleading his people’s case and meeting the President Rutherford Hayes in 1879. In 1885, he and many others were allowed to return back to the Northwest. Chief Joseph did not live too long after this. Chief Joseph died on September 21, 1904. [iv]

- Kara R. and Tiffany C.


[i] "Chief Joseph biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television. 01 Oct. 2013 <http://www.biography.com/people/chief-joseph-9358227>.


[ii] [ii]"Chief Joseph surrenders." History.com. A&E Television Networks. 01 Oct. 2013 <http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/chief-joseph-surrenders>.


[iii] "Chief Joseph's Surrender Speech at Bears Paw Battle October 5, 1877." Chief Joseph's Surrender Speech at Bears Paw Battle October 5, 1877. 01 Oct. 2013 <http://www.nezperce.com/npedu11.html>.


[iv] "Chief Joseph biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television. 01 Oct. 2013 <http://www.biography.com/people/chief-joseph-9358227>.

October 3, 1920 - the first American Professional Football Association game was played

Historical Marker at Triangle Park [9]

The American Professional Football Association was organized in Canton, Ohio on Sept. 17, 1920.[1] Fourteen teams belonged to the APFA in the 1920 season. Carl Storck, the owner of the Dayton Triangles, founded the team in 1916 and was one of the founding fathers of the APFA. He “served as a league executive for 21 years and as its president from 1939 to 1941.”[2]

The Dayton Triangles and Columbus Panhandles played the first APFA game on October 3, 1920. The Panhandles, who were originally formed in 1901, were a charter team of the APFA in 1920. The other team, the Dayton Triangles, named after the industrial triangle of factories where some players worked, won the game with a score of 14-0.[3] The game’s first score was a Dayton touchdown, the Triangles' Louis Partlow scored and George Kinderdine of the Triangles kicked the first extra point of the game.[4] Dayton's own Francis Bacon, a running back, scored the other touchdown. By 1927, the Triangles were the last of the five Ohio teams in the original APFA still playing a full season. None of the Triangles’ players joined the new team, which moved to New York years later, and only five of them continued their football careers. As for the Panhandles, they were disbanded and reconstituted as the Columbus Tigers in 1923, before folding after the 1926 season.[5]

Dayton Triangles Team Emblem [10]

Organized professional sports were new and exciting. The APFA brought action and competition to the public as did Major League Baseball. These new professional sports leagues gave individual towns and communities a chance to show team spirit and support their favorite teams. These teams became a source of pride for citizens while also giving the teams a fan base. Also, the rise of professional sports gave the working class a desire to play recreational sports, inadvertently exercising and improving their health.[6] Progressive reformers, recognizing the benefits of exercise, pushed for shorter work days, partly to allow more time for recreational sports. [7] From 1920-1940, the Great Depression and World War II shaped health and human services. Without health insurance, many people depended on charities for health care. Playing sports and exercising were free ways to stay fit and healthy.[8] Just as Americans want to have better food, better prices and better living conditions, they also want to have the better team. The teams of the APFA brought competition to the communities of those cities and states who had APFA teams. Football brings people together not only because of the teammate bond, but also because fans bond over their team, over their rivalries, and over their love for the sport.

- Frank F. and Kenneth F.



1. Braunwart, Bob, and Bob Carroll. "Pro Football Reasearch." Pro Football Reasearch Oct. 3. www.profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/03-02-059.pdf (accessed September 25, 2013).

2. Goodman, Rebecca. "Ohio moments." Moments in Canton on October 3rd. www.enquirer.com/editions/2003/10/03/loc_ohiodate1003.html‎ (accessed September 25, 2013).

3. "Ohio Moments."

4. "Ohio moments."

5. "Ohio moments."

6. "Public Health History Timeline." Southeast Public Health Training Center. http://www.sphtc.org/timeline/timeline.html (accessed October 1, 2013).

7. Hoffman Phd, Beatrix. "Heslth Care Reform." Health Care Reform in The U.S. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1447696/ (accessed October 1, 2013).

8. "Public Health History Timeline

9. "Site of First NFL Game." Site of First Game in the NFL. http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMB90D_Site_of_First_Game_in_the_NFL (accessed September 25, 2013).

10. "Remarkable Ohio." Remarkable Ohio.” http://www.remarkableohio.org/HistoricalMarker.aspx?historicalMarkerId=1066 (accessed September 26, 2013).