Today in history: Oct. 14
Ten years ago: Extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner landed gracefully in the eastern New Mexico desert after a 24-mile jump from a balloon in the stratosphere in a daring, dramatic feat that officials said made him the first skydiver to fall faster than the speed of sound.
1066: The Battle of Hastings
In 1066, Normans under William the Conqueror defeated the English at the Battle of Hastings.
1939: HMS Royal Oak
In 1939, a German U-boat torpedoed and sank the HMS Royal Oak, a British battleship anchored at Scapa Flow in Scotland’s Orkney Islands; 833 of the more than 1,200 men aboard were killed.
1944: Erwin Rommel
In 1944, German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel took his own life rather than face trial and certain execution for allegedly conspiring against Adolf Hitler.
1964: Martin Luther King Jr.
In 1964, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was named winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.
1981: Hosni Mubarak
In 1981, the new president of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak (HOHS’-nee moo-BAH’-rahk), was sworn in to succeed the assassinated Anwar Sadat. Mubarak pledged loyalty to Sadat’s policies.
2008: Casey Anthony
In 2008, a grand jury in Orlando, Fla. returned charges of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and aggravated manslaughter against Casey Anthony in the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee. (She was acquitted in July 2011.)
2011: Barack Obama
Ten years ago: President Barack Obama cast himself as a savior of the U.S. auto industry as he stood in a once-shuttered Michigan assembly plant with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak to boast of a new trade deal and the auto bailout he’d pushed through Congress.
2011: Kohei Uchimura
Ten years ago: In Tokyo, Japan’s Kohei Uchimura (koo-hay oo-chee-mur-uh) gave the home fans what they wanted, becoming the first man to win three titles at the world gymnastics championships.
2012: Chuck Yeager
Retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Chuck Yeager, at the age of 89, marked the 65th anniversary of his supersonic flight by smashing through the sound barrier again, this time in the backseat of an F-15 which took off from Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.
2012: Felix Baumgartner
Ten years ago: Extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner landed gracefully in the eastern New Mexico desert after a 24-mile jump from a balloon in the stratosphere in a daring, dramatic feat that officials said made him the first skydiver to fall faster than the speed of sound.
2014: Ebola
In 2014, a second nurse at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas came down with Ebola after contracting it from a dying patient. (The nurse, Amber Joy Vinson, was later declared free of the disease.)
2017: Somalia
In 2017, a truck bombing in Somalia’s capital killed more than 500 people in one of the world’s deadliest attacks in years; officials blamed the attack on the extremist group al-Shabab and said it was meant to target Mogadishu’s international airport, but the bomb detonated in a crowded street after soldiers opened fire.
2020: Barron Trump
One year ago: First lady Melania Trump said 14-year-old Barron Trump had tested positive at one point for the coronavirus but subsequently tested negative.
2020: Facebook and Twitter
One year ago: Facebook and Twitter took steps to limit the spread of an unverified political story about the son of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden that was published by the conservative-leaning New York Post; the moves led to cries of censorship from the right.
2020: Post Malone
One year ago: Post Malone won nine honors at the 2020 Billboard Music Awards.
2020: The U.S. Postal Service
One year ago: The U.S. Postal Service agreed to reverse changes that slowed mail service, settling a lawsuit filed by Montana Gov. Steve Bullock amid a pandemic that was prompting many more people to vote by mail.
2021: Alex Murdaugh
South Carolina state police said prominent attorney Alex Murdaugh had been arrested and charged with stealing insurance settlements that were meant for the sons of his late housekeeper.
2021: Robert Durst
One year ago: New York real estate heir Robert Durst was sentenced in Los Angeles to life in prison without a chance of parole for the murder of a friend, Susan Berman, more than two decades earlier. (Durst died in prison in January 2022 at 78.)
Things to know today: Cop among 5 killed in North Carolina shooting; Connecticut officers may have been lured in ambush; Jan. 6 hearing recap.