In 1858, the 26th president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, was born in New York City.

In 1904, the first rapid transit subway, the IRT, was inaugurated in New York City.

In 1938, Du Pont announced a name for its new synthetic yarn: “nylon.”

In 1941, the Chicago Daily Tribune dismissed the possibility of war with Japan, editorializing, “She cannot attack us. That is a military impossibility. Even our base at Hawaii is beyond the effective striking power of her fleet.”

In 1986, the New York Mets won the World Series, coming from behind to defeat the Boston Red Sox, 8-5, in Game 7 played at Shea Stadium.

In 1998, Hurricane Mitch cut through the western Caribbean, pummeling coastal Honduras and Belize; the storm caused several thousand deaths in Central America in the days that followed.

In 2001, in Washington, the search for deadly anthrax widened to thousands of businesses and 30 mail distribution centers.