Today In History [6th October, 2015]

A chronological timetable of historical events that occurred on this day in history. Historical facts of the day in the areas of military, politics, science, music, sports, arts, entertainment and more. Discover what happened today in history.

Today in History

October 6

1014		The Byzantine Emperor Basil earns the title "Slayer of Bulgers" after he orders the blinding of 15,000 Bulgerian troops.
1536		William Tyndale, the English translator of the New Testament, is strangled and burned at the stake for heresy at Vilvorde, France.
1696		Savoy Germany withdraws from the Grand Alliance.
1788		The Polish Diet decides to hold a four year session.
1801		Napoleon Bonaparte imposes a new constitution on Holland.
1847		Charlotte Bronte’s novel Jane Eyre is published in London.
1866		The Reno brothers–Frank, John, Simeon and William–commit the country’s first train robbery near Seymore, Indiana netting $10,000.
1927		The first "talkie," The Jazz Singer, opens with popular entertainer Al Jolson singing and dancing in black-face. By 1930, silent movies were a thing of the past.
1941		German troops renew their offensive against Moscow.
1965		Patricia Harris takes post as U.S. Ambassador to Belgium, becoming the first African American U.S. ambassador.
1966		Hanoi insists the United States must end its bombings before peace talks can begin.
1969		Special Forces Captain John McCarthy is released from Fort Leavenworth Penitentiary, pending consideration of his appeal to murder charges.
1973		Israel is taken by surprise when Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Jordan attack on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur, beginning the Yom Kippur War.
1981		Egyptian president Anwar el-Sadat is assassinated in Cairo by Islamic fundamentalists. He is succeeded by Vice President Hosni Mubarak.
1987		Fiji becomes a republic independent of the British Commonwealth.
1995		Astronomers discover 51 Pegasi is the second star known to have a planet orbiting it.
2000		Yugoslavia’s president Slobodan Milosevic and Argentina’s vice-president Carlos Alvarez both resign from their respective offices.
2007		Explorer and author Jason Lewis becomes the first person to complete a human-powered circumnavigation of the globe.
Born on October 6
1820		Jenny Lind, soprano known as the "Swedish Nightingale."
1846		George Westinghouse, prolific inventor, held over 100 patents on creations including air brakes for trains.
1887		Le Corbusier, Swiss-born French architect and city planner.
1895		Caroline Gordon, writer (The Strange Children).
1906		Janet Gaynor, film actress.
1908		Carol Lombard, American comediennne and actress.
1908		Sammy Price, jazz pianist.
1914		Thor Heyerdahl, Norwegian anthropologist and explorer.
1917		Fannie Lou Hamer, US civil rights advocate; became vice-chair of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party.
1931		Riccardo Giacconi, Italian astrophysicist ; won Nobel Prize in Astrophysics for his pioneering contributions that led to the discovery of cosmic X-ray sources.
1948		Gerry Adams, Irish politician who was an important figure in Northern Ireland’s peace process; president of Sinn Fein, Northern Ireland’s second-largest political party, since 1983.