Today in History 3rd October 2012

 1226: St. Francis of Assisi, founder of the Franciscan order, died; he was canonized in 1228

 1582: Gregorian Calendar introduced

1605: Li Tzu-ch'eng, Chinese revolutionary who dethroned last Ming emperor born He was a Chinese rebel leader who contributed to the fall of the Ming dynasty. With the help of scholars he organized a government in S Shanxi prov., proclaimed a new dynasty, and sought popular support by giving famine relief and spreading songs and stories lauding his heroic qualities. By 1643 he held much of Hubei, Henan, and Shaanxi provs., and in 1644 he captured Beijing, finding the last Ming emperor dead by suicide. Advancing to Shanhaiguan, a strategic pass on the Great Wall, Li confronted the Ming general Wu San-kuei. Rather than surrender to a Chinese rebel leader, Wu preferred to collaborate with the Manchus. Li was driven from Beijing, and within a year he was killed and his forces were crushed. The new Manchu Ch'ing dynasty rewarded Wu with an independent satrapy in Yunnan and Guizhou provs.
         

1789: Washington proclaims the 1st national Thanksgiving Day on Nov 26

1803: John Gorrie, invented cold-air process of refrigeration was born.

 1899: The patent was issued for the motor-driven vacuum cleaner.

1941:

Singer Chubby Checker born Ernest Evans in Spring Gulley, South Carolina

Have always enjoyed his "Last Twist again", as we still played this song at parties & functions to cheer the atmosphere

1945     Elvis was only 10 years old when he made his first public performance today back in 1945
Elvis was encouraged to enter a singing contest after impressing his schoolteacher with his singing of Red Foley's country song "Old Shep" . The contest,  held at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show on October 3, 1945, was his first public performance.
He dressed as a cowboy, Elvis Presley, then a 10 years old boy stood on a chair to reach the microphone and sang "Old Shep". He recalled being placed in fifth position.
A few months later, on his birthday, Elvis received his first guitar ; he had actually hoped for something else, by different accounts, either a rifle or a bicycle. But that guitar leads him on to be a great singer.


 1990: That year was the Happiest News for Europe- West Germany and East Germany ended 45 years of postwar division, declaring the creation of a new unified country with 78 million citizens . Soon after that, the Soviet Union was disintegrated .And Germany has came a long way since then .
The present Chancellor was from East Germany


1994: South African President Nelson Mandela addressed the U.N., urging the world to support his country's economy. Looking at how successful the World cup was held, South Africa has indeed came along way

 2005: US rejects EU proposal to give Internet control to the UN. If Internet control has been given to the UN, that might be the end of free flow of news and information ?