PARACULTURAL CALENDAR FOR OCTOBER 19

On this day in 1469, Ferdinand II of Aragon marries Isabella I of Castile, a marriage that paves the way to the unification of Aragon and Castile into a single country: SPAIN!

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On this day in 1789, Chief Justice John Jay is sworn in as the first Chief Justice of the United States.

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On this day in 1933, the Berlin Olympic Committee votes to allow the sport of basketball during the Olympic games scheduled to be held in Nazi Germany three years later. This explains why Germans are now such a dominating force in the sport.

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On this day in 1978, actor Gig Young (They Shoot Horses, Don't They?) kills his second wife, then commits suicide. You wouldn't expect a guy with such an up-beat, cheery name to be so freaking grouchy, would you? But, there you go...

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On this day in 1980, Salem bin Laden, oldest brother of Osama, is allegedly involved in secret Paris October Surprise meetings between US and Iranian emissaries, including George Herbert Walker "Poppy" Bush, during which a delay to the release of the US hostages in Iran was negotiated, thus helping Ronald Reagan and Bush win the 1980 Presidential election.

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On this day in 1986, Samora Machel, President of Mozambique and a prominent leader of FRELIMO, and 33 others die when their Tupolev 134 plane crashes into the Lebombo Mountains.

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On this day in 1987, the Dow Jones Industrial Average falls by 22%, 508 points on this day, which would henceforth be remembered as Black Monday.

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On this day in 2005, the pathetic sham of a kangaroo court show-trial for former Iraqi strongman President Saddam Hussein begins in Baghdad.