Hi there!

Here is the latest from the Today in History site at BellaOnline:

October 26 - Gunfight at the OK Corral
The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral is probably the most famous standoff of the Old West. Amazingly, it lasted only 30 seconds and involved on seven individuals. How did this lore gain such historical value?

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art21118.asp

Halloween Traditions and Their Origins
Do you know why things like trick-or-treating and jack-o’-lanterns are associated with Halloween? It all goes back to an ancient fall festival known as Samhain. Read on to find out!

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art15964.asp

Also this week in history, according to my source, David Crystal’s On This Day (Penguin, 2006) -

October 27: This date in 1901 boasts the first known use of a getaway car, when thieves in Paris drove off in one after holding up a shop!

October 28: In 1962, after an exchange of letters between the U.S. and the USSR, the Soviet missiles were finally dismantled. This ended the Cuban Missile Crisis.

October 29: In 1863, Swiss philanthropist Henri Dunant established the International Committee for Relief to the Wounded to protect soldiers and medical personnel in war zones. A medical worker would wear a white armband with a red cross on it. The organization was renamed the International Committee of the Red Cross in 1876.

October 30: Henri Dunant died on this date in 1901.

I hope you enjoy reading these. Feel free to send me a personal note by clicking on my name at the top of any Today in History page, which will take you to a page with a comment box. If you have an idea for a future article or a discussion topic, don’t hesitate to send me a note or even post it in the forum -

http://forums.bellaonline.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=222

Have a good week!

Lane Graciano
‘Today in History’ Editor
http://todayinhistory.bellaonline.com