On October 17, 1989, a magnitude 6.

An earthquake hits the San Francisco Bay Area on October 17, 1989, killing 67 people and causing more than $5 billion in damages.

On October 17, 1974, President Gerald Ford explains to Congress why he had chosen to pardon his predecessor, Richard Nixon, rather than allow Congress to pursue legal action against the former president.

The Arab-dominated Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) announces a decision to cut oil exports to the United States and other nations that provided military aid to Israel in the Yom Kippur War of October 1973.

Queen Elizabeth II Launches Britain's First Nuclear Power Station: A Historic Moment in Energy Production

First Electric Telpher Line Revolutionizes Transportation in 1885 Sussex, England

Revolutionary Bessemer Process Transforms Steel Production and Boosts Industrial Growth

The brief life of Chopin, one of music’s earliest superstars, ended on this day when the sickly composer fell victim to tuberculosis. He was just 39.

On October 17, 1835, Texans approve a resolution to create the Texas Rangers, a corps of armed and mounted lawmen designed to “range and guard the frontier between the Brazos and Trinity Rivers.

Deadly Floods: From Brewing Beer to Molasses, Disasters Claim Lives in 19th Century