Eisenhower Born: D-Day Commander and Highway Builder
Dwight Eisenhower commanded more than two million men on D-Day. Five years later he was playing golf in retirement. Then the Republican Party found him and made him president. He served two terms, built the Interstate Highway System, kept America out of Korea, kept America out of Suez, and sent federal troops to desegregate Little Rock schools. In his farewell address he warned the country about the military-industrial complex — a phrase coined by his speechwriter but delivered with the authority of a man who'd run it for thirty years.
October 14, 1890
136 years ago
What Else Happened on October 14
Pope Callixtus I was thrown down a well by a mob in Trastevere. He'd been pope for five years and had enemies — he'd allowed Christians who'd committed adultery…
William the Conqueror's Norman forces crush the English army at Senlac Hill, killing King Harold II and ending Anglo-Saxon rule. This decisive victory shatters …
William the Conqueror's army met King Harold's forces at Hastings on October 14th, 1066. Harold had just marched 250 miles from defeating Vikings in the north. …
Robert the Bruce routed Edward II's army at Byland, nearly capturing the English king himself as he fled through the Yorkshire countryside. The humiliating defe…
Radu cel Frumos — Radu the Handsome — issued a writ from Bucharest in 1465. It's the first official document mentioning Bucharest as a residence of a Wallachian…
October 5th was Thursday. October 15th was Friday. The ten days between didn't happen. Pope Gregory XIII's calendar reform deleted them to realign Easter with t…
Talk to History
Have a conversation with historical figures who witnessed this era. Ask questions, explore perspectives, and bring history to life.