On Oct. 27, 1871, William Marcy “Boss” Tweed, the political leader of Tammany Hall in New York, was arrested on charges of defrauding the city of millions of dollars.
In 1904 the first rapid transit subway, the IRT, was inaugurated in New York.
In 1938 Du Pont announced a name for its new synthetic yarn: nylon.
In 1947 “You Bet Your Life,” starring Groucho Marx, premiered on ABC Radio. (It later became a television show on NBC.)
In 1954 Walt Disney’s first television program, named “Disneyland” after his yet-to-be-completed California theme park, premiered on ABC.
In 1967 Expo ’67 closed in Montreal.
In 1978 Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin were named winners of the Nobel Peace Prize for their progress toward achieving a Middle East accord.
In 1980 seven Irish nationalist guerrillas in a Northern Ireland prison launched a hunger strike, demanding Britain accord them political prisoner status.
In 1986 the New York Mets won the World Series, coming from behind to defeat the Boston Red Sox 8-5 in Game 7 at Shea Stadium.
In 1994, in the first trip to Syria by a U.S. president in 20 years, President Bill Clinton met with Syrian President Hafez Assad before heading to Jerusalem to meet with Israeli officials.
In 1999 the U.S. federal budget surplus was put at $123 billion in 1998, marking the first back-to-back surpluses since the 1950s. Also in 1999 the New York Yankees swept the World Series for the second successive year, beating Atlanta 4-1 in Game 4.
In 2000 Canadian authorities arrested two men they say masterminded the 1985 bombing of an Air India jumbo jet near Ireland that claimed the lives of all 329 people aboard. (However, the men were acquitted at trial in March 2005.)
In 2003 suicide bombers in Baghdad struck Red Cross headquarters and three police stations, killing dozens of people.
In 2004 the Boston Red Sox won their first World Series since 1918, sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 4, 3-0. Also in 2004 New York’s subway system marked its 100th anniversary.
In 2005 White House counsel Harriet Miers withdrew her nomination to the Supreme Court after three weeks of brutal criticism from fellow conservatives. Also in 2005 Tropical Storm Beta formed in the Caribbean Sea.
